Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)

19/08/2026

It's ! 📸

Now more than ever, photography and film help us understand the complex stories behind the people, places, environments and systems that make up our world. 🌏

Did you know the call for submissions for Earth Photo 2027 is now open? Hear from this year's Earth Photo Award recipient, Britta Jaschinski, who shares why you should consider entering.💡

From the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss to powerful acts of restoration, resilience and hope, Earth Photo is a leading international platform for photographers and filmmakers who capture the natural world, its peoples and environments, and the urgent issues shaping our time. Delivered in partnership with the Society, Parker Harris and Photoworks. 🌳

👉 Enter now at earthphoto.world

🎥: Jasper Fell-Clark

18/08/2026

Water scarcity is quickly becoming a reality of the climate crisis 💧

This summer has been alarmingly dry, with reservoirs now running low, wildfires spreading, and farmers warning of food insecurity. By the end of July, half of England and the whole of Wales was officially declared in drought.

How can communities who usually experience reliable and consistent rainfall learn to live with limited water?

Louise Turner, Dr Claire Hoolohan and Dr Sarah Mander explore this in their latest article on water scarcity. The article features a range of stories from Louise’s PhD research, which examines the water practices of migrant households who moved from water-scarce countries to England.

Reflecting on her research, which included speaking to 16 migrant households, Louise observed how influential social relations and practices can be on our relationship with water. For Rima, who grew up in Egypt where the government restricted water use to certain times of the day, childhood memories of storing water in jars allotted to different household tasks shape her water practices today.

While it can be hard to visualise where our water comes from, by listening to communities with experience of water scarcity, Louise thinks we can learn valuable lessons:

"With climate change intensifying, there will be a lot of challenges. I want to inject some positivity by looking towards resilience, optimism and hope. I wanted to look for those examples and learn from people's stories of resilience."

Read the full blog 👉https://www.rgs.org/about-us/our-work/latest-news/learning-to-live-with-water-scarcity-stories-from-migrant-households-in-the-uk

17/08/2026

Can Steve Backshall name these five endemic animals? 🦎

We put Steve Backshall's wildlife knowledge to the test with a quick-fire quiz featuring incredible species from around the world.

Renowned naturalist, explorer and TV presenter Steve Backshall received this year's Ness Award. Visit our website to find out more about our 2026 medal and award recipients.

15/08/2026

New episode of Ask the Geographer out now! 🎙️

Max Worsley joins us for a conversation about his upcoming Onwards Expedition. Together with Martin Nesse, Max will ski unsupported for 1,349 km across Antarctica, starting in November. Their journey will begin at the edge of the continent, just north of Berkner Island, and will end at the Geographic South Pole. 🧭

They will carry everything they need to survive for the duration of their journey, while navigating the coldest, driest, and most unforgiving environment on Earth. They will harness the power of adventure to shine a light on Antarctica’s vital role in the health of our planet. 🌏

🔗 Ask the Geographer discussions are geared to KS5 level (or equivalent) and are accessible on all major podcast platforms. Listen: https://ow.ly/bkI850ZzNn9

📍 You can learn more about Max and Martin's expedition and follow their progress here: https://ow.ly/aNVe50ZzNn8

14/08/2026

From the vast landscapes of Katmai National Park to the microscopic world inside its volcanic rocks 🔬🌋

After exploring the vibrant colours and forms of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, Angeni Perez-Jamieson headed to the experimental petrology lab at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she worked alongside Jess, Nate and Ozzy to uncover the stories held within her rock samples.

Angeni’s four-week expedition in Alaska explores how art and science can come together in volcanic landscapes and inspire environmental change. We’re delighted to be supporting Angeni’s project through our RGS-Risman Environmental Changemakers Accelerator.

13/08/2026

We are delighted to announce the appointment of four new editors to the RGS-IBG journal portfolio!

Professor Sarah Hall (University of Cambridge) and Professor James Esson (Queen Mary University of London) will be joining Professor Ben Anderson and Professor Beth Greenhough at Transactions.

Dr Mel Rohse (Anglia Ruskin University) and Dr Nathan Thomas (Edge Hill University) will be joining Dr Laurie Parsons and Dr Christopher Darvill at Geo: Geography and Environment.

👏 We would also like to thank our outgoing editors for their time and commitment to the journals: Professor Katherine Brickell at Transactions and Professor Karen Bickerstaff and Professor Le Yu at Geo: Geography and Environment.

👉https://www.rgs.org/about-us/our-work/latest-news/four-new-editors-appointed-to-society-journals

13/08/2026

Congratulations to everyone receiving their geography A Level results today!

Geography was once again the 12th most popular subject at A Level this year. In a world where geographical knowledge is more important than ever, we are thrilled to celebrate young geographers’ success. 👏

Whether you are planning on continuing your education at university or starting your professional life, we’ve got support and resources to help you explore your next steps with geography, including advice on choosing a university course, work experience opportunities and resources, and much more. 🗺️

🔗Read more here:

12/08/2026

It's 🐘

Writer Sophy Roberts recently gave us behind-the-scenes insights into the four years of research she undertook for her book, A Training School for Elephants.

We’ve just unlocked Sophy’s full talk for everyone to watch for free 👇

Join Sophy Roberts for an illustrated behind-the-scenes talk on A Training School for Elephants, covering travels from Iraq to India, the DRC and Tanzania.

11/08/2026

This autumn term, we're joining The Field Studies Council to host two free webinars for geography teachers exploring how to embed student fieldwork back in the classroom and integrate lessons from the field in students' longer-term learning. 🥾

Sessions will cover practical strategies for applying fieldwork insights in subsequent lessons at KS3 and KS4, as well as building a toolkit of fieldwork opportunities to support students with their independent investigation (NEA). 🧠

🤔 Tuesday 29 September | What comes after fieldwork at KS3 and KS4? ow.ly/ktRP50ZwUXQ
👨‍🏫 Wednesday 2 December | Preparing and planning for the NEA: ow.ly/2GhQ50ZwUXZ

Both webinars are free - we’d love to see you there!

10/08/2026

How did mapmakers and travellers work together to create maps in the early 1900s?

These 1913-14 maps preserve corrections made by traveller and archaeologist Gertrude Bell to a mapmaker's working copy, offering a glimpse into the process behind mapmaking.

They show that mapmaking was collaborative - but they also prompt questions about how colonial knowledge was created and whose perspectives shaped what appeared on the page.