https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. With climate change expected to intensify heat waves, flooding and air pollution in cities worldwide, why are we not tapping into the full potential of nature-based solutions? https://phys.org/news/2025-11-cities-nature-based-solutions-boost.html Environment Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:20:01 EST news683218086 Researchers from the University of Toronto's John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design have conducted an in-depth analysis of green rooftops in Toronto, providing a framework for future green roof planning and design in urban settings. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-bird-eye-view-aerial-imagery.html Environment Tue, 21 Oct 2025 08:35:37 EDT news680254533 Trees, parks, wetlands and green roofs can no longer be seen as a "nice-to-have" aesthetic enhancement but a vital component for creating climate-resilient, healthier and more equitable cities, according to an international paper led by the University of Surrey's Global Center for Clean Air Research (GCARE). https://phys.org/news/2025-04-cities-urged-prioritize-green-infrastructure.html Environment Wed, 30 Apr 2025 14:54:04 EDT news665243641 Urban flooding is a major problem in the global south. In west and central Africa, more than 4 million people were affected by flooding in 2024. In Ghana, cities suffer damage from flooding every year. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-incidents-ghana-capital.html Environment Wed, 23 Apr 2025 10:32:04 EDT news664623122 Aside from hotter summers and melting glaciers, climate change is transforming how, when and where rain falls. This challenges much of the world's sewer systems, especially with the added strains of population growth and increased urbanization. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-climate-overwhelm-sewage-green-infrastructure.html Environment Tue, 17 Dec 2024 13:29:06 EST news653664542 Urban flooding is increasingly concerning in Canada, where water drainage systems are at risk of being overwhelmed. Natural watersheds have been greatly altered by construction disturbing the natural ways that water flows from rainfall, across the land and into water bodies. The result is that drainage infrastructure must cope with increased water volumes at both higher speeds and flow rates, as well as deteriorated water quality due to pollutants such as oil and organic waste. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-stormwater-infrastructure-canadian-cities-urban.html Environment Tue, 10 Sep 2024 12:04:03 EDT news645188641 It's been a rainy winter in many parts of Australia, wreaking havoc on kids' sporting competitions. As mums, it has been frustrating to see so many of our kids' sports matches (and training sessions) canceled because of waterlogged grounds. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-kids-sport-cancelled-due-grounds.html Environment Sun, 04 Aug 2024 13:10:01 EDT news641808337 The UK needs coordinated plans to stop a rush for air conditioning as temperatures rise, experts say. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-uk-air-con-temperatures.html Earth Sciences Thu, 01 Aug 2024 11:30:02 EDT news641727057 In two years' time, a massive hole in the heart of Berlin will become the German capital's biggest reservoir, capturing an increasingly precious resource—water. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-swamp-sponge-berlin-harnesses-climate.html Environment Wed, 12 Jun 2024 04:32:31 EDT news637385544 Amid the growing local government bankruptcy crisis, as many as half of the local authorities in England and Wales might be forced to cut their green spaces budgets. The situation in Scotland and Northern Ireland is not much better. A survey by the Local Government Association in February 2024 found that 48% of local authorities say they plan to defund, to varying degrees, the parks and other green spaces within their areas. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-uk-cities-greener.html Environment Wed, 05 Jun 2024 12:11:05 EDT news636808262 A new University of Maryland study suggests that Washington, D.C.'s most socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods are less equipped to handle runoff from heavy rainfalls made more frequent by climate change. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-stormwater-dc-poorest-neighborhoods-hardest.html Environment Tue, 04 Jun 2024 12:22:29 EDT news636722543 Along with warmer and wetter winters across the UK and Europe, our summers are getting hotter with more frequent periods of extreme hot weather. And as well as affecting agriculture, infrastructure and wildlife, hot weather influences us. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-ways-towns-cool.html Environment Tue, 21 May 2024 12:15:37 EDT news635512532 Escalating industrialization, urbanization and climate change in Asia present a significant challenge to maintaining water quality. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-nature-vital-treatment.html Environment Mon, 22 Apr 2024 15:50:03 EDT news633019802 Green roofs have become increasingly popular thanks to their benefits related to climate adaptation, mitigation, and urban biodiversity management. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-fungal-rich-soil-green-roof.html Ecology Wed, 31 Jan 2024 14:20:24 EST news625933219 A lot of municipalities work with a points system to encourage construction projects to take biodiversity and creating green areas into account. But this way of working also benefits local neighborhoods and residents, master's student Marije Sesink discovered. She based her study on The Hague. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-neighborhoods-nicer.html Social Sciences Wed, 09 Aug 2023 13:50:01 EDT news610805805 Nature-based solutions (NBS) can help grand challenges, such as climate change and food security, but, as things stand, communities outside of Europe do not stand to benefit from these innovations. New research from the University of Surrey has found that more than 60% of NBS are located in Europe, with other regions showing poor use of the technologies. