Policy briefs
The Institute of Science and Environment’s policy briefings provide an evidence base for policy makers and are developed from our research and expertise including UK land protection and conservation, disaster risk reduction, international conservation and marine mammal acoustics.
Accelerating Change: Flood Hazard-disaster Databases in the Indian Himalayan Region
Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Disaster statistics for mountain regions reveal a concerning trend of increasing event occurrence, injuries and fatalities, and socio-economic impacts. This reflects increases in population, infrastructure exposure and vulnerability, as well as increasing hazard frequency and magnitude. Amplifying future concerns are complex/contested climate change trajectories and their impact on hazard processes.
The Carbon Footprint of Peatland Restoration
Posted on Monday, September 9, 2024
Restoration of peatlands is viewed as one of the most important nature-based approaches to meet the UK’s ambitious net zero carbon and climate targets. There is significant public and private investment in restoration, utilising voluntary carbon credit markets. However, the carbon cost of implementing such restoration needs to be built into restoration design and verification using tools like the UK Peatland Code. Here we report how the choice of restoration approach has a substantial impact on the potential carbon credits that could be claimed.