Citizen science: when scientists and communities come together

Today, our natural world is suffering rapid alterations at large scales as consequence of environmental problems like climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Impacts like warming temperatures, modified rainfall patterns, as well as droughts and extreme events can shift species historic habitat ranges, as they “follow” livable conditions; or these impacts can also be factors […]

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Shifting Baselines

If you think of somewhere pristine, what comes to your mind? Perhaps you think of the Galapagos Islands, remote areas of the Amazon, or some protected national park somewhere in the world. Wherever you think, you are probably wrong. Humans have been impacting the environment of our planet for thousands of years. Much has changed: […]

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The SDGs Series (Goal 6): Clean Water and Sanitation for all

        Water is a natural resource that is indispensable for life on the planet. Known as the Blue Planet, Earth has 71% of its surface covered by water. Nevertheless, out of the total amount of water present on our planet, 97% is in the oceans and only 3% is freshwater; this last comprising water in glaciers […]

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The Global Risks Report 2022: A call for awakening

The COVID-19 pandemic has had unprecedented impacts across various spheres. To this day, the world is still trying to recover from the damages the pandemic has caused, while also trying to stop further negative impacts. Last month World Economic Forum released the 17th edition of the Global Risks Report. As every year, the report assesses […]

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Bringing Nature Forward: The BiodiverCities by 2030 report

The Davos Agenda, the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting to address the most pressing global challenges, took place over the last week. There, the BiodiverCities by 2030: Transforming Cities’ Relationship with Nature report was first released on Monday (17.01.2021). BiodiverCities by 2030(1) is an initiative of the World Economic Forum and the Alexander von Humboldt […]

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The true cost of your closet

When we shop for new clothes, a factor that most of us consider is how much we spend. However, while seeking out the best deals, many of us aren’t thinking about what the tag leaves out: a hidden, but steep, environmental and social cost. In fact, the price of your new outfit is probably higher […]

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Community-supported agriculture – a transformative approach

As it has been made clear in some of our previous blog posts, food insecurity is a great concern. Additionally, conventional farming harbors issues in itself. One approach to increase local food security and to move away from conventional agriculture and the corporate-driven global food production is community-supported agriculture. Community-supported agriculture (CSA) originated in Japan […]

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The Wadden Sea – A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Sandy beaches, large tides, a hotspot for biodiversity … sounds like a beautiful, faraway place? In fact, it is not far from home at all. On the north coast of Germany lies the largest tidal flat system in the world: the Wadden Sea. Given that millions of tourists head there every year – and you […]

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