GSI News Summer 2026

A round up of the latest news and events from the GSI summer 2026

Major new institute announced

Professor Patrick Devine-Wright (pictured) has been appointed as the first Director of a new climate and nature institute at Exeter, which will draw on areas of excellence from across the University to develop bold solutions to the climate and nature crisis on both a local and global scale. The new institute will build on and amplify the internationally recognised strengths of the Environment and Sustainability Institute and the Global Systems Institute. Professor Devine-Wright said: “This is an exciting moment as we renew our environment and climate-facing research capabilities with an ambition that matches the scale of the crises we face.”

Exeter Climate Forum 2026

About 400 climate researchers, business leaders and policy makers gathered for the Exeter Climate Forum in late June, and took part in dozens of talks, workshops and networking events. Highlights included leading speakers on climate science and policy, collaborative sessions designed to drive bold action, and trips to see some of Devon’s fascinating conservation projects.

Talks during the Forum week covered subjects including the severe cost of failing to tackle climate change, the likelihood of a severe El Niño event, and the potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Sessions also highlighted the progress that has been made: for example, the UK has more than halved its emissions since 1990 and there are now 35 countries with growing GDP and falling emissions. And talks explored positive tipping points, where small changes in societies and economies can spark rapid emissions reductions and support nature and climate recovery.

Four Exeter climate researchers in Carbon Brief top 100

Four Exeter researchers have been named in the top 100 in a new Carbon Brief ranking of the world’s most highly cited climate scientists. Professors Pierre Friedlingstein (ranked 9th), Neil Adger (24th), Stephen Sitch (31st), and Peter Cox (71st) make the list – giving Exeter more top 100 researchers than any other university. Exeter has a total of 10 researchers in the top 500, including three who hold joint appointments at University of Exeter and the UK Met Office. The rankings are published as part of Carbon Brief’s Project Cosmos, the world’s largest database of climate change research. Read more.

Landmark ENSURE joint centre workshop with CUHK

The power and potential of collaborative research focused on sustainable development was showcased and discussed at a landmark two-day event in May at University of Exeter. The 2026 Environmental Sustainability and Resilience (ENSURE) Joint Centre Workshop drew together senior leaders, scholars and strategic partners to celebrate the scale of research underway between Exeter and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Discussions emphasised the importance of integrated, systems-based approaches to address global environmental challenges. ENSURE was launched in June 2018 as a long-term partnership designed to draw on the complementary strengths of the two universities. Read more.

Report: Recalibrating Climate Risk

A report published in February from University of Exeter and Carbon Tracker, Recalibrating Climate Risk – drawing on expert judgment from more than 60 climate scientists – finds that many economic models are failing to capture the extreme events, compounding shocks and rising uncertainty likely to dominate impacts in a hotter world. The report provides recommendations to financial regulators and central banks, to institutional investors and pension funds, and to financial advisors and scenario providers. Read more.

Peatlands project wins prestigious ERC grant

A project studying the impact of climate change on peatlands has won a prestigious Synergy Grant from the European Research Council. CLIMPEAT (Northern Peatlands in the face of climate warming and abrupt changes) has been awarded €12.5 million over six years. The project will investigate how peatlands in the northern hemisphere respond to climate change and future warming. These peatlands contain huge amounts of carbon and nitrogen which, if released, could amplify global warming. Read more.

‘Tipping point’ to electric vehicles reached in Europe and China

A recent study of global electric vehicle sales found that China and Europe have reached a threshold or ‘tipping point’ that has triggered an irreversible shift away from their petrol and diesel-powered equivalents. Researchers observed that EV sales were increasing exponentially across 32 countries, with the global fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles doubling every 1.5 years. In contrast, sales of traditional cars began to decline steadily from around 2019, compounded by the COVID19 pandemic. Read more.

Geoengineering could protect Amazon rainforest from climate change

New research shows geoengineering could protect the Amazon rainforest from climate change. Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) aims to artificially cool the Earth by increasing the reflection of incoming solar radiation. Lead author Isobel Parry said: “The best protection for the Amazon rainforest in the long-term is a combination of reduced rates of both deforestation and anthropogenic climate change, but SAI might provide some emergency protection if we fail to get climate change under control.” Read more.

New book rethinks climate policy

Rethinking Climate Policy by Exeter's Professor Jean-François Mercure and University of Cambridge's Hector Pollitt (published June 2026) argues that climate policies have delivered limited success because climate change has been approached as a problem of resource allocation rather than resource creation. The book identifies problems in current climate policymaking, breaking many taboos in standard economics, to offer a proposal for achievable public policy for a zero-carbon economy. Climate policy must involve not only incentives for transforming the economy and our ways of living, but also, measures that improve the resilience of societies in order to be better able to withstand the economic, financial and political stresses that a rapid transition to sustainability imposes. Underpinned by economic and complex systems analysis, it also develops a metric of economic resilience to measure how economies can transform without breaking down.

Book explores ‘visual life of climate change’

The Visual Life of Climate Change by Professor Saffron O’Neill (published December 2025) suggests that the pictures we use to tell stories about climate change fundamentally shape how we respond to the issue. The author argues we often rely on a small set of images to illustrate climate change – and these exclude many people and places from the discussion about climate action. Read more.

Rewilding could fill gap left by Panama’s lost giants

Introducing large herbivores in Panama’s forests could fill the gap left by extinct species, a recent study suggests. University of Exeter scientists studied lake sediments that contain traces of animals and plants dating back 17,000 years. Lead author Felix Pym said: “Just like elephants today, we found that large herbivores had a significant impact on ecosystems during the period we studied. For example, there were fewer wildfires when large herbivores thrived – possibly because they ate and trampled on understorey vegetation that can fuel fires. Also, when megafauna declined, so did plants with large fleshy fruits and seeds that are typically spread by large animals." Read more.

Rising seas could ‘drown’ mangroves and release carbon

Mangroves could store less carbon – and even begin releasing it – as sea levels rise, new research suggests. Previous research has suggested rising seas could increase carbon storage in mangroves, but the new study challenges this. The research team, led by the University of Exeter with partners in Colombia and the United States, developed a new model to assess how sea-level rise will affect carbon storage across entire mangrove forests. The findings show that, while carbon storage might increase in localised spots as sea levels rise, storage at the scale of whole forests is likely to decline over the next 100 years. Read more.

Upcoming events

Environmental Intelligence, 7-9 September 2026

The future of environmental innovation is happening at EI26. Climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pressures are accelerating, and so is the potential of AI and digital technologies to help us respond. But impact only happens when technology is responsible, inclusive and grounded in the real world. The EI26 conference is a place where those shaping that future can come together. Register here.

Global Tipping Points Conference, 12-15 October 2026

The Global Tipping Points Conference 2026 will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Hosted in Asia for the first time, the meeting brings together leaders from science, finance, culture and policy in a region where climate risks are intensifying but where many of the solutions are already emerging at scale. Find out more.

Save the date: ICDC12

The leading international conference on the global carbon cycle and its critical role in the Earth system, the 12th International Carbon Dioxide Conference will take place 21-25 June 2027 at the University of Exeter. Find out more.

GSI seminar series

We run regular seminars during term time, which usually take place on Wednesdays at 2.30pm. If you are interested in showcasing your work or have speaker recommendations please email us. Recordings of previous GSI seminars are available to watch on our YouTube playlist.

For more GSI news and latest publications please see the GSI website
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Thank you to the University of Exeter Press Office for providing news content.

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