Jared Diamond famously stated that “the biggest problems facing the world today are not at all beyond our control, rather they are all of our own making, and entirely in our power to deal with” when ...

Rice has long been Thailand’s traditional food crop and the country’s main export product. Though declining in relative importance, it still occupies about 55% of the total arable land . Over 80% of ...

Over four million Syrian refugees have fled Syria since 2011, with the majority seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Five years into the crisis, and with no foreseeable end, it is of grave ...

The remarkable variety of life’s interdependent phenomena and processes — what we call ‘diversity’ — is being eroded by the modern forces of homogenization. The rich tapestry — woven from a countless ...

With a population of five million crammed on a landmass of just 715 square kilometres, the tiny republic of Singapore has been forced to expand upwards, building high-rise residential complexes to ...

For some time now, Carteret Islanders have made eye-catching headlines: “Going, going… Papua New Guinea atoll sinking fast”. Academics have dubbed us amongst the world’s first “environmental refugees” ...

A famous anecdote describes a scheme the British Colonial Government implemented in India in an attempt to control the population of venomous cobras that were plaguing the citizens of Delhi that ...

As a part of our contribution to a robust discussion at the COP15 climate negotiations in Copenhagen, the United Nations University has been working hard with partners to organize the Indigenous ...

It was a rainy Sunday morning in mid-April, the kind that makes one wish to be at home by the stove enjoying a cup of hot coffee. However, notwithstanding the grim and chilly weather, we were instead ...

Each year on October 13, the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) community celebrates Ada Lovelace Day to recognize the achievements of women in the field — and to encourage girls ...

Social media is transforming traditional media and influencing how we share news and information. Recent data shows that 300 million people spend more than 5 hours each day on social networks. About ...

In August 1883 the painter Edvard Munch witnessed an unusual blood-red sunset over Oslo. Shaken up by it, he wrote in his diary that he “felt a great, unending scream piercing through nature”. The ...