Critical climate risks are still avoidable if we act fast. Read this call in Nature about the need for a global climate risk assessment to make clear what is truly at stake.

A new study led by the University of Leeds has put a monetary value on one of forests’ least recognised services: as a source of rainfall to surrounding regions. The findings add weight to arguments for protecting forests as water and climate pressures increase. climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/tropica...

➡️ New report from our Climate Evidence Unit: CCS (carbon capture & storage) could support the UK’s path to Net Zero, but only if deployed strategically & responsibly. It highlights key actions on governance, public engagement, flexibility & fair costs. Read more 👉 climate.leeds.ac.uk/our-work/cli...

How can deep-tech startups, academia, and industry accelerate climate solutions at scale? The Priestley Centre and EarthScale are delighted to be hosting an event exploring this at @resetconnect.bsky.social in the Royal Armouries on 4 March. More info: climate.leeds.ac.uk/events/scali...

Uni of Leeds researchers are helping to strengthen sanitation systems in sub‑Saharan Africa & South Asia. Part of the team is Priestley member Dr Paul Hutchings who says "Universities have an important role to play in supporting governments & development partners” climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/clean-w...

The Priestley Centre's Climate Evidence Unit was commissioned to work on the Embodied Carbon Summit evidence report. Findings show the UK construction sector is ready to deliver lower embodied carbon at scale. The challenge isn't technical capability but policy ➡️ climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/new-rep...

❓If 70% of emissions come from supply chains, how do we actually start reducing them? This week, our Climate Evidence Unit ran a Leeds City Council workshop that brought sustainability & procurement colleagues together to unpack one of the biggest decarbonisation challenges: #Scope3 emissions. (1/5)

Access to trees and greenspaces is consistently low across English cities according to a new study led by the Uni of Leeds Researchers used a recognised 3-part framework for measuring greenspace & found that only 2% of buildings in any city met all rule components climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/access-...

A Leeds–CSIRO collab is developing an AI tool to identify optimal fermentation conditions for producing low‑cost microbial protein from food waste. Priestley member Prof. Nicholas Watson is involved and says cost competitiveness is essential for wider uptake. www.soci.org/news/2026/1/...

Priestley Principal Fellow Professor Richard Beardsworth analyses climate leadership after COP30 in Belém, revealing how the conference maps the political, economic and developmental conditions that structure the feasibility of fossil-fuel exit climate.leeds.ac.uk/two-worlds-o...

🌡️ Our director, Piers Forster CBE, features in a @newscientist.com.web.brid.gy article commenting on the 1.5°C warming limit goal that transformed global climate policy and 'created a sense of urgency'. Those with a subscription can read the article here: www.newscientist.com/article/2508...

🌧️ Researchers are harnessing cutting-edge AI to enhance weather prediction and improve climate resilience in West Africa. Priestley member Professor Douglas Parker is part of Project Cumulus, a major new partnership using AI to improve rainfall prediction ➡️ climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/ai-fore...

🙌 We have been collaborating with the @metoffice.gov.uk on their Local Authority Climate Service, an open-access platform which provides free, tailored climate information to help local authorities in their adaptation planning! Read about the project here: www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2026/su...

🌎The Priestley Centre and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero are hosting the UK’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change community for the Seventh Assessment Cycle. The first UK Government event of its kind, it brings together new and experienced UK IPCC authors allowing connection.

We were delighted to see Priestley member Professor Fleur Loveridge interviewed on The One Show last week! Professor Loveridge shared her geo-energy engineering expertise and spoke about the installation costs of switching to heat pumps. Hear her interview at 5:44: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

🌳 Tropical forests can recover twice as quickly after deforestation if they have adequate soil nitrogen, according to new research led by the Uni of Leeds and Priestley members climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/nitroge...

1️⃣@carbonbrief.org reports that the climate paper with the most media attention in 2025 was the annual Indicators of Global Climate Change (IGCC) update led by Prof. Piers Forster, Director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures! Full report & key findings: climate.leeds.ac.uk/our-work/ind...

