Earth & Environment
Carbon capture utilisation in the deep ocean: The hydrothermal fuel cell
Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are one of the most hostile environments on Earth, and yet they support complex ecosystems. Dr Ryuhei Nakamura of the RIKEN Centre for Sustainable Resource Science and Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, has been researching how hydrothermal vents operate as a fuel cell for microbial life, their potential for deep-sea carbon capture through electrochemical carbon […]
New technology for earthquake prediction: Nankai Trough, Japan
Dr Yusuke Yokota and colleagues at the University of Tokyo are developing so-called GNSS-A technology, which combines satellite positioning technology (GNSS) and acoustic positioning technology (A) to create precise observations of the seafloor position. This has significantly contributed to seismology and earthquake disaster prevention. Dr Yokota is currently focusing on observing so-called slow slip events in which there is a […]
Water and planetary health: Protecting the lifeblood of human civilisation
Water is the lifeblood of planetary health and human civilisation. As a critical source of fresh water, rivers underpin civilisations, past and present. However, rivers constantly change in response to environmental and human pressures. Protecting global river systems from climate change and other anthropogenic activities (e.g., mining, pollution, dam construction), and understanding the interactions with human health (e.g., through the […]
Climate risk mapping provides rice growers with adaptation options in the Mekong River Delta
The Mekong River Delta in Vietnam accounts for over half of the country’s domestic rice production yet is increasingly affected by climate change. Mr Le Thanh Tung, Mr Bui Tan Yen and Mr Nguyen Hong Son from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have jointly worked with the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security in […]
Climate change impacts on freshwater resources in southern Florida
As climate changes and sea levels rise, saltwater intrudes into the groundwater that sustains humans and natural ecosystems. These changes are often analysed using complex and highly detailed models analogous to weather forecast models. In this work, Dr Joseph Park and colleagues used a simpler, holistic approach: an agent-based model reflecting the response of different vegetation types to changing environmental […]
Sustainable viticulture using organic fertilisers
Collaboration between researchers, vineyard owners and technology developers is helping to promote a sustainable approach to vineyard soil management that is also likely to improve vine and wine quality. Isabella Ghiglieno, project manager of Life Vitisom, presents the aims and results of a three-and-a-half-year study in Italy demonstrating how precision farming in the form of variable-rate technology could enable efficient, […]
Climate change: 40 years on the front lines of the climate change wars
Gary Yohe, a Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies at the Wesleyan University has been on the front lines of climate change research for the last 40 years. This is an overview of his influential work on climate change risk management, adaptation, mitigation, detection and attribution. Gary Yohe specialises in Microeconomic theory, Natural Resources, and Environmental Economics. As well as […]
Enfrentándonos a la gestión de los riesgos climáticos en Colombia
Con el cambio climático alterando las variables climáticas en el corto y largo plazo, las comunidades agrícolas se están volviendo muy susceptibles a los riesgos climáticos. Sin embargo, con la ayuda del Programa de Investigación de CGIAR en Cambio Climático, Agricultura y Seguridad Alimentaria (CCAFS), se ha adoptado un enfoque participativo para la gestión de los riesgos climáticos. Como resultado […]
Facing climate risk management together in Colombia
With climate change altering the short-term weather and causing long-term climatic fluctuations, farming communities are becoming increasingly susceptible to climatic risk. However, with the help of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), a participatory approach is being taken to climate risk management. As a result of south-south collaboration, Local Technical Agro-climatic Committees (LTACs) have […]
Transforming permafrost coastal systems: Advancing scientific discovery through international collaboration
In the Alaskan Arctic, permafrost coastal systems are eroding at rates more than double those of the past. Rampant environmental change is putting new pressures on Arctic coastal dynamics, with the loss of landscapes, cultural heritage, infrastructure, and communities. Dr Benjamin Jones (Water and Environmental Research Center, Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks) and Professor Hugues Lantuit (Alfred […]