Articles Written by Bethan Henderson

Sex reversal and neomales: how climate change influences sex determination

Environment | Oceans, October 3rd, 2022

In some species, sex is determined by sex chromosomes, while in others it is decided by temperature. Research shows that in both cases, climate change is affecting how sex is established, with the potential of resulting in mass reproductive failure.

REPowerEU: the EU’s strategy to gain independence from Russian fossil fuels and to accelerate the green transition

Sustainable Leaders | Europe, September 19th, 2022

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of this year not only brought war to the European continent for the first time in decades, but it destabilised global energy systems. On May 18th, the European Commission presented REPowerEU; the EU’s plan to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to green energy. But what is this plan and how will it affect both energy security and the climate crisis?

The Great Green Wall: Africa’s big plan to fight climate change

Sustainable Leaders | Africa, 12th July, 2022

Forty-six percent of African land is degraded. In an attempt to combat this desertification, along with all of the socio-economic issues that come with it, the African Union began the Great Green Wall initiative. For the past 15 years, Africans have been planting trees across 8,000 kilometres of the continent and hope to continue to ‘re-green’ its landscapes.

Bring back the super-spreaders: How reintroducing howler monkeys can pave the way for seed dispersal

Environment | Forests, June 5th, 2022

In the 2010s, the locally extinct brown howler monkey (Alouatta guariba) was reintroduced to the Tijuca National Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This reintroduction demonstrated the importance of primates in seed dispersal and how the absence or presence of a single species has the potential to reshape an entire ecosystem.

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai: the environmental impact of a volcano that shook the Earth

Environment | Earth Systems, April 7th, 2022

On the 15th of January 2022, the volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted with unprecedented force. The eruption sent reverberations around the Earth several times and challenged what we know about eruption physics—what does this mean for the environment?

Songs of the Sea: the sounds of recovering coral reefs

Environment | Oceans, February 15th, 2022

Whoops, knocks, purrs, croaks and laughs are all sounds that emanate from the creatures that live in the restored coral reefs of Indonesia. These sounds are a part of healthy, functioning reef ecosystems and can tell us about how they function and their diversity.

The threat of ‘supertrawlers’ to cetaceans

Environment | Oceans, December 30th, 2021

‘Supertrawlers’ are large-scale commercial fishing boats that trail nets the size of 450 tennis courts. The gaping maw of a supertrawler net is the length of seven blue whales, and when it sweeps the ocean depths, it captures large quantities of marine wildlife—not just its intended fish species.

Biomimicry: how nature can inspire a sustainable world

Sustainable Leaders | Global, October 28th, 2021

From the complex colonies of ants to the very bones inside our bodies, so much can be learned from natural systems and applied to human life. Biomimicry can be an effective tool for innovation and creating a more sustainable future.

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: yet another lung disease made worse by air pollution

People | Human Health, September 27th, 2021

Air pollution can lead to a plethora of respiratory illnesses. Recent research shows that it contributes to the progression of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)—a chronic and irreversible lung disease.

The ‘sustainable’ Tokyo 2020 Olympic games seem to lack one thing: sustainability

Sustainable Leaders | Global, August 2nd, 2021

If you have tuned into the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games you may have seen that the event is being branded as the ‘greenest Olympics yet’. With the media praising the Committee’s green-orientated actions, including recycled cardboard beds for athletes and the hydrogen-fueled Olympic cauldron—how come these games have also been deemed the third least sustainable Olympics since 1992?

The buzz for green cities: urban spaces for people and pollinators

Sustainable Leaders | Global, July 11th, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown many city-dwellers tucked away indoors the enormous mental health benefits of spending time in nature. And as urbanisation takes over the world—with 5.2 billion people estimated to live on 1.9 million kilometers-squared of urban land by 2030—it is increasingly important to design city spaces to accommodate for the health of their inhabitants, both human and animal.

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