Got a breakthrough technology that could transform industrial wastewater treatment? The Uni of Leeds is partnering with Nufarm to identify deployable technologies that can materially reduce toxic, high-salinity industrial effluent at scale. ✉️ If you have a technology, email [email protected]

Priestley team member Dr Alice Garvey features in a BBC Science Focus article advising prioritising diet changes over local sourcing and warns against greenwashing traps. Read the article now ⬇️ www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth...

The University of Leeds is looking for a Research Fellow in stratospheric climate modelling of Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) 🌍💻 If you have a PhD in a relevant field apply now to boost your career in one of the UK's leading research Universities! Apply by 2 Feb jobs.leeds.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...

Huge congratulations to Prof Piers Forster CBE! 🎉Director of the Priestley Centre, who has been awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours 2026 for his climate science leadership and impact. A brilliant recognition of excellence and action on climate change. 🌍 Read more www.leeds.ac.uk/university-n...

🌋 New international report reveals the unprecedented impact of the Hunga eruption, an underwater volcano that erupted in 2022. Priestley members were at the heart of this effort to understand the climate impact of this water-rich eruption. Read the findings here: climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/interna...

Professor Suraje Dessai, Principal Fellow at Priestley, has been appointed to the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change. Suraje is one of the 15 independent senior scientific experts appointed to the board climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/suraje-...

Priestley member Dr Megan Klaar is highlighted in this @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social article discussing Yorkshire’s extreme 2025 rainfall. Klaar explains climate change’s impact on water resilience, infrastructure stress, & the need for adaptive water management strategies. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

🎉 The University of Leeds & Priestley Centre won Outstanding Innovation in Conferences for the 2025 Scenarios Forum! 🌱 The event was a Sustainable Conference Living Lab with vegetarian menus, low-carbon travel & inclusive hybrid options. Learn more: climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/univers...

Some weekend listening for you as Priestley member, Prof Amanda Maycock, recently joined Brian Cox and Robin Ince on The Infinite Monkey Cage to discuss all things clouds – how they form, their shapes & how to keep track of them! Listen here: tinyurl.com/4a46b3ah #Clouds #InfiniteMonkeyCage

The Paris Agreement turns 10 today. As Prof. Piers Forster writes in Climate Home News, it steered us away from 4°C, but 1.5°C is now reality. The next decade must protect science, stop leaning on the “net” in net zero, and phase out fossil fuels. ➡️ www.climatechangenews.com/2025/12/12/w...

🏔️ Priestley members have ventured to some of the planet’s most extreme environments, such as Mount Everest, to understand the risks of glacial melt and uncover how we can slow it down. Listen to the researchers discuss their findings in this impactful podcast: open.spotify.com/episode/4eS7...

🚗 Are electric vehicles a greater risk to pedestrians than petrol or diesel cars? New research says no. A study led by Priestley member Professor @ziawadud.bsky.social has found that EVs are just as safe for pedestrians as petrol or diesel cars. climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/evs-jus...

COP - a failing approach in need of radical change? 🌎 Professor Jan Selby writes how COP30 in Belém promised ambition and inclusivity, yet like COP29 in Baku, it ended in disappointment. What do you think about COP? Let us know in the comments! climate.leeds.ac.uk/a-tale-of-tw...

COP30 in Belém was billed as 'the COP of implementation'; a moment to turn promises into action. Priestley member and COP30 delegate Jyoti Narsude shares her thoughts on the reality. climate.leeds.ac.uk/does-cop-imp...

Uni of Leeds received the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Education for 150 years of textile research! Priestley members are leading sustainability breakthroughs: ✅SwitchDye spin-out: cutting chemicals in polyester dye ✅Research on clothing durability to reduce waste climate.leeds.ac.uk/universitys-...

COP30 in Belém began with optimism but ended with mixed results. In her latest blog, Catriona Flesher, PhD researcher in Loss and Damage, explores what #COP30 tells us about the evolving role of the UNFCCC climate.leeds.ac.uk/hope-and-har...

New research shows cutting energy demand could be the cheapest, fastest route to net zero. Priestley members & partners demonstrate how changes in travel, heating, & consumption can cut emissions, save money, & improve lives - challenging current UK energy policy. climate.leeds.ac.uk/news/cutting...

