Citizen scientists: helping to protect the environment in the face of global population growth

The world’s population is now 7.39 billion and growing at a rate of over 225 000 each day – food, energy and water supplies are under increasing demand, threatening environmental sustainability. The ESRC sponsored ‘Nexus Network’ (http://www.thenexusnetwork.org/) sets out to find joined-up responses to this considerable challenge. Over the last year a series of ‘thinkpieces’ has been published on subjects as diverse as the use of organic wastes for food, energy production and water use to rethinking the provision of services in slums. The latest thinkpiece was published yesterday and discusses how citizen science might be used to help communicate and contribute to providing solutions to the challenges of the future. Andy Moffat was delighted to be invited to participate in this project, as a result of previous experience in the OPAL programme (see ‘Environmental and Arboricultural Assessment’ above). The full text of the Nexus thinkpiece can be downloaded HERE.