In April 1894, almost exactly 130 years ago, the Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen was observing a solar eclipse in the Arctic Ocean... Read more
We are delighted introduce our new Deputy Chief Executive, Clare Hamilton, a specialist in international environmental law and policy. Learn more about Clare in our latest blog! Read more
Why doesn’t anyone care about climate change as much as I do? It’s so easy to think this (and for this feeling to be backed up by the prevailing narrative in the media), and then to despair. But actually, take heart - because it’s wrong. Read more
"Imagine that we are at the beginning of life on this planet and not, as every generation seems to believe the end." We share an article from the latest edition of the Geographer themed on Long-mindedness and the geography of time. Read more
Engaging stories, topical articles and fascinating insights from across the RSGS network.
It’s official - Scotland is going to struggle to hit its 2030 climate target… and every single one of us could do more to help. Read more
With the release of this week's Scottish Fiscal Commission report, RSGS Chief Executive Mike Robinson reflects on why it is clear that the cost of damage from climate change is going to grow exponentially, unless we take greater steps to avoid it. Read more
On International Women's Day, we look at three remarkable women travellers, Isabella Bird, Mary Kingsley and Isobel Wylie Hutchison, who lived life according to their own rules, and made a great success of it. Read more
Stephen Boyle from Zero Waste Scotland explores the key regulatory changes proposed by industry experts to reduce carbon in Scotland’s buildings and infrastructure, and how they can contribute to achieving net zero targets. Read more
The Disasters Emergency Committee consider how Turkey and Syria continue to cope with the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes that hit both countries a year ago. Read more
On the 150th anniversary of Shackleton’s birth, we take a look back at one of his first lectures to RSGS Read more
Following our third webinar on educational reform, which focussed on Learning for Sustainability, we report on the results from discussions and feedback. Read more
RSGS Chief Executive Mike Robinson considers what's in store in 2024, and reflects on why we need to depoliticize climate change and the importance of collaboration and leadership. Read more
"With the aid of a map, it provided not only pace and pleasure, but, critically, also captured a sense of place..." RSGS Collections Team Member Kenneth Maclean considers how maps enhance our reading and understanding of novels by looking at the world captured in John Buchan's 1910 novel 'Prester John'. Read more
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited the Fair Maid’s House in Perth on Tuesday, for a special event hosted by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) with the Heart of Arabia Expedition Team. Read more
In 2024, we’re celebrating the 140th anniversary of RSGS. To begin this special year, Jo Woolf has chosen 14 quotes by some of the fascinating people connected with RSGS, either as founder members, award recipients or guest speakers. Read more
Following our second webinar on educational reform, which focussed on interdisciplinary learning, RSGS Education Committee Chair Alastair McConnell reports on the findings from discussion and feedback from the meeting. Read more
With only a couple of weeks left of 2023, it’s the time of the year where we take a moment to reflect on the last 12 months at RSGS and everything our small charity has achieved... Read more
Clad in fire-resistant bark, the monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) thrives on the volcanic slopes of the Andes. In the 19th century, a horticulturist in Cornwall commented that its strangely spiked branches were “enough to puzzle a monkey,” and the name stuck. But the name of the man who brought this tree to Britain is not quite so well remembered... Read more
A global problem, like climate change needs a global solution and global agreement - it needs everybody pulling in roughly the same direction. The COP process has always been glacially slow and to some degree flawed, but it’s the only process we have, and we have come to over expect and over rely on it... Read more
In this photo essay, Ted Leeming explores current forestry policy, practices and management in the UK & Scotland in 2023. Read more
RSGS Writer-in-Residence reflects on the life of climber and pioneering chemist J Norman Collie, who made the first neon display tubes. Read more
Following our first webinar on educational reform, RSGS Education Committee Chair Alastair McConnell reports on the findings from discussion and feedback and the recommendations for curriculum change. Read more
Chief Executive of the European Climate Foundation and leading academic Professor Laurence Tubiana spoke at The University of Edinburgh on Friday 27th November, at a special event hosted by RSGS, where she was awarded with Honorary Fellowship of the Society and the prestigious RSGS Shackleton Medal for her work as an internationally recognized leader in the global climate arena. Read more
In October, RSGS Chief Executive Mike Robinson spoke at The Shackleton Autumn School in County Kildare, Ireland where, as well as giving a master class to senior geography students, he addressed the Shackleton Autumn School with a lecture title drawn from a Shackleton quote: “Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all." Read more