Despite #COP30 coming to a close, the work of our Leeds delegates continues. Food systems have been a hot topic at this year's COP, and Oscar Abel Sánchez-Velázquez has written an article explaining why. climate.leeds.ac.uk/how-can-our-...

We’ve been busy at #COP30 in Belém! 🌍 From carbon budgets to climate-resilient food systems, the University of Leeds team has been everywhere. Here’s what we’ve been up to 👇 (1/6)

Fantastic to see Dominick Spracklen and his team involved in this report presented at COP30 yesterday. Leeds research on tropical forests and local climate is contributing to the crucial discussion about how forests are integral a vital support system for agriculture. www.fao.org/newsroom/det...

Watch this interview with Oscar Sánchez Velázquez, a PhD researcher who is part of the University's #COP30 delegation. Based in the University of Leeds School of Food Science and Nutrition, Oscar's area of work focuses on sustainable food systems. youtu.be/4Kp-dWmIHps?...

Read our new #COP30 blog by Dr Ruth Wade & Profs Guy Ziv and Pippa Chapman: 'Farming in an unpredictable climate'. They explore the impact of climate change on UK farming and how farmers might mitigate and adapt by using regenerative agriculture practices. Read blog: medium.com/globalfoodle...

#COP30 enters its final stretch in Belém: ministers focus on finance, fossil fuel phase-out, and real-world delivery. Key outcomes so far: clean energy investment, sustainable fuels plan, adaptation funding. Follow updates: unfccc.int/cop30/meetin... #COP30 #ClimateAction

Our director Piers Forster has written an article for @theconversation.com on 'The fast-fix for global warming that the UN climate summit can’t ignore'. Written at COP30, the piece exposes how attitudes toward short-lived climate pollutants need to change theconversation.com/the-fast-fix...

Food drives climate change—and suffers from it. Nearly 1/3 of emissions come from food systems, now hit by floods, droughts & heatwaves. At #COP30, transforming them is central to climate action. Read Dr Rosario Michel-Villarreal’s article: climate.leeds.ac.uk/why-food-lie... #FoodSystems #COP30

Day 10 at #COP30. Today is about food, agriculture, and equity at their roots​. Piers is speaking at a session on innovations for carbon neutrality and energy system transformation. Matthaeus will be on a panel discussing building youth alliance across Africa, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Priestley member, Prof Simon Lewis, features in The Guardian, discussing the Congo Basin and how it is one of the world’s most vital carbon sinks, but it is losing out when it comes to climate policy and funding www.theguardian.com/environment/... #COP30 #tropicalrainforests #CongoBasin

#COP30 Leeds delegate Isidora Xenaki discusses wildfires, their impact, and why they need to be discussed at COP30 in this article written for the Priestley Centre's website 🔥 climate.leeds.ac.uk/moving-from-...

Isidora Xenaki, a visiting researching assistant at the University of Leeds, explains her interest in the impact of elevated heat and droughts on wildfire regimes. Watch to learn about her research and why she is eager for wildfires to be part of the conversation at #COP30 youtu.be/YrBFijKmhec?...

Keep hearing about COP (Conference of the Parties) but not sure what it is? In this video, Dr Nicole Nisbett explains what COP is and why it's important ➡️ youtu.be/qVFODdvHX0E?... #COP30 #WhatisCOP

Day 9 at #COP30 Today's focus continues on from yesterday, which is to elevate both planetary and community stewardship, showcasing inclusive, grounded, and nature-aligned solutions. 🌎 Check out the graphic below to see how Leeds is involved today ⬇️

🌊 Day 8 of #COP30 focuses on oceans. Prof. Viktoria Spaiser explains why Earth System Tipping Points — like coral reef die-off — must be on the agenda. Watch her insights and hopes for COP30 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk0T... #ClimateAction #GlobalTippingPoints

We are delighted to announce the formation of The Ecological Law and Justice Group. The Group provides a focal point for the School's outstanding research and teaching in areas related to the environment. For more about their ambitions, experts, and how to get involved 👇 tinyurl.com/bdhkh7av