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-nature-based-solutions-tackle-climate-food.html Environment Tue, 01 Aug 2023 15:50:03 EDT news610123801 In June 2021, the "heat dome" that struck the Pacific Northwest sent temperatures in Seattle to an unprecedented 107° Fahrenheit and set 128 all-time high temperature records across the state. The event was partly due to climate change. As the climate continues to warm, these hotter stretches are projected to hit the region with increasing frequency. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-tool-washington-extreme.html Environment Tue, 27 Jun 2023 14:27:04 EDT news607094821 When the mercury rises, does your anxiety rise with it? If so, you are not alone. According to the UK's Office for National Statistics, three-quarters of British people are worried about climate change and 43% claim to experience anxiety about the state of the planet: a number that rises around major climate summits and extreme weather events. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-inequality-heatwave.html Environment Tue, 20 Jun 2023 12:57:05 EDT news606484622 Swapping concrete and asphalt for trees, ponds and green roofs is an example of how cities can be adapted to cope with heavy rain and climate change. But time is running out. For nature-based solutions to have a global impact, we need to act fast, according to researchers. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-nature-greener-cities.html Environment Fri, 21 Apr 2023 12:55:05 EDT news601300501 From China's mega-cities to Australia's sprawling suburbs, scientists are calling for grassroots action to raise awareness about the role of soil biodiversity to promote better human health and well-being. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-soil-key-health-well-being-urban.html Environment Wed, 15 Feb 2023 15:35:09 EST news595697704 We've built our cities to be vulnerable to—and exacerbate—major weather events such as the one we saw in Auckland on Friday. While almost no city in the world could fully escape the effects of four months' worth of rain in 24 hours, there are many things that could have been done to avoid some of the worst impacts. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-auckland-stormwater-reform-wont-sponge.html Environment Tue, 31 Jan 2023 01:00:01 EST news594305979 Climate change is going just as badly for cities as we have been warned it would. Extreme weather is increasingly common and severe globally. Australian cities have endured a number of recent disastrous events. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-cities-worldwide-solutions.html Environment Tue, 17 Jan 2023 12:36:03 EST news593181361 Roofs planted with vegetation—known as green roofs—can help cities adapt to a changing climate by absorbing storm water, lowering local temperatures, and providing insulation that cuts indoor heating and cooling costs. Yet green roofs cover less than 0.1% of New York City's 1 million buildings, according to a new analysis. https://phys.org/news/2022-11-green-roof-nyc.html Ecology Wed, 02 Nov 2022 12:20:03 EDT news586610401 So-called sponge cities use green roofs, rain gardens, wetlands, and other nature-based measures to absorb, retain, and purify excessive stormwater. A perspective published in WIREs Water discusses the potential of such initiatives to address flooding, and lists key components required for success. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-sponge-cities-solution-urban-problems.html Environment Wed, 05 Oct 2022 04:15:21 EDT news584162118 Does it feel sweltering in your neighborhood, yet pleasant at the park a few blocks away? You might be living on an urban heat island. https://phys.org/news/2022-07-urban-islands-degrees-hotter-city.html Environment Mon, 25 Jul 2022 12:50:01 EDT news577971549 Extreme heat events could become more intense and frequent both locally and globally, increasing the risk of harm to health and global economies, according to a new study that includes research from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. https://phys.org/news/2022-07-climate-deepen-environmental-injustice-urban.html Social Sciences Wed, 06 Jul 2022 12:23:03 EDT news576328981 Alleviating the urban heat-island effect through regulating urban landscape can improve human thermal comfort and living environment in urban residential areas. However, most previous studies focused on the single environmental factor of temperature, ignoring the actual human feeling of thermal comfort, which is affected not only by temperature, but also by humidity, wind speed, and radiation, etc. https://phys.org/news/2022-05-white-roofs-rooftop-lawns-mitigate.html Environment Wed, 25 May 2022 13:13:02 EDT news572703181 Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) conducted a multi-year empirical study to assess the impact of trees on city temperatures. Taking the city of Würzburg as an example, the researchers showed that vegetation cover of approximately 40 percent is needed to bring about lower summer temperatures. https://phys.org/news/2022-05-role-vegetation-thermal-stress-urban.html Environment Fri, 20 May 2022 09:33:02 EDT news572257977 Declining native species could be planted in urban green spaces. Researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), Leipzig University and other institutions describe how to use this great potential for species protection. In their most recent study, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, they recommend practical conservation gardening methods in a bid to restructure the horticultural industry and reverse plant species declines. https://phys.org/news/2022-05-native-gardening-species.html Plants & Animals Wed, 18 May 2022 13:16:22 EDT news572098579 When the global community is expected to meet for the second part of the UN Biodiversity Conference in Kunming, China, in autumn, it must also adopt the next generation of UN biodiversity targets. These will then replace the Aichi Targets that were aimed for until 2020—and have hardly been achieved. Twenty-one "Post-2020 Action Targets for 2030" have already been pre-formulated. While they still have to be finally agreed, they aim to reduce potential threats to biodiversity, improve the well-being of humans, and implement tools and solutions for the conservation of biodiversity. https://phys.org/news/2022-04-species-good-global-climate.html Plants & Animals Tue, 26 Apr 2022 12:06:02 EDT news570193558