It should be obvious that ammunition and mines are single-use and for this reason alone, not a sustainable use of resources – just as single-use plastics, and aren’t most of us objecting to those publicly by now?
The body of scientific evidence on the environmental impacts of war is increasing. Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, past and ongoing conflicts are subjected to more intense impact evaluation beyond the harm caused to people, culture and societies.
Read MoreAt the beginning of this year, Pelican of London cruises the Western Mediterranean Sea. I take this as a prompt to share some insights into the marine (eco)system of this region and its state of conservation.
For millennia the Mediterranean has been shaped by the rise and fall of civilisations and associated development in agriculture, art, philosophy, science and technology, by numerous wars and long-distance trade, by religious diversity and cultural fusion, and latterly by commercial rivalry and geopolitical competition, tourism and migration 1.
The Western Mediterranean Sea and its creatures know no national boundaries, cultural differences or politics, while their health is utterly dependent on international agreements and their implementation, maritime policies and traffic, as well as national environmental regulations, fishing practices and pollution from a wide variety of sources.
Read MoreMauricio is one of those multi-talented young people who just excel at whatever they do – whether that’s coaching children on Capoeira skills, analytical chemistry, working as corporate receptionist or marine biology! He has volunteered as Scientist in Residence on the sail training tall ship Pelican of London and has become one of her ambassadors.
Here, Mauricio writes a guest blog for Challenging Habitat that showcases two separate worlds of science communication: with fellow scientists and with the public. The latter is becoming increasingly important as much of what scientists do is funded by the public purse – i.e. you and me – and taxpayers have a right to know how their money is spent.
So, whoever you are, I invite you to dive into Mau’s world of marine biology – case study Australia’s Super Corals!
Read MoreDeep sea discoveries never fail to amaze me, and this one of a coral that lives on metal deposits is extra special.
Read MoreI’ve written about Antarctic krill before, just around World Krill Day in 2022, and three years on, the international community is not much closer to protecting krill for krill’s sake, for ecosystem’s sake, for climate regulation‘s and all of our sake…
Read MoreWhen, in May 2025, the UK Met Office reported that “Northwest European waters are currently experiencing an extreme marine heatwave“, the yachting community in Plymouth had been talking about worsening fouling on their boats for weeks.
Read MoreThe young people who have joined us for one of our Ocean Science or STEAMS voyages on the sail training ship Pelican of London know already that the tiny algae that form the base of the entire ocean food web have several superpowers: they change the chemistry of seawater and regulate our planet’s climate.
Read MorePlankton, fish, water, sand, sediment and bleach: 25 young people from Devon and Cornwall explore the marine system in a beautiful bay off Sark in the Channel Islands.
Read MoreAnother Earth Day – another opportunity to reflect on my footprint. No better way to start this day than walk the earth without shoes, feel soil and stones, let the cold dew wet the skin between my toes, sense the odd nettle sting and slug adhere momentarily …
Read MoreSometimes my job involves flying to distant places and for my recent trip to Panama for the sail training charity Seas Your Future, I sought to find out about the fuel consumption and carbon footprint for different routes. I found interesting results worthy of consideration.
Read MoreThe future of your (grand)children will be shaped by the fate of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation.
Read MoreThree hours of blowing bubbles among the coral reefs around Bocas del Toro gave me plenty of time to take in beautiful impressions of a rich ecosystem and questions about its long-term survival.
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Challenging Habitat 