Prof Zulin Zhang, Dr Jessica Gomez-Banderas, Dr Viktoria Mueller The US has joined a growing number of countries waking up to the risks posed by the presence of PFAS, more commonly known as forever chemicals, in our environment, drinking water and food. read more ..read more

How can we repopulate and keep communities strong on Scotland’s islands, how can we make sure there is adequate access to housing in rural areas and could remote working be the boost needed to create rural resilience? These are knotty challenges to which there is no simple solution or short answer. But they’re also important challenges to address for a county where 98% of the landmass is classified as rural and forms a major part of Scotland’s identity, culture, economy and social landscape. read more ..read more

The James Hutton Institute is opening the site of its Climate-Positive Farming Initiative to the public later this month (March 21-22) as part of Climate Week North East. Visitors to the Initiative, at the Hutton’s Glensaugh research farm, will be taken on a free, 90-minute, 3 km-long guided walk around the farm to learn about some of the Hutton’s climate-positive research, including peatland restoration, increasing the diversity of grasslands, integrating trees on the farm, natural flood management and much more. read more ..read more

Hutton scientists and researchers will be on stage as part of an Aberdeen entertainment night mixing research and comedy for an evening of laughs, music and new ideas later this week. Bright Club, which began in Aberdeen in 2012, will be held at Spin on Littlejohn Street at 7pm on Thursday, March 14. The format involves a researcher presenting their work as a stand-up comedy routine along with a compere. It will feature academics from the University of Aberdeen, which led organisation of the event, and The James Hutton Institute. read more ..read more

By Dr Orla Shortall, agricultural sociologist Around this time of year, on a very rainy winter’s day a couple of years ago, I was visiting a dairy farm in east Scotland. Grazing was important to the farmers’ system for keeping his costs down, but he told me that, in recent years, more rain coming in unpredictable patterns was making it harder to rely on grazing as the driver of milk production on his farm. Instead, he was looking to keep the cows inside for longer and feed them more concentrate. read more ..read more

Umar Farooq By Dr Umar Farooq Green finance has become a new buzz phrase; an economic lever to help drive environmental solutions that address the climate and ecological crises. read more ..read more

Trees are a great way to soak up carbon emissions, improve nature and biodiversity. Right? Well, not always. We take a dive into why where you plant trees can have hidden, perhaps surprising, implications. read more ..read more

Dr Mike Rivington and Dr Mohamed Jabloun A changing climate – past trends and future projections and what they could mean for Scotland. Scotland is well known for its weather. We’re used to rain and snow as well as dry spells. But these weather patterns are changing. What could this mean for how we live? We undertook research, on behalf of the Scottish Government, looking at how the climate has changed since 1960 and how it’s expected to change in coming decades out to 2080. read more ..read more

Farmers in North East Scotland are being invited to an online event to discuss future water scarcity predictions in the region and what they could mean for their sector. The event, being run by The James Hutton Institute at 7pm on February 20, aims to get a better perspective on what future water scarcity will mean for farmers, how they are likely to respond to increasing water scarcity events and any additional support required to increase resilience. read more ..read more

By Dr Jonathan Hopkins and Dr Ruth Wilson, The James Hutton Institute Population decline in Scotland’s sparsely populated and rural areas, as highlighted in the Herald’s special investigation last week, is a perennial challenge. It’s a topic that we and colleagues have been studying at The James Hutton institute, both in Scotland and further afield, for several years. We’ve been analysing patterns of demographic change  and speaking to residents and businesses about their experiences. read more ..read more