Environment and energy

Latest articles

It’s all about the money. Why seemingly great technological solutions can sometimes fail

Photo of wind farm off the coast of north-east England

Graduate training powers offshore renewables sector

A doctoral training centre in wind and marine energy aims to equip PhD students with the skills and knowledge needed to drive continuing expansion in the offshore renewables industry

Laser beam diverts the path of lightning strikes

In the first experimental demonstration of laser-guided lightning, researchers fire a laser beam into the sky to divert the course of lightning discharges

Research headlines

Zig-zag lightning could be mediated by metastable oxygen

Physicists may have solved enduring mystery

Tonga 100 min after eruption. A zoomed-in view of the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano, taken from above and showing a grey plume mushrooming towards the viewer against a background of dark blue ocean

Satellites observe highest volcano plume ever

New work sheds light on how volcanic eruptions affect the climate and could help us better understand processes occurring in the Earth’s mesosphere

Fallen leaves help remedy iron deficiencies in plants

New spectroscopic measurements reveal the source of vital Fe²⁺ ions in soil

Meteorites have a seismic effect on Mars, revealing what lies below the surface

Impacts give scientists a better understanding of the Red Planet’s interior

Strata at the Illinois Basin Decatur Project

Microscale structure of rock affects microseismicity at underground carbon dioxide storage site

New study reveals the complexity of induced seismicity from carbon sequestration

Cosmic muons probe the interiors of tropical cyclones

Imaging technique could be used to improve storm forecasts

Podcasts about environmental physics

New directions in environmental health and ecology, innovation in science and technology is waning

Photo of a man clapping in a crowd at a football stadium

Is the 2022 FIFA World Cup really carbon neutral?

Celebrating joy in #BlackInPhysics week, open-access publishing supports climate justice

Environment and energy – Browse the ebooks collection

Connecting you to the most comprehensive, authoritative and up-to-date research in this globally-expanding field.

Browse the most recently published titles.

Opinion and reviews

Silicon and perovskite “tandem” solar cell

Want to slash your energy bill? Try these record-breaking solar cells

Humane solutions for the massive human migration caused by climate catastrophe

Kate Gardner reviews Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval by Gaia Vince

Winds of change: could hi-tech sailing vessels turn global shipping green?

James McKenzie wonders if a new generation of wind-powered vessels could make shipping more environmentally friendly

Explore more in environment and energy

Chemistries, materials, and processes for electrochemically mediated carbon capture

Join the audience for a live webinar on 22 February 2022 sponsored by BioLogic, in partnership with The Electrochemical Society

Epoch or event? Defining the Anthropocene

Ian Randall delves into the conflicting definitions and characterization of the Anthropocene, the age of humankind’s impact on the planet

Mechanistic interrogation of battery safety

Available to watch now, a Battery Series webinar exploring the safe operation of lithium-ion batteries under operational extremes

Energy transitions and sustainable transformations in Africa

Available to watch now, the IOP Publishing journal, Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability, discusses the very latest research within the energy and environmental research community

Stadium 947, built from shipping containers, viewed from the sea

Qatar: the land where one sports pitch needs 50,000 litres of desalinated water a day

Despite the upcoming World Cup, sporting mega events and local sports clubs are inspiring environmental change

Climate tipping points: retreating from the brink and accelerating positive change

James Dacey finds out how new research into human-climate systems could help us to avert disaster

OCV hysteresis and heat evolution – studying batteries with calorimetry

Available to watch now, a Battery Series webinar exploring the hysteresis and heat evolution in the open-circuit voltage of batteries

A broad review on the safety of aged lithium-ion batteries

A Battery Series webinar, sponsored by TA Instruments – Waters and The Electrochemical Society, explore the aged cell safety of lithium-ion batteries

Capturing carbon dioxide with batteries and supercapacitors

Available to watch now, The Electrochemical Society in partnership with Hiden Analytical, explores how carbon-based supercapacitors and quinone-based batteries can be used to rever...

Insights on thermal runaway of Li-ion cells from The Battery Failure Databank

A Battery Series live webinar giving you an insight into the thermal runaway of Li-ion cells from The Battery Failure Databank

The role of electrochemistry in Canada’s plan to manage nuclear waste

Available to watch now, The Electrochemical Society in partnership with BioLogic and Hiden Analytical, looks at the electrochemical studies that support Canada’s plan to safely c...