environment
Towards a planetary boundary framework
In 2009, a team, led by the climate scientist Prof Johan Rockström, identified nine natural processes that regulate Earth’s biosphere and keep it stable. These include climate change, biosphere integrity, land-system change, freshwater change, biogeochemical flows, novel entities, ocean acidification, stratospheric ozone depletion and aerosol loading. For each of these processes the team defined the ...
A scientist’s opinion: interview with Sabine Fuss on removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
Sabine Fuss is an economist and head of research department at the Potsdam Institute of Climate Research Impact. To start, there are multiple ways to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, and several terms are often used: carbon dioxide removal (CDR), carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS), direct air capture (DAC), bioenergy combined with ...
Dr Vanessa Harris on planetary health research: exploring the links between the health of humans and the health of ecosystems
Dr Vanessa Harris is an infectious diseases physician and Assistant Professor at the Department of Global Health, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam (UvA). Her research focuses on diarrheal diseases in children under the age of five, investigating environmental impacts on disease risk, prevention and vaccine performance in high-risk settings, and indirect effects of having diarrheal ...
Unveiling the human exposome: A new frontier in environmental health science
While genomics has revolutionised our understanding of hereditary health conditions, research suggests that up to 90% of disease risks are actually linked to environmental exposures rather than genetics alone. Improved understanding and prevention of chronic illnesses, which account for most healthcare costs in Europe, can be achieved by focusing on the human exposome: the measure ...
ESMH Media Review – September 3, 2025
Artificial intelligence and research, car colours and the environment, EU funding, heatwaves and ageing, and more: check out the ESMH selection of 22 science and tech news items published recently on the web
A scientist’s opinion: interview with Dr Michael Hennessy Picard on space sustainability
Dr Michael Hennessy Picard holds a PhD in Law from the University of Quebec in Montreal (Canada) and is a Lecturer in International Environmental Law at the University of Edinburgh (UK). He is working on the regulatory oversight of satellite re-entry, ablation and atmospheric pollution. Can you explain the concept of “space debris” and what ...
Towards a sustainable space economy
The space economy is a rapidly developing sector projected to grow at an average annual rate of 9%, reaching over 1.5 trillion euros by 2035. However, to ensure the long-term sustainability of space activities, it is essential to address their environmental impact on Earth and beyond, from atmospheric emissions to the growing accumulation of space ...
A scientist’s opinion: interview with Prof. Pascale Ehrenfreund on space sustainability
Pascale Ehrenfreund is the President of the Committee of Space Research (COSPAR) and Research Professor of Space Policy and International Affairs in Washington DC. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Space Foundation and as Member of the Global Future Council on Space of the World Economic Forum. For three decades she contributed ...