Earth Day 2020

Today is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. 

Celebrated every year on April 22, individuals and organisations from across the globe participate in action intended towards a healthier environment for future generations.

The theme for this year’s Earth Day is climate action, and Bangor University academics carry out excellent research in this area, having a major impact on the lives of people both locally and globally.

Here are some examples:

Lead by Professor Davey Jones at the School of Natural Sciences, a group of leading academics are pooling their expertise to develop new ways of mass-monitoring levels of SARS-Cov-2, the virus which causes the newly named COVID-19 illness. Read more here.

Large ecosystems, such as the Amazon rainforest, will collapse and disappear alarmingly quickly, once a crucial tipping point is reached, according to calculations based on real-world data. Researchers including Dr Simon Willcock from the School of Natural Sciences, revealed the speed at which ecosystems of different sizes will disappear, once they have reached a point beyond which they collapse – transforming into an alternative ecosystem. Read more here.

The newly established Plastic Centre for Wales is based at Bangor University and brings together a multidisciplinary group of academics, researchers, students and partners to investigate all aspects of plastic use, plastic pollution and plastic alternatives. The Centre is at the forefront of tackling one the planet’s greatest environmental issues: plastic waste and the overuse of single-use plastic. Find out more about its research projects here.

Professor Jan Prof Hiddink from the School of Ocean Sciences contributed to the most comprehensive assessment of how ocean warming is affecting the mix of species in our oceans along with scientists from across the globe. Read more here.

For more information about research at Bangor University, visit this web page.

Publication date: 22 April 2020