Bryony Cottam

Bryony grew up in a small town in the West Midlands where she spent much of her time dreaming of being anywhere else. After spending time in Canada, Russia, Morocco and France, she eventually returned to the UK to pursue a career in journalism. She wrote about sustainable tourism for Responsible Travel before joining Geographical in 2021. Bryony’s covered the dugout canoe culture in Estonia; regenerative seaweed farming in Wales; ground-breaking earthquake research in Turkey; and adaptation and mitigation responses to climate change in countries around the world. She writes the weekly Geographical newsletter and co-edits the monthly podcast. 


Katie Carr headshot

Travel insights with author Katie Carr

Jul 2, 2026
Author Katie Carr talks to Bryony Cottam about grief, vulnerability and finishing her brother's journey
London’s first heat plan launched to tackle rising temperatures

London’s first heat plan launched to tackle rising temperatures

Jun 26, 2026
From cooling homes to shielding the vulnerable, a look at the capital’s new roadmap to survive a warming climate
Hurricane Melissa satellite

The resilience test of the Caribbean

Jun 23, 2026
Bryony Cottam looks toward the Caribbean and how its islands are showing what climate adaptation really means on the front line
Why Tahiti is returning to the ancient craft of barkcloth

Why Tahiti is returning to the ancient craft of barkcloth

Jun 19, 2026
After decades of cultural suppression, a new generation is picking up the i‘e to reconnect with a history that was almost erased
Pesticides being sprayed on a crop field

The hidden pesticide pollution beneath Europe’s forests and fields

Jun 2, 2026

Widespread pesticide contamination across Europe is threatening the essential soil fungi that plants rely on Atrazine, once one of the…

The Met Tower with the iconic ‘People Make Glasgow’ banner

Inside Glasgow’s past, exploring the city’s changing streets

May 5, 2026
Beyond the grand façades, Bryony Cottam finds a Glasgow of hidden histories, political struggle and fiercely held local identity
The Great Basin bristlecone pine can live for thousands of years and is therefore a valuable souce of information about the history of our climate

What trees can tell us about our world

May 4, 2026
Discover how the longevity of trees, particularly the Great Basin bristlecone pine, contributes to our understanding of climate.
Seed in petri dish

How can we save Europe’s vanishing flora?

Apr 23, 2026

As climate change outpaces nature, a continent-wide failure in seed banking leaves Europe’s most vulnerable plants without a safety net…

Seaweed

Can seaweed really help fight climate change?

Mar 27, 2026
New research suggests that a popular method for marine carbon dioxide removal could backfire
The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) is part of the auk family

In search of puffins

Mar 26, 2026
A voyage across the North Atlantic follows the noisy, precarious world of seabirds – and the growing pressures they face at sea and on land
Satellite in space

Space is cooling down – here’s why it matters to the planet

Mar 5, 2026
As the climate warms below, the edge of space is cooling down – and it could soon disrupt essential communication networks
Knights-Joust-in-a-Medieval-Festival.-Bishop-Auckland-Co-Durham

Resurrecting Bishop Auckland

Feb 19, 2026
Discover how the oft-forgotten history of County Durham is now helping to revive a former English mining town
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