While public discourses often focus on international migration, existing scientific evidence indicates that when climatic factors drive migration, it often results in short distance moves within national borders. However, there is a lack of scientific studies examining climate-induced internal migration across different countries. The new study, published in Nature Climate Change, used census microdata from 72 countries spanning the period from 1960 to 2016 to provide the first worldwide assessment of how environmental stress affects migration within national borders.

“Our analysis shows that internal migration — which we defined as movement between subnational regions within a country — increases in regions affected by drought and aridification, especially in hyper-arid and arid regions. The effects are most pronounced in agriculturally dependent and rural areas, where livelihoods are highly vulnerable to changing climate conditions. Many climate-induced migrants move to urban areas, contributing to the accelerated urbanization trends observed in numerous countries,” explains lead author Roman Hoffmann, who leads the Migration and Sustainable Development Research Group at IIASA.

The analysis revealed regional differences in impacts. The effects of drought and aridification were, for example, found to be strongest in parts of Africa, the Middle East, South America, South Asia, and Southern Europe, where agricultural livelihoods are prevalent and the climate is already dry. In these regions, the combination of economic hardship and environmental challenges creates strong incentives for migration.

Globally, the findings indicate overall more mobility in wealthier areas where migration constraints may be lower. Within countries, it is typically poorer regions that tend to have higher outmigration rates toward wealthier areas when they are affected by climatic stress. In addition to regional differences, the study also documents major heterogeneities in migration patterns across population groups. In less developed countries, younger working-age adults (15-45) with medium levels of education are most likely to migrate in response to drought and increased aridity. In wealthier countries, older populations across all education levels show stronger migration patterns.

“As climate change continues to increase the frequency and severity of droughts and water scarcity worldwide, more populations will face pressures to seek better living conditions. Our work underscores the need for policies that address both the drivers of migration and the consequences for destination regions. Adequate infrastructure, health services, and social support systems are critical in urban areas that are increasingly absorbing climate-induced migrants,” notes coauthor Guy Abel, a researcher in the IIASA Migration and Sustainable Development Research Group.

Additionally, the research highlights the importance of supporting vulnerable populations, including those who cannot migrate due to resource constraints. Policies that promote livelihood diversification, social safety nets, and resilience-building in affected communities can help mitigate forced migration and displacement, while also protecting those who remain.

Although the study represents a major step forward in understanding the links between climate change and internal migration, the authors also acknowledge the challenges posed by limited and non-comparable migration data. The dataset used in the study, extracted from census microdata, provides a robust longitudinal view on internal migration for a large number of countries. At the same time, it does not capture other forms of movement, including temporal or short-distance mobility, which are also highly relevant in the context of climate change.

“As climate change continues to reshape migration trends, more comprehensive data and continued research will be essential for developing targeted interventions and policy solutions to address the complex relationship between environmental factors and human mobility. Our work highlights the urgent need for a holistic approach to policy development that accounts for both spatial and social differences, recognizing the complex and context-dependent nature of migration dynamics,” concludes coauthor Raya Muttarak, a researcher in the IIASA Migration and Sustainable Development Research Group and professor of Demography and the Department of Statistical Sciences at the University of Bologna, Italy.

Volatiles are elements or compounds that change into vapour at relatively low temperatures. They include the six most common elements found in living organisms, as well as water. The zinc found in meteorites has a unique composition, which can be used to identify the sources of Earth’s volatiles.

The researchers, from the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London, have previously found that Earth’s zinc came from different parts of our Solar System: about half came from beyond Jupiter and half originated closer to Earth.

“One of the most fundamental questions on the origin of life is where the materials we need for life to evolve came from,” said Dr Rayssa Martins from Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences. “If we can understand how these materials came to be on Earth, it might give us clues to how life originated here, and how it might emerge elsewhere.”

Planetesimals are the main building blocks of rocky planets, such as Earth. These small bodies are formed through a process called accretion, where particles around a young star start to stick together, and form progressively larger bodies.

But not all planetesimals are made equal. The earliest planetesimals that formed in the Solar System were exposed to high levels of radioactivity, which caused them to melt and lose their volatiles. But some planetesimals formed after these sources of radioactivity were mostly extinct, which helped them survive the melting process and preserved more of their volatiles.

