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Special Report

Our Sustainable Future

A hub dedicated to the latest on how global change affects life on Earth today and on what solutions scientists, including those at the Smithsonian, are researching to build a more sustainable planet

Dairy farms like this one run by the Barstow family in Hadley, Massachusetts, make smart use of a substance cows produce in abundance.

Innovation

How Dairy Farmers Are Turning Manure Into Money

These New Englanders have found a way to help the planet and convert more than 9,000 tons of cow waste annually into electricity

Cacao growing on a tree at Zorzal Cacao, the first farm certified by Smithsonian's new Bird Friendly cocoa program.

At the Smithsonian

Why Buying ‘Bird Friendly Cocoa’ Is a Sweet Deal

The Smithsonian launches a new certification for chocolate lovers looking to help their feathery friends

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What Does It Mean to Live on a Sustainable Planet?

Sustainability at the Smithsonian

Closeup of a handful of river herring underwater swimming toward the viewer, with silver bodies, yellow faces and beady black eyes.

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

American Icons: Reviving the River Herring

Toby Kiers

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Fungi Expert Is on a Mission to Protect Global Natural Underground Networks

Yellow fish swim in front of coral reef

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Too Many Coral Restorations Fail. Treating Them Like Experiments Could Help Them Succeed.

Glitter and Globug

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

How Camera Traps at the Smithsonian’s Research Institute in Panama Inspired a New Generation of Tropical Scientists

Making Bird Friendly cocoa

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Cerro La Vieja: Cocoa that Protects Nature, Chocolate that Feeds the Soul

Andre Rovai measures mangrove growth in forest

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Meet the Scientist Uncovering How Mangroves Can Help the U.S. Military

Jewels 2.jpg

National Museum of the American Indian

Meet Jewels Gilbert, the Native Artist Behind Beautiful Arctic Beadwork

Sustainability News From Smithsonian Magazine

With Eco Purge, Arya Satheesh won the European category of the 2026 Earth Prize, the largest environmental competition in the world for young students. She was awarded $12,500 to continue to develop her prototype.

Innovation

This High Schooler Invented a Plant-Based Plastic That Removes Microplastics From the Environment as It Biodegrades

Eighteen-year-old Arya Satheesh created her award-winning Eco Purge to help address the global problem of plastic pollution

To turn shrimp shells into a feedstock for hydrogen gas production, the process begins with mashing the shells into a rust-colored shrimp slurry.

Innovation

How Shrimp Shells Are Being Turned Into ‘Carbon Negative’ Fuel, Food and Construction Materials

Engineers in Singapore have developed a new, multistep chemical process that transforms organic waste into useful, sustainable products

Hammarby Sjöstad was originally engineered to have a carbon footprint 50 percent lower than the rest of Stockholm.

Innovation

This Stockholm Neighborhood Was Built on Ambitious Sustainability Goals. When It Came Up Short, It Doubled Down and Became a Blueprint for Others

The original plan for Hammarby Sjöstad was for an eco-village aimed at attracting the Olympics. They never came, but the locals moved in and, with upgrades, hope to be carbon neutral by 2030

A digital rendering of new museum Dataland 

Smart News

The World’s First Museum of A.I. Art Will Open in Los Angeles as the Art World Ponders Questions of Ethics and Sustainability

Dataland’s immersive exhibitions, generated with artificial intelligence, will debut to the public on June 20, with an inaugural show about rainforests trained on millions of images of nature

Málaga’s famous espetos, or sardines, are cooked over an open flame in traditional blue fishing boats right on the beach.

Travel

Chiringuitos Offer the Quintessential Beach Bar Experience on Spain’s Costa del Sol

Steeped in history, the seafood joints are evolving to keep up with a global clientele and tightening environmental regulations

Climate Change News

Greenland's Jakobshavn Glacier

Smart News

Satellite Images Reveal Greenland and Antarctica Have Lost More Than 12 Trillion Tons of Ice Over the Past 50 Years

Most of the frozen water has vanished because glaciers have been flowing faster into the ocean, rather than because of surface melting of ice sheets, according to a new study. Researchers estimate the ice loss has raised the global sea level by more than one inch

The "super" El Niño event in the Pacific Ocean has been brewing since June and will extend through February.

Smart News

Scientists Say Scorching Temperatures Brought on by the ‘Super’ El Niño Could Kill Nearly Half a Million People by February

The predicted number, which includes deaths since June, likely represents an underestimate of total deaths. The heat could linger beyond February, and the climate swing could bring about other life-threatening conditions, including flooding, wildfire and infectious diseases

A nine-banded armadillo in Costa Rica. The Mexican long-nosed armadillo, which is the only armadillo species found in the United States, used to be considered the same species as the nine-banded armadillo.

Smart News

An Armadillo Found in Ohio Is the Latest Surprise in the Armored Animals’ Expansion North. Where Are They Now, and What’s Driving Their Movement?

Typically spotted in the South and Southeast, the creatures have been reaching increasingly distant states like North Carolina, Virginia and Illinois as winters become milder

Western Europe experienced back-to-back heatwaves this summer.

Smart News

Did You Suffer a Sweltering August? You Weren’t Alone. It Tied for the Month With the Hottest Global Temperatures on Record

Last month, the air temperature averaged 62.53 degrees Fahrenheit, tying with July 2023 as the toastiest month ever documented by the European Union’s climate service

Researchers spotted invasive devil firefish swimming around the wreck.

Smart News

This Hospital Ship Sank Off Albania’s Coast During World War II. Now, It’s Teeming With Marine Life

A new survey of the “Po” has revealed a thriving underwater ecosystem, including rare Mediterranean monk seals

The researchers have collected thousands of coral samples since 2006.

Smart News

Corals Reveal El Niño Events Have Become Stronger in Recent Decades, Probably Because Humans Have Been Heating Up the Planet

Researchers used elements trapped within Galápagos corals to understand natural swings in the climate over the past millennium. They hint that variability has gone up over the past 40 years compared to preindustrial times

Streets affected by the catastrophic floods are now covered in mud.

Smart News

What Triggered the Devastating Floods in Nepal and Tibet, and Are We Due for More in the Future? Here’s What Scientists Know So Far

Natural hazards researchers suspect that a landslide involving a glacier triggered the event, and they say more could happen because of human-caused climate change