News about climate and sustainability

climate policy

2025.10.02

Experts: Climate policy must be tailored to each individual country

Researchers have asked over 400 international experts which climate policies work best. There is no single solution that everyone agrees on – except for border carbon adjustment on trade between countries, which a…

Carbon Capture

2025.09.05

Scientists transform plastic waste into efficient CO2 capture materials

From waste to valuable resource: Chemists at the University of Copenhagen have developed a method to convert plastic waste into a climate solution for efficient and sustainable CO2 capture. This is killing two birds wit…

Climate change

2025.08.14

Arctic Reindeer Face Drastic Decline

By the year 2100, reindeer populations in parts of the Arctic could decline by up to 80 percent. This is the alarming conclusion of a new international study led by researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the…

Sea Levels

2025.07.03

Old aerial photos give scientists a new tool to predict sea level rise

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have gained unique insight into the mechanisms behind the collapse of Antarctic ice shelves, which are crucial for sea level rise in the Northern Hemisphere. The discovery o…

insects

2025.06.27

Here are the flowers that both bees and humans like best

Botanists from the University of Copenhagen and the UK set out to find the best flower combinations for bees and hoverflies. The results make it easier for garden owners and municipalities, among others, to plant the…

CLIMATE

2025.06.04

Climate crisis pressures the ‘Arctic giant’: Habitats risk disappearing completely

Climate change poses a serious threat to the habitats of the bowhead whale, which may shrink by up to 75 percent by the end of the century.

agriculture

2025.05.22

Ox-eye daisy, bellis and yarrow: Flower strips with at least two sown species provide 70 percent more natural enemies of pests

Planting flower strips in a field with at least two species can increase the number of natural enemies of pests by 70 percent. The more flower species, the better the effect, according to a new meta-analysis from the…

biotech

2025.05.19

Scientific breakthrough: We can now halve the price of costly cancer drug

The demand for the widely used cancer drug Taxol is increasing, but it’s difficult and expensive to produce because it hasn’t been possible to do it biosynthetically. Until now, that is. Researchers from the University…

Evolution

2025.03.27

Major bird study could help us fight the next pandemic

New study uncovers the intricate factors that drive the evolution of genomes.

green transition

2025.03.18

Popular cooking cheese made with peas yields same taste and texture

A significant amount of the milk used in a popular cooking cheese can be substituted with plants, all while maintaining its taste and texture. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have demonstrated this by…

FOOD

2025.02.27

VAT adjustments could save 170,000 lives a year in Europe

170,000 deaths a year could be avoided if European countries were to increase value-added tax (VAT) rates on meat and dairy products, while reducing them on fruits and vegetables. Such changes would also reduce Europe’s…

Wetlands

2025.02.11

Twenty years on, biodiversity struggles to take root in restored wetlands

While the restoration of natural areas is high on political agendas, a comprehensive new study from the University of Copenhagen shows that – after more than two decades – biodiversity growth has stalled in restored…

Award

2025.01.23

Eske Willerslev found the past in two grams of soil. His finding gives us a window into the future

As a student, Professor Eske Willerslev had an idea: He wanted to extract DNA directly from the soil. This has led to major scientific breakthroughs and an entire new research field, eDNA, for which he now receives one…

archaeology

2025.01.16

Volcanic eruption caused Neolithic people to sacrifice unique "sun stones"

4,900 years ago, a Neolithic people on the Danish island Bornholm sacrificed hundreds of stones engraved with sun and field motifs. Archaeologists and climate scientists from the University of Copenhagen can now show…

Antarctica:

2025.01.09

Historic Drilling Campaign Reaches more than 1.2-Million-Year-Old Ice

It is expected that the 2,800 meter deep ice core drilling down to the bedrock under the Antarctic ice sheet for the first time will reveal crucial details about the earth's climate and the history of the atmosphere mor…

FOOD

2024.12.13

How chemical reactions deplete nutrients in plant-based drinks

A University of Copenhagen study of plant-based drinks reveals a common issue: they are lacking in proteins and essential amino acids compared to cow’s milk. The explanation lies in their extensive processing, causing…

Glacier flood

2024.12.11

One of world's largest glacier floods triggered in Greenland

For the first time, scientists have observed the release of a massive glacial lake outburst in East Greenland, where more than 3,000 billion liters of meltwater were unleashed in just weeks. This rare, natural flooding…

Biodiversity

2024.10.23

AI can now be our eyes and ears in the forest and beneath the waves

Animal sounds combined with artificial intelligence (AI) can revolutionize biodiversity monitoring both on land and in aquatic settings according to researchers from the University of Copenhagen. By analyzing wildlife…

Microbiome

2024.10.15

‘Vegetarian’ salmon might lead the way to better health for humans and fish

Plant-based salmon feed aims to make salmon production more sustainable. This can result in better fish for dinner, and knowledge about gut bacteria can also impact more sustainable feed for other farm animals.

Animals

2024.10.15

Seven New Frog Species Discovered in Madagascar: Sounds Like Something from Star Trek

An international team of researchers have discovered seven new species of tree frogs that make otherworldly calls in the rainforests of Madagascar. Their strange, high-pitched whistling calls sound more like sound…