In a study published in the journal Science Advances, Martins and her colleagues looked at the different forms of zinc that arrived on Earth from these planetesimals. The researchers measured the zinc from a large sample of meteorites originating from different planetesimals and used this data to model how Earth got its zinc, by tracing the entire period of the Earth’s accretion, which took tens of millions of years.

Their results show that while these ‘melted’ planetesimals contributed about 70% of Earth’s overall mass, they only provided around 10% of its zinc.

According to the model, the rest of Earth’s zinc came from materials that didn’t melt and lose their volatile elements. Their findings suggest that unmelted, or ‘primitive’ materials were an essential source of volatiles for Earth.

“We know that the distance between a planet and its star is a determining a factor in establishing the necessary conditions for that planet to sustain liquid water on its surface,” said Martins, the study’s lead author. “But our results show that there’s no guarantee that planets incorporate the right materials to have enough water and other volatiles in the first place — regardless of their physical state.”

The ability to trace elements through millions or even billions of years of evolution could be a vital tool in the search for life elsewhere, such as on Mars, or on planets outside our Solar System.

“Similar conditions and processes are also likely in other young planetary systems,” said Martins. “The roles these different materials play in supplying volatiles is something we should keep in mind when looking for habitable planets elsewhere.”

The research was supported in part by Imperial College London, the European Research Council, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The ocean is warming, becoming more acidic, and losing oxygen — these are well-known effects of climate change. What has been less studied is how these changes are affecting contaminants in the seas. A new study titled “Impacts of Climate Change on the Transport, Fate, and Biogeochemistry of Contaminants in Coastal Marine Ecosystems” has investigated the interaction of trace elements with climate change. The findings have been published in the Nature journal Communications Earth & Environment.

Climate Events are Releasing More Contaminants

“We wanted to understand how trace elements are being affected by climate change — an area that has seen very little research so far,” explains Dr Rebecca Zitoun, marine chemist at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and co-lead author of the study alongside her Croatian colleague Dr Saša Marcinek from the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb. “We examined both human-induced and natural sources.” Metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium enter the oceans not only through human activities such as industry or fossil fuel burning. Natural sources are also changing due to climate change: rising sea levels, rivers overflowing or drying up, melting sea ice and glaciers — all these processes mobilise and increase contaminant flows.

The study summarises the findings of a working group of the UN Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) focusing on metal contaminants in the ocean. The working group was initiated by Dr Sylvia Sander, Professor of Marine Mineral Resources at GEOMAR and former head of the Marine Environmental Studies Laboratories at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Monaco. Christoph Völker from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is also contributing from Germany.

“Our working group has focused on the effects of climate change and greenhouse gases on contaminants in the ocean,” explains Dr Sander. One example of these impacts is rising mercury levels in Arctic waters: melting glaciers, thawing permafrost and coastal erosion are releasing more mercury from natural sources. This poses a particular threat to communities that rely on traditional fishing, as mercury accumulates in the food chain and can end up on our plates through the consumption of contaminated fish.

Human Sources of Toxic Metals

“Human activities have increased the global flow of toxic metals such as lead by tenfold and mercury by three to seven times compared to pre-industrial levels,” says Professor Sander, highlighting another example. “Toxic elements like silver are increasingly detectable in coastal waters, originating from coal combustion and the growing use of silver nanoparticles in antibacterial products.” Additionally, shipping and the use of plastics contribute to the spread of heavy metals. Plastics can bind metals such as copper, zinc, and lead from the water. These bound contaminants can also enter the food chain.

In the future, the human contribution of heavy metals could rise further due to the increasing exploitation of the oceans.

Trace Elements in Seawater are Sensitive to Climate Change

Climate changes, such as rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, and oxygen depletion, impact trace elements in various ways.

Higher water temperatures increase the bioavailability and uptake of trace elements such as mercury by marine organisms. This happens because higher temperatures boost metabolism, reduce oxygen solubility, and increase gill ventilation, leading to more metals entering organisms and accumulating in their bodies.

As the ocean absorbs most of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) released by humans, it becomes more acidic — the pH level drops. This increases the solubility and bioavailability of metals such as copper, zinc, or iron. The effect is particularly pronounced with copper, which is highly toxic to many marine organisms at higher concentrations.

