Climate Science – IUCA website https://universitiesforclimate.org Mon, 28 Sep 2026 11:16:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.2 A ‘green’ use for air-captured CO2: Growing beneficial algae https://universitiesforclimate.org/a-green-use-for-air-captured-co2-growing-beneficial-algae/ Mon, 21 Sep 2026 14:47:19 +0000 https://universitiesforclimate.org/?p=2362 As the world looks for ways to reduce greenhouse gases, researchers are exploring not only how to pull carbon dioxide from the air, but also what to do with it once it is captured.

A team of Arizona State University researchers is testing one possible answer: using CO2 from the air to help grow cyanobacteria and algae, tiny photosynthetic organisms that can be used to make fuels, chemicals, proteins, pigments and other useful products.

Find Out More
]]> UN predicts ‘supersized’ El Nino coming – expert comment https://universitiesforclimate.org/un-predicts-supersized-el-nino-coming-expert-comment/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:59:11 +0000 https://universitiesforclimate.org/?p=2277 Scientists from the University of Reading provide expert comment following news that the United Nations World Meteorological Organization, the WMO, has issued an update on its prediction for a ‘supersized’ El Niño event in the months ahead into 2027.

Find Out More

]]> A landmark UN report says the world will overshoot the 1.5°C climate target. What happens now? https://universitiesforclimate.org/a-landmark-un-report-says-the-world-will-overshoot-the-1-5c-climate-target-what-happens-now/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:57:14 +0000 https://universitiesforclimate.org/?p=2268 For over a decade, the world has been trying to limit global warming to 1.5°C. That’s no longer possible, according to a new United Nations report. We will likely pass 1.5°C in 2030. That’s not good news for anyone, least of all Australia’s Pacific Island neighbours who face rapidly rising seas.

Jacqueline Peel and Wes Morgan of UNSW discuss that it’s not game over – it’s game on.

Find Out More

]]> Expert Comment: More extreme weather is coming – can AI help us to better prepare for it? https://universitiesforclimate.org/expert-comment-more-extreme-weather-is-coming-can-ai-help-us-to-better-prepare-for-it/ Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:37:03 +0000 https://universitiesforclimate.org/?p=2271 How can we better predict ‘extreme weather events’ in a world where these are no longer so exceptional? Dr Shruti Nath, from Oxford University’s Department of Physics, argues that AI-powered forecasting could be an invaluable tool if experts can co-develop methods to address their limitations.

Find Out More

]]> NUS and A*STAR researchers lead S$22 million SG Bio-SPRINT programme to develop sustainable plant-based specialty polymers https://universitiesforclimate.org/nus-and-astar-researchers-lead-s22-million-sg-bio-sprint-programme-to-develop-sustainable-plant-based-specialty-polymers/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 14:40:51 +0000 https://universitiesforclimate.org/?p=2053 Research will develop alternative sustainable monomers, structurally similar to petrochemical equivalents, for making sustainable, high-performance specialty polymers used in adhesives, specialty coatings and electronics.

Find Out More

]]> Expert Comment: Are extreme heatwaves the UK’s ‘new normal’? https://universitiesforclimate.org/expert-comment-are-extreme-heatwaves-the-uks-new-normal/ Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:10:38 +0000 https://universitiesforclimate.org/?p=2079 Professor Myles Allen, Head of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics at the University of Oxford, explains how researchers at Oxford are combining climate information with operational weather forecasting systems to understand the changing risks of extreme weather.

Find Out More

]]> Smart stormwater filter developed to stop more pollution reaching rivers and beaches https://universitiesforclimate.org/smart-stormwater-filter-developed-to-stop-more-pollution-reaching-rivers-and-beaches/ Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:08:05 +0000 https://universitiesforclimate.org/?p=2076 Researchers from UNSW Sydney have developed a smart stormwater treatment system that can automatically adapt to changing weather conditions, significantly improving its ability to remove harmful pollutants before they reach the environment.

Find Out More

]]> Urban greenery’s potential as a climate solution is underused – new handbook offers solutions https://universitiesforclimate.org/urban-greenerys-potential-as-a-climate-solution-is-underused-new-handbook-offers-solutions/ Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:00:34 +0000 https://universitiesforclimate.org/?p=2070 A new Climate-Smart Urban Greenery Handbook brings together research-based, easily applicable ways to strengthen the role of urban greenery for the benefit of climate and nature. The handbook is aimed at city decision-makers and planners as well as home gardeners. The handbook was produced as part of the CO-CARBON project, which involves the University of Helsinki, Aalto University, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Häme University of Applied Sciences and the University of Copenhagen, together with a wide range of cities and companies.

Find Out More

]]> 100% organic free-range egg production could have negative consequences for climate and nature https://universitiesforclimate.org/100-organic-free-range-egg-production-could-have-negative-consequences-for-climate-and-nature/ Thu, 30 Jul 2026 15:09:36 +0000 https://universitiesforclimate.org/?p=1941 An international team, including researchers at the University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, has revealed striking trade-offs between the different ways eggs are produced, with a wholesale shift to free-range and organic systems potentially raising greenhouse gas emissions and land use even as it aligns more closely with concerns about hen welfare. 

Find Out more

]]> The world’s oceans are the hottest on record for June – and El Niño is set to turn up the heat even more https://universitiesforclimate.org/the-worlds-oceans-are-the-hottest-on-record-for-june-and-el-nino-is-set-to-turn-up-the-heat-even-more/ Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:05:24 +0000 https://universitiesforclimate.org/?p=1782 More than 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouses goes into the ocean. But what happens in the oceans doesn’t stay there. Experts from UNSW explain more….

Find out more

]]>