The security of every nation faces an increasingly severe and frequent threat: disruptions to nature. In this Q&A, Bradley J. Cardinale, Penn State professor of ecosystem science and management, discussed his recent study examining how disrupted ecosystems can lead to increased risk for food security, water availability, health and well-being, as well as crime. 

New research from the University of East London explores why many heat-related deaths in England occur during lower-level alerts, highlighting gaps in awareness, understanding and response to heat-health warnings.

Experts in environmental and human health from the University of Plymouth’s newly-established Centre of Environmental Hepatology are investigating whether the presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in the liver is directly contributing to the soaring global rates of liver disease.

The vast majority of environmental claims from the animal agricultural industry are misleading “greenwashing” that relies on vague promises or projections, according to a study published April 22, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS Climate by Maya Bach and Jennifer Jacquet from the University of Miami, United States, and colleagues.

This week, the Netherlands, together with Colombia, is organising an important international climate summit in Santa Marta, Colombia. For the first time, the phasing out of fossil fuels is the central focus, a topic now even more prominent due to the war in the Middle East. Twelve climate researchers affiliated with the University of Amsterdam (UvA) are presenting a policy brief for a just and feasible fossil fuel phase-out at this summit. ‘This is not a utopia, but an international obligation and economically and practically feasible.’