Planet Earth, Autumn 2003

21 October 2003

Some of the UK's best environmental science stories are featured in the latest issue of Planet Earth, the quarterly magazine from the Natural Environment Research Council.

These are just a few of the highlights from the latest issue, published this week:

Setting the farming example - a group of farming families in mid-Wales have come together to change their farming practices and ensure a sustainable future for their children. They aim to reduce their costs and workload by reducing the management of the most marginal land. But what's good for them may also be good for the environment...
Liability for climate change - will it ever be possible to sue anyone for damaging the climate? The prospect of a class-action suit with up to six billion plaintiffs and an equal number of defendants may seem rather daunting... Myles Allen considers.
Catastrophe of the Caribbean corals - coral reefs are often called the rainforests of the sea and they are home to more than one million species. People depend on them for food, for tourism, and for coastal protection. Almost one third of the coral reefs have been lost or severely damaged and human activity threatens more than half of the remainder. So why does their plight receive so little attention?
Raiders of the lost arc - over 400m years ago the rocks of Scotland, and those of England and Wales were on two entirely separate continents. In between lay an ocean about the same size as the Atlantic. Three geologists turn detective to piece together the destruction of a vanished ocean.
Trans-sexual fish from a dimensionless space - variety may be the spice of life, but there could be common reasons for having a sex change.

Further information

NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411561
Mob: 07917 557215

Planet Earth, Autumn 2003

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