School of Environmental Sciences
We're proud to be one of the most developed schools of our kind in Europe. But what does it mean to be an excellent institution for environmental sciences?
For us, it means a focus on research that matters. We influence policy at the highest levels on climate change, atmospheric and ocean science, natural resource management, and biodiversity conservation.
It means being open to learning. We are an interdisciplinary school, bringing together different aspects of natural and social sciences. Today's problems require inventive solutions, so we encourage students to explore psychological, policymaking and scientific approaches, making them adaptable, inventive and collaborative. We also give our students opportunities to learn from hands-on experience in their chosen subject area.
It also means always striving to be better. We were awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, marking 50 years of research and discovery. We're dedicated to welcoming and inspiring new generations of diverse, committed, confident scientists and problem-solvers.
Geography with a Placement Year
How do we respond effectively to climate change?How do we manage our dwindling resources?How do we deal with population growth in cities and the challenges of...
Environmental Sciences with a Foundation Year
How can we change our behavior to reduce the effects of climate change? What controls the Earth’s natural systems? What might our landscape look like in the...
Environmental Sciences
What is the evidence for climate change? How does pollution affect human health and wellbeing? How are international environmental treaties formed? How can we...
Environmental Sciences and International Development
Why are the problems of poverty, inequality and access to natural resources so intractable in some parts of the world? How do societies manage the trade-offs...
Geography
How do we respond effectively to climate change? How do we manage our dwindling resources? How do we deal with population growth in cities and the challenges of...
Geography
Explore our dynamic and ever changing world – from volcanoes and landslides to climate change and biodiversity.
Geology with Geography
What happens during an earthquake? What’s going on inside an erupting volcano? How does a meteorite impact affect the Earth? Why do flash floods happen and can...
Geophysics
What happens inside a volcano? How can we forecast earthquakes? Why do we experience extreme weather and can we control it? Explore geophysics in the context of...
Marine Sciences
The ocean covers 70% of the Earth’s surface and contains a huge range of ecosystems, from deep sea hydrothermal vents through to shallow estuaries. It is also a...
Research
Climate-relevant Ocean Measurements and Processes on the Antarctic continental Shelf and Slope (COMPASS)
School of Environmental Sciences
Prof Karen Heywood honoured as Fellow of the Royal Society
UEA’s Prof Karen Heywood, Professor of Physical Oceanography in ENV, has been recognised for a lifetime of pioneering research into the physics of the ocean with...
How we created the 'perfect storm' for pandemics
The way that many of us live has created the “perfect storm” for the evolution and transmission of infectious diseases like Covid-19 according to a researcher at...
Antarctic ice shelf risks collapse due to warm mountain winds
Antarctica’s fourth largest ice shelf risks collapse due to mountain winds, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
Intensity of tropical cyclones is probably increasing due to climate change
Many tropical cyclone-prone regions of the world are expected to experience storm systems of greater intensity over the coming century, according to a review of...
World Water Day spotlight on UEA’s water security research centre
From adapting to climate change and tackling water scarcity to the burden of carrying water faced by millions of people, and particularly women, around the world...
UEA switches to Ecosia to turn internet searches into thousands of trees
UEA is switching its default search engine on campus computers to Ecosia, in a move that will potentially result in over 100,000 more trees being planted each...
Sea level rise up to four times global average for coastal communities
Coastal populations are experiencing relative sea-level rise up to four times faster than the global average – according to new research from the University of...
Antarctic seals reveal worrying threats to disappearing glaciers
More Antarctic meltwater is surfacing than was previously known, modifying the climate, preventing sea ice from forming and boosting marine productivity–...
UEA Engagement Awards 2021 - Winner Announcements screening
- Jun 9, 2021 17:30PM
- Online
- Award Ceremony
- Free
Come and cheer! A live screening announcing the winners of this year's UEA Engagement Awards - outstanding projects, individuals and students from across UEA and the Norwich Research Park who have engaged with the public this year. Book to receive a link...
Climate Change, Inequality and Conservation
- May 19, 2021 15:00PM
- Seminar
- Free
This seminar will feature talks given by Patricia Balvanera (UNAM) and Karen Wong-Perez (IIED) and be chaired by Rachel Carmenta (UEA) . It will address and critically reflect on some of the challenges posed, and harvest lessons learned from past and present experiences in climate conservation interventions.Rural communities in tropical forest landscapes of the global South carry little responsibility for climate change, and yet disproportionately suffer the impacts - which include extended droughts, increased risk of uncontrolled fires and disease. The conservation agenda typically targets communities in these same landscapes with site level interventions that are increasingly blended with responses to climate change. Such efforts include REDD+, forest and landscape restoration programmes, integrated landscape initiatives and other nature based solutions. Rural small scale subsistence farmers are thereby affected not only by climate change, but also by responses to it. Whilst climate conservation interventions present an opportunity for simultaneously tackling climate change, conservation and development, they may also pose risks to local communities. Given the increasing interest in nature based solutions in the international policy arena, it is imperative that interventions do not extenuate the vulnerabilities of rural populations and instead enhance the resilience and well-being of the communities they impact. Ensuring that the pursuit of climate related conservation delivers equitable outcomes demands the design of bundles of interventions that resonate with the ecological context as well as the place-based realities of local communities. Hosted by ClimateUEA and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, the second in this new seminar series will address and critically reflect on these challenges, and harvest lessons learned from past and present experiences in climate conservation interventions.
SustainableUEA Awards 2021
- May 26, 2021 15:00PM
- Online
- Award Ceremony
- Free
Come and join the inaugural SustainableUEA Awards Ceremony hosted by: Dylan Edwards, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Medical School and Katherine Middleton, Environmental Management System Manager. This event will be held online via MS Teams. Email sustainstability@uea.ac.uk to receive a link.