News
Vice-Chancellor’s Awards Honour Outstanding Achievements in Smith School
Two Oxford Smith School programmes were awarded in the recent Vice Chancellors awards. The Global Youth Climate Training programme - a Smith School, School of Geography and Global Youth Coalition initiative - won the Environmental Sustainability Award. REACH, a global research programme to improve water security led by Professor Rob Hope, won the VC's Research Engagement Award.
Credible firm-level transition plans need credible national actions
Credible firm-level transition plans need credible national actions. As businesses set ambitious climate goals, it's clear that national policies play a crucial role in driving these efforts.
Dr Radhika Khosla calls for greater urgency on heat resilience and sustainable cooling
The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has branded the UK Government’s response to its inquiry into heat resilience and sustainable cooling a “missed opportunity” in a press release published this week.
Livestock intensification: No panacea for emissions
In a letter published in Science, research associate Dr Divya Narain challenge's the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's recommendations on livestock intensification as a solution to emissions.
Europe is seeing “devastating” rise in health harms from extreme weather events, experts warn
Dr Laurence Wainwright comments on the latest European State of the Climate report, which found that instances of extreme heat and other climate events are continuing to rise in Europe. "While most people understand that extreme heat creates problems for physical health, there is far less understanding of the considerable impacts that it presents for mental health—especially for those with an underlying psychiatric condition," he said.
Oxford researchers comment on the plastic waste crisis for Earth Day 2024
The theme of Earth Day 2024 was ‘Planet vs Plastics.’ Amani Maalouf and Jose Espi explain how their research on waste management and sustainable plastic impacts the global plastic crisis.
The man reinventing economics with chaos theory and complexity science
New Scientist interviews Doyne Farmer about his new book, Making Sense of Chaos, which unpicks why standard economic approaches often fail and presents a radical alternative.
Scotland is ditching its flagship 2030 climate goal – why legally binding targets really matter
Sam Fankhauser writes in The Conversation on Scotland’s decision to abandon its 2030 climate ambition. "It has always been clear that legally binding carbon targets on their own are no guarantee for climate action," he writes. "They matter, but the key to climate protection is a genuine commitment to implementation."
Financial impact of extreme weather on farms, sustainable pork labelling, upland sheep farming vs conservation.
BBC Farming Today interviewed Dr Harriet Bartlett about research she led into different types of pig farming, which concludes the current pork labelling schemes do not help to identify the best pig farms for the climate, anti-biotic use, environment and animal welfare overall. "Our results really show that instead of [labelling systems] focusing on the production method or farm type, it would be much better to focus on outcomes that people care about, so actual outcomes for animal welfare and the environment," said Dr Bartlett.
Smith School MSc graduate Lucy Lyons listed in Forbes 30 under 30
Lucy Lyons, a graduate of the Oxford Smith School’s MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment, is featured in this year’s coveted Forbes 30 under 30 list, in the technology category.
Oxford contributes to landmark climate case
For the first time, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that weak government climate policies violate fundamental human rights. Research co-authored by the Sustainable Law Programme was cited in the final judgement in favour of the KlimaSeniorinnen.
Pork labelling schemes ‘not helpful’ in making informed buying choices, say researchers
Farmers don’t have to choose between lowering environmental impact and improving welfare for their pigs, a new study has found: it is possible to do both. But this is not reflected in the current food labelling schemes relied on by consumers, finds new Smith School research.