Circular economy policy is usually explained as a very straightforward concept: use fewer raw materials, get products to stay in use longer, make less waste, and recover value at the end of their useful lives. In theory, it seems easy…

Information has always been the backbone of freshwater stewardship. In order to intervene effectively, governments, water utilities, landowners, businesses and the wider public need to understand current conditions on rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers and catchments. Too often, however, we do…

Agriculture is at the nexus of a host of environmental challenges, from the need to feed the world and provide people with livelihoods to land and water stewardship, pollution reduction, biodiversity protection, and climate adaptation. This is not an easy…

We often hear about AI as a solution to the environmental crisis: modelling the climate, protecting biodiversity, detecting pollution, optimizing farming and water management, or planning a transition to circular economy systems. AI can support all of these things, but…

Targets are central to environmental policy. Governments regularly establish objectives for emission cuts, biodiversity recovery, water quality and pollution abatement, nature restoration, circular economy targets and climate adaptation. Such goals are important because they offer direction and foster accountability. But…

We are all reliant on the daily movement of raw materials in the supply chain: metals, minerals, timber, biomass, plastics, aggregates, chemicals, and construction materials. Materials are used to manufacture buildings, vehicles, electronics, packaging, energy systems, infrastructure and products for…

This century’s most crucial environmental policy challenges include freshwater protection. Fresh water is essential for everything from the supply of our drinking water and food to our ability to harvest and produce fisheries. Freshwater also supports our energy grids, biodiversity,…

The issue of pollution is often viewed through the lens of regulation. Governments establish the legal framework: emission limit values, licensing regimes, environmental permits, waste standards, restrictions on the use of hazardous chemicals, monitoring and reporting requirements. Without these, it…

Environmental policy now prioritizes nature restoration. From policy-makers to private-sector firms and communities, all over the globe are under pressure to remediate damaged ecosystems, restore habitats, restore water quality, reintroduce species, and enhance landscape-level resilience to climate change. However, targets…

Nature loss is frequently portrayed as merely an environmental issue. The dwindling of species, loss of habitats, deteriorating soil quality and riverine pollution are traditionally treated as problems of conservation policy. Biodiversity loss also constitutes an economic problem. Sound ecological…