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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GCE students at IPBES-8

Earlier this month, 17 GCE students and alumni had the privilege to take part in the 8th Conference of the IPBES plenary. Usually, this is a large event that offers many chances for students to network. As the conference took place online this year, there was unfortunately no opportunity to personally meet any of the […]

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How to Tackle Climate Change with Green COVID-19 Recovery Packages

Context The coronavirus pandemic has affected societies, governments and economies across the world. Due to the numerous restrictions put in place to deal with this health crisis, many businesses are struggling, and layoffs are unavoidable in some areas. These pandemic restrictions have led to a temporary decrease in carbon emissions which has unexpectedly caused some […]

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M.Sc. Global Change Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Germany – Application open until June 15th 2021

Dear Sir/Madam, We would like to advertise the application deadline this summer for an attractive and intense international MSc study program in Global Change Ecology at the University of Bayreuth in Germany. Either you in person or bachelor students and graduates around may be interested in this qualification. The program is devoted to understanding and […]

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Thank the Earth: “Kiss the Ground” Film Review

One day, while scrolling through a streaming service catalogue looking for something to watch, I came across this documentary, the name of which caught my attention: “Kiss the Ground.” I was promptly intrigued by the beautiful symbology. It made me think about gratitude for the planet, for the fact that I breathe, for the food […]

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Knowing vs. Changing

What changes behavior is much deeper than knowledge. Behavior change can be a complex equation of esteem, culture, support, prioritization and, particularly, access: choice is a prerequisite to change, and a lot of people don’t have access to an equivalent alternative, or REAL choice, in their lives (e.g. where they shop, what they eat, the clothes they wear, how they heat their homes).

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Covid & the Environment

Turns out the human response to Covid-19 has had a measurable effect on the environment and presents novel opportunities for research. But what about reporting that is not research backed? And will affects such as reduced pollution last? Here is a brief overview of recent updates.

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Blog-Journal: Excursion to Namibia

Today, two members of the blog, Katharina and Leonie, are going to go on an excursion to Namibia. We use the term excursion because it is not a random holiday or something similar but a research trip from university. So, it’s not going to be lying around at the beach, roaming around in the desert […]

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Is Europe going to be plastic-free in the future?

Imagine this: you stroll through the supermarket, looking for cotton buds – but you can’t find the little plastic sticks. When you ask the shop assistants, they look at you as if you were coming from planet Mars and answer: “Don’t you know that plastic cotton buds are now forbidden?” This situation could happen soon. […]

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