Energy crops have been a major flop with farmers – here's why

May 27, 2016 15:33 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Whatever happened to energy crops? A decade ago, the UK authorities confidently expected farmers to devote swaths of land to growing the likes of short-rotation willow and poplar and perennial grasses. These were to help...

Climate Change Series

Climate change, tourism and the Great Barrier Reef: what we know

May 27, 2016 08:49 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

The removal of an entire section on the Great Barrier Reef from an international report on World Heritage and climate change has been justified by the Australian government because of the impact on tourism. The Guardian...

Climate Change Series

Antarctica may not be as isolated as we thought, and that's a worry

May 27, 2016 06:19 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

For a long time, we have thought of Antarctica as isolated from the rest of the world. The continent is entirely surrounded by the Southern Ocean, which heaves with giant waves whipped up by intense winds, and is home to...

Climate Change Series

El Niño is over, but has left its mark across the world

May 25, 2016 23:57 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

The 2015-16 El Niño has likely reached its end. Tropical Pacific Ocean temperatures, trade winds, cloud and pressure patterns have all dropped back to near normal, although clearly the events impacts around the...

Climate Change Series

Why we need better ways to cut greenhouse gases from agriculture

May 24, 2016 05:08 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Although 177 countries signed the Paris Agreement to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in April 2016, the reductions they have pledged so far are not enough. To stand a chance of limiting warming to 2 degrees...

A guide to using drones to study wildlife: first, do no harm

May 24, 2016 00:13 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology Nature

Technological advances have provided many benefits for environmental research. Sensors on southern elephant seals have been used to map the Southern Ocean, while tracking devices have given us a new view of mass animal...

Here's how smart power could help the UK reach 100% renewable energy

May 24, 2016 00:10 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Both Portugal and Germany have recently succeeded in meeting almost all of their power needs using renewable energy. But at the moment, the UK falls far short of this feat. In 2015, less than a quarter of the countrys...