All posts
    How your old phone could become a ‘tiny data centre’ helping researchers to track marine life

    For just €8, researchers are turning old smartphones into devices capable of tracking marine life and buses. Old phones could have a new chapter as tiny data centres, a new line of research has found. Each year, more than 1.2 billion smartphones are produced globally. Despite the expense to consumers and the environmental toll of […]

    Nearly 100 countries call for ambitious global treaty to end plastic pollution at UN ocean summit

    Countries have shown a united front for ambition after talks on a landmark plastic pollution treaty collapsed last year. Ministers and representatives from more than 95 countries called for an ambitious agreement from global plastics treaty negotiations at the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) on Tuesday. Negotiations for the UN plastics treaty collapsed in late 2024 […]

    First recorded sighting of fish species in Abu Dhabi hailed as ‘biodiversity milestone’

    Abu Dhabi environment officials have hailed the first recorded sighting of a whitespotted grouper in the emirate’s waters as a “major biodiversity milestone”. The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi captured images of the species in September. The fish is not considered critically endangered globally but its presence in Abu Dhabi waters is rare and was previously undocumented. […]

    Satellites show where forests are being lost – now AI is helping researchers pinpoint why
    14 Jun 2025

    The new data provides a more detailed picture than ever before on the local, regional and global causes of tree cover loss. Humans are used to thinking of trees as a reusable resource, but new analysis suggests that a third of all forest loss this century is irreversible. The report from the World Resources Institute […]

    World watches as national climate goals loom over Cop30
    13 Jun 2025

    Leading figures have sounded the alarm as they gathered in the UAE ahead of the next major round of UN climate talks at Cop30, in Brazil. Speaking at an event in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, Majid Al Suwaidi, chief of climate investment vehicle, Alterra, warned that the talks are up against “significant challenges”. “To date, only 15 […]

    How snail shells are shedding light on the Gulf’s nomadic traditions and fishing heritage
    12 Jun 2025

    Snail shells collected at an archaeological site in Oman can be used to trace the Gulf’s climate going back thousands of years, a new study reveals. This work can help us understand how people adapted to increasingly arid conditions in the region around 3000 to 2000 BCE, becoming more nomadic and settling in coastal areas. “This was a time […]

    The UAE can model a vision of social cohesion that includes its bond with the natural world
    11 Jun 2025

    Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak is president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for the leadership team of Cop28 UAE Community is not merely about human connections – it is about the intricate web of relationships that sustain us all. During the UAE’s 2025 Year of Community, we […]

    What is UNOC? World leaders gather in Nice to confront ocean emergency

    More than 10,000 people will gather in France for largest ocean conference ever. World leaders are gathering in the French city of Nice on Monday for the United Nations Ocean Conference. It comes as just 2.7 per cent of the world’s oceans are effectively protected from extractive activities, according to the non-profit Marine Conservation Institute. […]

    ‘We don’t need a disaster to justify resilience’: Climate projects can bring big economic benefits
    09 Jun 2025

    The 320 climate projects analysed were found to have potential yields of about €1 trillion in projected returns over a decade. As floods, fires and heatwaves grow more frequent and destructive, new research shows that climate adaptation isn’t just urgent. It’s also one of the smartest investments governments can make. According to a new report […]

    Saving the ocean is easier than we realised, says David Attenborough

    In August 2022, David Attenborough was sitting in the kitchen with his daughter Susan and long-time friend and collaborator Keith Scholey. They were sketching out the idea for a new film – one that would reveal the ocean as humanity had never seen it before. It was an ambitious vision for any filmmaker, let alone one in […]