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Environment

World’s highest-consuming 10% cause up to $5.7 trillion a year in environmental damage - more than the global climate and biodiversity funding gaps combined

Biodiversity loss, not climate change, is the largest component of the global damage bill, a new Oxford Martin School and University of Leiden study finds

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Dr Steve Smith appointed MBE in King's Birthday Honours

The King's Birthday Honours 2026 Lists have been published, marking the achievements and service of extraordinary people for their outstanding contributions, including Dr Steve Smith of the University of Oxford.

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How methane policy will make or break the climate crisis

There’s no sign that methane emissions are declining globally.

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The age of cascading crises: Why the world keeps being surprised

From the Gulf to Ukraine to the Sahel, today’s conflicts are not isolated events but cascading shocks in a hyper-connected world, yet our institutions remain built to react to yesterday’s wars.

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Which shocks pose the biggest risks to global food systems?

Oxford study develops model to help countries identify vulnerabilities and outline measures to help strengthen resilience against food crises.

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Strait of Hormuz disruption exposes the UK’s fertiliser vulnerability

When geopolitical shocks hit households, we tend to notice energy prices first. But another shock often follows quickly: fertiliser price spikes that raise farm costs, then food prices.

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How the world can avoid millions going hungry when supply chains collapse

Millions more people will face hunger in the coming months if the conflict in the Middle East is not resolved soon, the UN has warned.

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A faster, cleaner way to recycle electric vehicle batteries

Electric vehicle batteries are typically recycled by breaking them down with heat or strong chemicals. But new research shows that recycling does not have to begin with destruction.

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Global population living with extreme heat to double by 2050 - Oxford study finds

A new University of Oxford study finds that almost half the world’s population (3.79 billion) will be living with extreme heat by 2050 if the world reaches 2.0°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels – a scenario that climate scientists see as increasingly likely. Most of the impacts will be felt early on as the world passes the 1.5°C target set by the Paris Agreement, the authors warn.

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New study estimates NHS England spends 3% of its primary and secondary care budget on the health impacts of temperature

A new University of Oxford-led study, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, is the first to link daily temperature data to health-care use and costs across primary and secondary care in England. Analysis of 4.37 million patient records in England has found resources asymmetrically impacted by winter cold and summer heat, with about 64% linked to common cold days while very hot days drive sharp same-day demand surges.

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How can we effectively regulate international trade in wild species?

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Global food systems driving twin crises of obesity and global heating

A major review in Frontiers in Science warns that unsustainable food systems pose an urgent threat to both human health and the climate.

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Reforming the UK food system isn’t just an imperative, it’s an opportunity

Speaking at a first-of-its-kind National Emergency Briefing on climate change, Professor Paul Behrens outlines the urgent need to reform the UK food system – and the diverse benefits this would bring for farmers, the public and nature.

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