Geographical

Official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)

Graeme Gourlay

Himalayan glaciers are fighting back against global warming

3 minutes

Surprising research finds Himalayan glaciers might be slowing down the effects of climate change We often think of climate change as a monodirectional process; humans emit greenhouse gases, causing our planet’s temperature to rise, with the natural environment usually considered a passive player in the whole ordeal. But what if it wasn’t that simple? A recent paper in … [Read more...] about Himalayan glaciers are fighting back against global warming

Housing solutions: green communal living in Madrid

4 minutes

A committed group of activists got together to build a sustainable future for their families at the Las Carolinas Entrepatios project Finding affordable housing across the major cities of Europe is not easy. Even more difficult is finding energy-efficient buildings made from renewable materials. In Madrid’s southern suburbs17 families found a novel solution. The Las … [Read more...] about Housing solutions: green communal living in Madrid

Desertification: the world is losing healthy land at an astonishing rate

4 minutes

Data shows at least 100 million hectares of healthy land is lost each year to desertification, drought and land degradation. Can anything halt it? By Tom Howarth The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has launched its new ‘Data Dashboard’, a combination of reported figures on land degradation from 126 countries around the world.  Haven’t heard of … [Read more...] about Desertification: the world is losing healthy land at an astonishing rate

Geo Explainer: The many Chinas

7 minutes

A primer to the physical and cultural diversity of the second-most populous country in the world As China makes daily headlines, it is often portrayed as a monolith, represented by a handful of Chinese Communist Party elites in Beijing. But in reality, China is extraordinarily diverse, both physically and culturally. Welcome to the many Chinas. Regions Students … [Read more...] about Geo Explainer: The many Chinas

Review: How to Speak Whale by Tom Mustill

2 minutes

In this eye-opening book, Tom Mustill challenges our human-centred world view and our perception of animal communication with some fascinating research Recent machine learning advances mean we can accurately translate on the fly between languages as diverse as Mongolian and Swahili. The digital mapping of individual languages reveals meaning by the relationships of one … [Read more...] about Review: How to Speak Whale by Tom Mustill