Sustainable Earth

Topic description and stories

̽��ֱ��climate crisis and biodiversity losses are affecting the planet at an alarming pace. Cambridge researchers are helping the response to these threats, building resilience, supporting the transition from fossil fuels to a zero-carbon future, and enabling us to act sustainably to protect the planet's precious resources and reduce waste.

̽��ֱ��climate crisis: towards zero carbon

26 February 2020

Sir David Attenborough, Dr Jane Goodall DBE and leading Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� researchers talk about the urgency of climate crisis – and some of the solutions that will take us towards zero carbon.

New tools show a way forward for large-scale storage of renewable energy

02 Mar 2020

A technique based on the principles of MRI and NMR has allowed researchers to observe not only how next-generation batteries for large-scale energy...

Cambridge researchers advise county council on net zero policy actions

19 Feb 2020

A team of early-career researchers from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge are working with the county council to identify the best ways for Cambridgeshire...

Fixing India’s slum rehabilitation housing

13 Feb 2020

Millions of new houses being built for former slum-dwellers are failing their residents and fuelling unnecessary energy use. New research aims to...

High flying academics

10 Feb 2020

Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� has committed to dramatically reducing its carbon footprint. But making a meaningful difference will involve tackling the...

New book shows how to build a more flood resilient future

04 Feb 2020

We urgently need to adapt our built and natural environment to be more flood resilient in the face of climate change, a new book shows.

Prince of Wales launches new UK centre for low-carbon aviation

28 Jan 2020

̽��ֱ��Prince of Wales today launched the National Centre for Propulsion and Power during a visit to the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge. Based at the world...

̽��ֱ��"stop doing stupid stuff" approach to sustainable manufacturing

22 Jan 2020

Around 90% of the resources we process to create goods are not reaching the person for whom they are made. How can we make manufacturing more...

Vomiting bumblebees show that sweeter is not necessarily better

22 Jan 2020

Animal pollinators support the production of three-quarters of the world’s food crops, and many flowers produce nectar to reward the pollinators. A...

Shallow river bed in Buderim Forest Park, Queensland, Australia. Credit: Laura Bentley

Local water availability is permanently reduced after planting forests

20 Jan 2020

River flow is reduced in areas where forests have been planted and does not recover over time, a new study has shown. Rivers in some regions can...

Cambridge-designed curriculum teaches schoolchildren about water scarcity and climate activism

17 Jan 2020

Students and teachers across India now have free access to a new curriculum on water security and sustainability, co-developed by researchers at the...

̽��ֱ��'P' word

16 Jan 2020

How do we shift our 'take, make, throw-away' plastic world towards 'recycle, recover, re-use'? It's time for blue-sky thinking plus practical...

Dr Jane Goodall on the environment: "My greatest hope is our young people"

14 Jan 2020

In a new film, Dr Jane Goodall DBE talks about the environmental crisis and her reasons for hope.

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