The 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.

The climate crisis: towards zero carbon

26 February 2020

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

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Floating ‘artificial leaves’ ride the wave of clean fuel production

17 Aug 2022

Researchers have developed floating ‘artificial leaves’ that generate clean fuels from sunlight and water, and could eventually operate on a large...

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Study lake in Norway

Natural clean-up: bacteria can remove plastic pollution from lakes

26 Jul 2022

A study of 29 European lakes has found that some naturally-occurring lake bacteria grow faster and more efficiently on the remains of plastic bags...

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Marine ecosystem

Experts predict top emerging impacts on ocean biodiversity over next decade

07 Jul 2022

Lithium extraction from the deep sea, overfishing of deeper-water species, and the unexpected ocean impacts of wildfires on land are among 15 issues...

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Conservation: it’s time to look at the evidence

29 Jun 2022

Professor Bill Sutherland is leading a conservation revolution to reverse the dramatic loss of global biodiversity

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Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Extreme weather and climate events likely to drive increase in gender-based violence

13 Jun 2022

As the climate crisis leads to more intense and more frequent extreme weather and climate-related events, this in turn risks increasing the amount of...

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Coastal development along the East Asia coastline

Satellite images reveal dramatic loss of global wetlands over past two decades

13 May 2022

An analysis of over a million satellite images has revealed that 4,000 square kilometres of tidal wetlands have been lost globally over twenty years.

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Professor Christopher Howe, left, and Dr Paolo Bombelli, right

Algae-powered computing: scientists create reliable and renewable biological photovoltaic cell

12 May 2022

Researchers have used a widespread species of blue-green algae to power a microprocessor continuously for a year – and counting – using nothing but...

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Protected areas saw dramatic spikes in fires during COVID lockdowns, study finds

05 May 2022

Scientists suggest that some staffing of protected areas should be considered “essential services” in future crises.

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The PhD student who wants to change the way we think about food

04 May 2022

When Gates Cambridge Scholar Clara Ma participated in the Veganuary challenge she didn’t realise it would change the course of her PhD. Today she’s...

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Frog

Lack of transparency over cost of conservation projects hampers ability to prioritise funds for nature protection

23 Mar 2022

A new study has found that costs of conservation projects are rarely reported, making it difficult for others to make decisions on the most cost-...

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Planting a young tree

Forest restoration: trade-offs between environmental and wood production goals

17 Mar 2022

Forest restoration schemes should prioritise restoring native forests for greatest climate and environmental benefits, but these benefits incur a...

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3D-printed custom electrodes

Tiny ‘skyscrapers’ help bacteria convert sunlight into electricity

07 Mar 2022

Researchers have made tiny ‘skyscrapers’ for communities of bacteria, helping them to generate electricity from just sunlight and water.

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