News | School of Geographical Sciences

Professor Sir Eric Thomas, former Bristol Vice-Chancellor, passes away 14 November 2023 Professor Sir Eric Thomas FMedSci, former Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, sadly passed away on Friday 10 November 2023 aged 70 following a short battle with cancer. He was Bristol's 12th Vice-Chancellor, and led the University for 14 years between 2001 and 2015 during a period of significant change in higher education.

New research reveals extreme fluctuations between drought and flooding are devastating millions of lives 14 November 2023 New research reveals millions of people around the world living in poverty have been experiencing a ‘climate hazard flip’ since the turn of the century.

New research reveals extreme heat likely to wipe out humans and mammals in the distant future 25 September 2023 A new study shows unprecedented heat is likely to lead to the next mass extinction since the dinosaurs died out, eliminating nearly all mammals in some 250 million years time.

New research reveals why and when the Sahara Desert was green 13 September 2023 A pioneering study has shed new light on North African humid periods that have occurred over the past 800,000 years and explains why the Sahara Desert was periodically green.

Pioneering project set to boost innovation in UK financial services 9 August 2023 Financial services are an essential part of our everyday lives – from making payments, to borrowing money, taking out insurance, saving for the future and getting financial advice.

Bristol weather expert wins prestigious national accolade for advancing understanding of extreme heat and health 19 July 2023 A leading climate scientist from the University of Bristol, has today won an award in recognition of his pioneering work to advance understanding of global weather extremes and their impact on society.

Research reveals nearly two million mortgage holders struggling to cover household bills 8 July 2023 As the cost of living crisis continues apace with the latest hike in interest rates, new research has shown a significant proportion of mortgage holders in the UK are so stretched financially they are short of money for food.

Ironman World Champs for inspiring student who couldn’t swim 8 months ago 4 July 2023 A student who only learnt to swim in October is through to the Ironman World Championships.

Pioneering initiative launched to improve early warnings and resilience to changing tropical cyclones 4 July 2023 A new £4.8 million international project is set to help limit the devastating impacts of tropical cyclones in southern Africa.

Cost-of-living crisis could be creating ticking health timebomb 12 June 2023 New data has shown rising prices are prompting people in the UK to make dramatic cutbacks on essential healthcare which could affect their long-term wellbeing.

Strong cultural regions slowed Britain’s urbanisation, new research finds 25 May 2023 Regional cultural boundaries in England and Wales put a brake on the rapid urbanisation which took hold across Britain in the 19th and early 20th century, research has revealed.

Millions affected by problem gambling have limited access to support 26 April 2023 New research has shown a lack of support available for family members and friends of people with gambling problems.

Research reveals countries where record-breaking heatwaves are likely to cause most harm 25 April 2023 A new study has highlighted under-prepared regions across the world most at risk of the devastating effects of scorching temperatures.

New research shows recovering tropical forests offset just one quarter of carbon emissions from new tropical deforestation and forest degradation 15 March 2023 A pioneering global study has found deforestation and forests lost or damaged due to human and environmental change, such as fire and logging, are fast outstripping current rates of forest regrowth.

Pioneering analysis projects extreme rainfall in UK may be more common and erratic over next century as impact of climate change intensifies 7 March 2023 A new set of 100-year climate projections has been created to assess the likelihood of heavy rain downpours in the UK, which can cause flash flooding, over the coming years and decades.

Pioneering study shows flood risks can still be considerably reduced if all global promises to cut carbon emissions are kept 7 March 2023 Annual damage caused by flooding in the UK could increase by more than a fifth over the next century due to climate change unless all international pledges to reduce carbon emissions are met, according to new research.

Large-scale fossil study reveals origins of modern-day biodiversity gradient 15 million years ago 15 February 2023 Researchers have used nearly half a million fossils to solve a 200-year-old scientific mystery: why the number of different species is greatest near the equator and decreases steadily towards polar regions.

Scottish households have lower levels of financial wellbeing than those in the rest of the UK 10 February 2023 New analysis finds one-in-five households (21%) in Scotland are currently living in serious financial difficulty – equivalent to 1.2 million people. In the rest of the UK, the figure is 17% of households.

From eating disorder to Ironwoman: The amazing student who loves helping others 2 February 2023 When Megan Hamill crosses the finish line of Ironman Austria, it won’t just be down to months of punishing training.

Graduate: ‘Visualisation saved my life – now I want to make it mainstream’ 31 January 2023 A wellbeing start-up hopes to help millions with visualisation techniques that are credited with saving its co-founder’s life.