Furthermore, the growing depletion of oxygen, especially in coastal zones and on the seabed, enhances the toxic effects of trace elements. This stresses organisms that live directly in or on the seabed, such as mussels, crabs, and other crustaceans.

Double Burden: Pollutants and Climate Change

Human activities influence the amount of contaminants in coastal regions in two ways: directly through the release of pollutants into the environment, and indirectly through the impacts of human-induced climate change on natural sources.

However, the study also reveals that there is still insufficient data on how climate change influences contaminants in the ocean. The working group calls for increased research into new and under-studied contaminants. Additionally, better models should be developed, and legislation adjusted to improve control over the impact of contaminants in the seas.

Dr Rebecca Zitoun: “To better understand the impacts on ecosystems and human health, we need to close knowledge gaps on the interactions between pollutants and climate change and develop standardised methods that provide globally comparable data.” This is a crucial step towards strengthening marine protection and developing sustainable solutions for vulnerable coastal areas.

Teaching environmental issues in schools will guarantee that sustainability is not an afterthought of education. This will enable future generations to make sound decisions about the environment and take sufficient action in their daily lives.

The MENA region faces major environmental issues including arable land depletion, insufficient waste management, biodiversity loss, and coastal ecosystem degradation. Climate change threatens to worsen these issues, with rising temperatures, variable rainfall, and sea-level rise posing additional threats.

Publishing their findings in Sustainable Development, experts from the University of Birmingham and Adeyemi Federal University of Education, Nigeria, have created a blueprint for green education across the MENA region with a series of recommendations including:

• Policy Support — allocate funding, develop supportive policies, and integrate sustainability into national educational curricula.

• Collaborations and Partnerships — share resources and best practices with NGOs, international organisations, and other educational institutions.

• Resource Allocation — provide sustainable funding for education initiatives, whether from governments, international bodies, corporations, philanthropies, or NGOs.

Co-author Dr Helen Onyeaka, from the University of Birmingham, commented: “The MENA region faces major environmental issues, but green education can provide the key to unlock solutions to these challenges.

“Properly resourced and implemented, green education could provide MENA countries across the region with the means to achieve significant progress in creating and nurturing a responsible generation of young people who can build a sustainable future for the region.”

The researchers also identified barriers to successfully implementing green education in the region. These include significant curriculum gaps in the region’s educational systems, made worse by highly centralised education structures, hindering the integration of green education. They also found insufficient funding for green education initiatives as many countries in the region allocate only a small proportion of GDP to education, with even less directed towards green initiatives.

Co-author Dr Adenike Akinsemolu, from Adeyemi Federal University of Education, commented: “In an era of environmental consciousness, the need to promote ecological awareness to enable sustainable development has never been more demanding in various regions like the MENA region.

“We must see increased investment and strategic allocation of resources to support the development of green education programmes. Teaching environmental issues as part of general curricula guarantees that sustainability is not an afterthought, but a standard component of education.”

The study not only highlights the challenges but also provides a roadmap for the future. The researchers note that by investing in green education today, MENA countries can empower the leaders of tomorrow to tackle climate change and create a more sustainable world.

More recently, a new model of production is gaining traction in the scientific and business community: a “circular bioeconomy” that reduces and recycles waste, transitions away from fossil fuels to renewable bio-based alternatives, and regenerates natural systems. This approach is critical for feeding and fueling the world’s growing population in environmentally sustainable ways.

But it’s a complicated concept, and significant questions remain: How should waste reduction be implemented? How far should we go in being “circular,” considering its costs and benefits? And how can a circular bioeconomy system get buy-in from farmers, industry, and consumers in a market economy?

A new paper by noted agricultural economists and scientists argues that the concept of a circular bioeconomy needs to expand beyond its technical focus on reducing waste and incorporate a values-based economic lens. The authors emphasize the need for the right policies, incentives, and market signals to persuade consumers and producers to make environmentally sound decisions — and to help ensure that the system is equitable.

