Climate change is causing populations of Emperor penguins to plummet as their Antarctic habitat melts in the heat, WWF warns. The charity wants special protection for the birds before it is too late.
Catherine Early is a freelance journalist and editor who has specialized in environmental issues since 2004. She writes about topics including climate change, energy, waste, biodiversity, air pollution, the built environment, business strategy, sustainable investment, and policy and regulation.
She has held permanent roles at The Environmentalist (now known as Transform), the ENDS Report, Planning magazine, and Windpower Monthly. Her freelance clients include The Ecologist, Dialogue Earth, Ethical Corporation/Reuters, and the ENDS Report.
Her awards include a SEAL Award (2024) for excellence in environmental journalism; Highly Commended for Freelancer of the Year award at the 2023 Aviva Sustainability Media Awards; an Outstanding Content award from Haymarket Media Group for data-led stories; PPA Business Magazine of the Year for Windpower Monthly; and finalist recognition in The Guardian’s International Development Journalism competition (2009).
She holds a 2:1 honors degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Birmingham and completed a postgraduate journalism course with PMA Training.
News by Catherine Early
The world has reached an important milestone, with 10% of the ocean now officially protected. However, a nasty surprise awaits in many so-called protected areas.
Days have lengthened by the equivalent of 1.33 milliseconds per century in the past 20 years. The change may affect precise systems that rely on accurate data on the earth’s spin.
Climate change is increasingly making its way onto the big screen. A new analysis reveals that a record number of Oscar nominated films include references to the climate crisis, from wildfire dramas to futuristic stories. But how deeply do these films really engage with the issue?
Hair salons are hubs of trust, community and conversation where climate action can take root and spread, new study finds.
Extreme heat is damaging to coffee crops, which is affecting their price and availability worldwide.
January 2026 ranked as the fifth warmest on record globally, despite severe cold waves gripping parts of Europe and North America. Meanwhile, record heat fuelled wildfires in the Southern Hemisphere, highlighting the growing need for climate resilience and adaptation.
Researchers at the Universities of Portsmouth and Dundee find abnormal temperatures are linked to pessimism about finances and life satisfaction.
Two of the country's leading conservation charities have released beavers into the wild at two sites in the south west of England.
A law of ecocide would be a powerful deterrent to pollution, campaigners say. Ecocide laws are spreading around the world.
A new study has predicted the economic loss from warmer temperatures in the region hosting this year’s Winter Olympics.
Scientists at the University of Exeter warn that artificial nighttime lighting is disrupting moth behavior, reducing their activity, and harming their ability to feed, reproduce, and maintain healthy populations in natural ecosystems.
Major report calls for a fundamental reset of the global water agenda as overconsumption pushes many water sources beyond recovery.
Seaweed has been found to play a key role in global carbon storage, according to new research. The finding highlights how protecting and restoring coastal seaweed forests may have significant climate benefits.
Experts at the Wildlife Trusts have listed the highs and lows of 2025 for ocean conservation. While there were successes, plastic pollution continues to cause concern.
The eruption of the Pacific volcano in 2022 was so powerful that it sent seawater into the stratosphere. Scientists outline how this affected the climate.
A subtle change in how climate risk is communicated can significantly increase attention to disaster preparedness messages, according to research by experts in Sweden and the US.
Musicians have recorded the sounds of a glacier onto a record made of ice. It melts as it plays, turning the physical act of listening into a reminder of what is being lost.
Land, soil and water resources are finite. Feeding the projected population of 10 billion by 2050 will require smarter farming methods, the UN’s food and farming experts have warned.
Scientists monitoring the hole in the ozone layer are hopeful that it is recovering, following latest satellite data on its size and duration.