We're here to report on the latest science without any bias, covering everything that is related to our survival on this planet. We hope you enjoy what we've written, and comments are always very welcome.

Climate thoughts from a Nobel Laureate

by Rebecca Nesbit 

Last night I went to a thought-provoking lecture by Nobel Laureate Professor Elinor Ostrom. She described climate change as a ‘global bad’ and expressed concerns about the chances of reaching a global solution in time. The solutions, she suggested, have to operate on lots of different scales, and she [...]

March 28th, 2012 | Tags: , , | Category: Climate change, Social issues | One comment

Are we hiding from ourselves?

by Rebecca Nesbit

As many of you know I have just returned from a fabulous trip to São Tomé and Príncipe (highly recommended) and following my adventures I always like to share a bit of what I’ve learnt.

Much of what people eat in São Tomé and Príncipe comes from the forest. [...]

February 13th, 2012 | Category: Biodiversity, Birds, Personal observation, Social issues | Leave a comment

Why is biodiversity important to you?

by Rebecca Nesbit 

Foreign adventures often get me thinking, and things I’ve learnt can inspire interesting discussions in real life and on our blog. I have just returned from a trip to Gibraltar and southern Spain – great food, friends and birding. Some of these friends are from the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History [...]

October 12th, 2011 | Tags: , , , , , | Category: Biodiversity, Personal observation, Social issues | 11 comments

Exotic trees don’t taste so good

by Rebecca Nesbit

In many parts of the world, pastoralists lose the grazing they rely upon when they are evicted by forestry agencies, often planting exotic trees. Herders rely on fodder trees in particular because their deep root systems ensure they provide feed even in the dry season. This means that even [...]

September 29th, 2011 | Tags: , , , , | Category: Biodiversity, Food security, Social issues | One comment

Dreaming of a world where science is free

by Rebecca Nesbit

I wanted to share some thoughts from the Science Online conference in London, which was eye opening on a far wider range of topics that I had imagined. The internet has changed not just the way we can communicate science but also ways we do science.

Open science is [...]

September 5th, 2011 | Tags: , | Category: Personal observation, Social issues, Technological advances | Leave a comment

Social development means cleaner Chinese cities

by Rebecca Nesbit

As people around the world leave their homes in the countryside to seek a new life in the city there is increasing concern about the impact of urbanisation on the environment. But the effect of urbanisation varies significantly around the world, and there are lessons to be learnt about how [...]

August 22nd, 2011 | Category: Social issues, Sustainability | 2 comments

Can we nudge our way to sustainability?

by Sarah Hards

Last week, the Government’s latest strategy for behaviour change, “Nudge”, came under fire from the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology. Nudge is a controversial topic, and this latest development raises important questions about how policy can promote sustainable lifestyles.

In a nutshell, nudge suggests that [...]

July 27th, 2011 | Tags: , , , , , | Category: Social issues, Sustainability | 3 comments

Protecting fishermen, not just fish

by Rebecca Nesbit

I recently blogged about the problems facing our fish stocks, so was interested to read about ways to overcome challenges in preventing fish declines. The number of communities dependent on seafood means that overfishing is a major barrier to obtaining food security, and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are one way [...]

June 7th, 2011 | Tags: , , , , , | Category: Food security, Marine ecosystems, Social issues, Sustainability | One comment

Promoting sustainable lifestyles

by Sarah Hards

Behaviour change is a hot topic for Government, especially when it comes to sustainability. Whether they choose emotional appeals like Labour’s “Act on CO2” campaign, or the subtler “nudge” approach favoured by the Conservatives, policy-makers are eager to encourage us all to adopt greener habits.

However, this is notoriously [...]

April 19th, 2011 | Tags: , , , , , | Category: Climate change, Social issues | 6 comments

Top conservation challenges – milk consumption in Asia

 by Rebecca Nesbit

Many people in the west eat meat every day, and possibly dairy products most meals. Traditionally, diets elsewhere had lower levels of protein, and it’s common for people have lost the enzyme, lactase, needed to digest dairy products.

But rapid economic and income growth, urbanisation, globalisation, and marketing by [...]

March 14th, 2011 | Tags: , , , , , , , | Category: Biodiversity, Climate change, Conservation, Food security, Social issues | 7 comments
 
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