“Zero waste is an appealing goal, but we also need to consider the economic consequences of achieving this goal — the cost, who bears it, and how we get people to implement it. This requires us to not just focus on the environmental benefits of reducing waste and fossil fuel use, but to think about what level of waste is acceptable considering economic and equity goals as well as how we make the transition by inducing consumers and producers to make the right choices,” said lead author Madhu Khanna, ACES Distinguished Professor in Environmental Economics and Alvin H. Baum Family Chair & Director of the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Charting the path to a circular bioeconomy will require creative ideas from researchers in multiple disciplines, including social scientists, to understand human behavior and design the right kinds of incentives, Khanna said.

The paper, published in Communications Earth and Environment was co-authored with David Zilberman, University of California, Berkeley; Gal Hochman, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; and Bruno Basso, Michigan State University.

A circular bioeconomy provides a framework for reducing waste and improving sustainability throughout the economy, Khanna said. It aims to not only reduce environmental contamination associated with agricultural production, but also transform the energy sector, plastics manufacturing, and other industries by using agricultural waste as a resource that can help reduce dependence on fossil fuels and decarbonize the economy.

The authors incorporated those concepts into an economic framework to help determine the optimal level of circularity in a market economy. They recommend five critical pathways to enable the transition:

• Technological advances through investment in research and development, to lower the cost of climate-smart and clean energy innovations.
• Regulatory incentives that put a price on waste and environmental damage, such as a carbon tax, and institutional changes like crop insurance programs that lower the risk of adopting sustainable practices for farmers.
• Robust markets for circular products.
• Public education and awareness about the ecosystem benefits of a circular bioeconomy.
• Equity considerations for displaced workers and consumers vulnerable to high prices.

Researchers have made great strides developing individual technologies that contribute to a circular bioeconomy in food and agriculture — such as precision farming and digital agricultural technologies that can increase the efficiency with which chemicals are utilized for crop production, and advances in synthetic biology to convert plants and waste materials into biofuels and biochemicals, replacing petroleum-based, carbon dioxide-emitting energy sources.

But many of these technologies are expensive. More investment is needed to scale them and make them commercially competitive and affordable for farmers and consumers, the authors said.

One underlying question in designing eco-friendly policies is how to create the right incentives for people to adopt sustainable technology — and how to put a value on the most effective approaches. The challenge with agricultural pollution, for example, is that it’s difficult to measure and pinpoint the source of runoff or other contaminants. New tools like a “digital twin” — a computer replica of a field — can help calculate the environmental impact of agricultural management practices, such as adding nitrogen to the soil. Those kinds of advances can lead to targeted policies that reward farmers for results, rather than providing costly uniform payments for participation in conservation programs,

The overall solution will require action by the public and private sector, according to the authors. Many corporations are already adopting sustainable practices, and many consumers are willing to pay a higher price for organic foods and sustainably sourced products. Still, those efforts fall far short of what is needed to curb climate change or reduce pollutants that cause hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. New government incentives, and changes in the way pollution is regulated, are necessary, Khanna said.

Educating consumers can change their preferences and willingness to pay for climate-smart commodities, creating market demand and political support. “If consumers don’t demand enough of it, and aren’t willing to pay, the producer is not going to produce it,” Khanna said.

The move to circular bioeconomy must be accompanied by social programs that shield vulnerable low-income consumers from higher prices in the short term, and provide new training for workers who may lose jobs as the fossil fuel industry declines, the authors said.

The next step will be to develop more interdisciplinary research programs where economists work with engineers and scientists to apply this framework to specific industries or supply chains, to determine what a transition to a circular bioeconomy would look like for that sector. “We are excited that we are establishing a new Center in iSEE to catalyze that kind of research,” Khanna said, referring to the new Levenick Center for a Climate-Smart Circular Bioeconomy at Illinois.

The transition to a circular bioeconomy will require a long-term policy commitment, consistent policies, and investments that could take a decade or more to pay off, Khanna said.

“We are significantly falling short of meeting both our U.S. and global targets for carbon emissions reduction. Additionally, other environmental issues such as water quality degradation and biodiversity loss are worsening. It is crucial to recognize that these environmental problems are interconnected, ranging from air and water pollution to plastic waste,” Khanna said. “These issues all stem from the same source: our current methods of production and consumption. Instead of addressing these problems individually, transitioning to a circular bioeconomy offers a holistic solution.”

