Environment

Those of us living in cities often find it a relief to get out into the countryside or spend a day on the beach when the hot summer temperatures hit. Cities are subjected to something called the urban heat island effect – where temperatures are higher than the surrounding countryside due to a combination of factors. These include the use of dark building materials for roads and roofs, lack of vegetation, tall buildings blocking cooling winds and air pollution.

In a bold move which signals their commitment to both reducing the impact of climate change on our environment and meeting customer demand, Volvo announced that all cars manufactured from 2019 will have an electric motor – with the range to choose from including hybrid cars, mild hybrid cars and fully electric cars.

The huge iceberg set to break off, or ‘calve’ from Antarctica’s Larsen C Ice Shelf has finally broken away. Weighing in at one trillion tonnes and covering an area of around 5,800 square kilometres, it’s one of the largest icebergs ever seen and by breaking off it has significantly changed the Antarctic landscape.

Whale populations have plummeted, with scientists racing to better understand the threats that face these huge creatures. One difficulty is how to collect data from whales without placing them under undue stress through the use of invasive sampling techniques.

Even if you’ve never been to London, most people know what one of their iconic Black Cabs look like. Along with red London Buses, Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, they’re one of the most recognizable symbols of this city. Now though, it’s time for them to have a makeover.

As we move towards creating a more sustainable future, the automotive industry is already taking steps to reduce its impact on the environment, including the development of electric cars such as those made by Tesla. TU/ecomotive, partnering with Eindhoven University in the Netherlands, have taken things one step further by creating the world’s first biodegradable car.

Worldwide, animal poaching is a serious problem for our endangered species, with many species facing extinction. Unfortunately, poachers are now armed with a new and dangerous tool from an unexpected source: scientific journals.

China is on a mission to reduce their impact on the environment, with bold new initiatives aimed at decreasing the air pollution which plagues China’s cities. It’s thought that each year in China, over a million people die due to air pollution.

When the blazing summer sun is out and you’re stuck in a city, there’s nothing quite like diving under the cooling canopy of a tree. These urban trees provide a vital function by increasing evaporative cooling as well as offering a shady refuge from the sun, particularly important in tropical cities.

As summer starts in the Northern Hemisphere, many of us are reminded of the dangers that heatwaves can bring. Weather warnings for excessive heat have just been issued for Phoenix, Arizona, with temperatures due to reach a sweltering 119 degrees Fahrenheit (48.3 degrees Celsius). This heat can pose a massive threat to our environment with dangers of wildfire and droughts, but it can also play havoc with our bodies.

As you sit in your garden on a summer’s day, you may well enjoy the gentle humming of honey bees diligently collecting pollen in the background. Would you miss that sound if it was no longer there, or think about the consequences? Whilst many of us are now aware that a wide variety of bee species are in decline, we don’t often think about the implications of their potential extinction.

An estimated 23% of the world’s population now live in cities, far from the reaches of farmland, making access and the transport of fresh food an everyday struggle in terms of cost, labor and unpredictable weather conditions.