news 2025

A new study reveals that nearly 70% of climate adaptation plans in European cities contain significant inconsistencies, severely limiting their effectiveness in addressing rising climate risks. "As Europe warms twice as fast as other continents, this 'adaptation gap' poses growing threats to the 75% of Europeans who live in cities", says UT researcher and lead author Diana Reckien.

Nitrous oxide is known as the gas used in whipped cream cartridges or as an anaesthetic in hospitals. But it's much more than that. This potent greenhouse gas is also released from biological wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), posing a real threat to our climate. PhD candidate Nina Roothans (TU Delft), who recently graduated cum laude, has identified practical strategies to reduce nitrous oxide emissions.

Missing species show human impact on biodiversity greater than thought A new global study, published yesterday in Nature , shows that in human-disturbed regions, many native plant species are missing from places where they could grow. Traditional methods of measuring biodiversity-such as simply counting species present-do not give a complete picture.

Wildfires can smolder in tree boles and roots all winter long. This is evident from new research in Nature Ecology & Evolution. It was previously known that forest fires in boreal regions can survive the winter by smoldering in peaty soils: so-called 'zombie fires'. But a group of scientists from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, among others, discovered that fires can also overwinter by smoldering in tree boles and roots.

Nitrogen is a colorless odorless gas in the air. Although nitrogen by itself is not a problem for humans and the environment, it can combine with other elements, such as oxygen and hydrogen. This creates nitrogen oxides and ammonia, which can be harmful. These nitrogen compounds from agriculture, traffic and industry end up in the air and eventually settle on the ground.

The Arctic plays a central role in the global climate system. However, climate change could disrupt its balance. An international research team headed by the Alfred Wegener Institute and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam has presented a comprehensive analysis of the current state of the Arctic carbon cycle.