A growing legal phenomenon

As the world races to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change, the transition to low-carbon societies has sparked new questions of justice. Published in Nature Sustainability, a study led by Professor Annalisa Savaresi at the Center for Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Law, University of Eastern Finland, highlights the emerging phenomenon of just transition litigation, which is described as legal disputes challenging the fairness and justice of climate policies and projects, such as wind farms, biomass plants and dams.

Co-authored by experts from 16 institutions, the article argues that while the low-carbon transition is essential, it disproportionately impacts vulnerable groups, including Indigenous Peoples, workers and local residents. For example, the Sámi Indigenous People in Norway successfully challenged the construction of wind farms on their traditional herding pastures, illustrating the potential of just transition litigation to protect the rights of marginalised communities. According to Professor Savaresi, lawsuits like these exemplify the often overlooked and highly complex social dilemmas and policy conflicts that arise during the transition.

Making sense of just transition litigation

The phenomenon of just transition litigation is little understood and underexplored. While in recent years much attention has been given to strategic litigation aimed at advancing decarbonisation (such as cases against companies or governments failing to reduce emissions), this study shifts the focus to lawsuits that challenge the fairness of climate policies and projects. Central to these legal disputes are issues such as the fair distribution of benefits and burdens from climate policies, the inclusiveness of decision-making processes, and the respect for the rights, identities and cultures of marginalised communities. This type of litigation draws upon various legal bases, including administrative, constitutional, energy, environmental, human rights, labour, and planning law.

A call for more research

The paper introduces a new framework for understanding the justice claims of those affected by climate action. This framework can serve as a tool for systematic research on just transition litigation. Currently, a significant knowledge gap exists due to a lack of comprehensive, systematic data collection on these legal disputes. The authors call for the creation of a dedicated dataset to track these cases and analyse their impacts on law, governance and society. Understanding these dynamics is crucial, as this type of litigation has the potential to slow climate mitigation efforts. This is all the more urgent at a time when governments in the EU, and the UK and the US, are announcing plans to “cut the red tape” and expedite the transition.??

Looking for a more sustainable way to cook and bake? In our latest video, we’ll show you how to build an easy, efficient DIY solar oven using everyday materials.

Whether you want to bake, slow-cook, or just experiment with solar energy, this project is a fun way to harness nature’s most abundant energy source.

Don’t worry if you’re not a pro DIYer. We’re keeping it simple. All the basic materials are affordable and accessible, so anyone can jump in and start crafting their solar oven right away.

How to build your solar oven

From cutting the plywood to lining it with reflective materials, we’ll walk you through each step in detail. You’ll learn how to position and insulate the oven to maximize heat retention, ensuring your food cooks thoroughly without a conventional heat source.

Why solar cooking matters

Beyond just being a fun project, a solar oven is a powerful way to help the environment. By using clean, renewable energy, you’re reducing your reliance on fossil fuels and cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, solar cooking is perfect for off-grid living, camping, or emergency situations where traditional power sources aren’t available, and will help keep your energy bill down.

Solar ovens are perfect for anyone interested in renewable energy, sustainable living, or just looking to try something new. Whether you’re an experienced DIY enthusiast or a total beginner, this solar oven tutorial is simple, fun, and practical. You’ll come away with a useful piece of cooking equipment and the ability to cook delicious, energy-efficient meals without turning on your stove.

Maximizing heat and cooking temperatures

Are you curious about how hot your solar oven can get? It’s more potent than you might think. We’ll share some tips on how to position your oven to capture the most sunlight and reach ideal cooking temperatures. You might be surprised how efficiently the oven traps and amplifies solar energy!

What kinds of meals you can cook?

Solar ovens aren’t just for warming up leftovers! Visit our blog for some basic cooking concepts and ideas for dishes that work best in a solar oven. But let’s get you started with a delicious caramelized onion and red pepper quiche that we whipped up during our recent stay in Portugal. Follow us here for the recipe. 


The sun isn’t just for tanning, it can help you cook wonderful meals without the negative environmental impact of your kitchen.

About the Authors

Michael Martin and Nikki Rixon started their business Reclaim Design in 2013. Subscribe to their YouTube channel for more videos filled with practical advice, sustainable tips, and inspiration to help you live a more sustainable life