Though experts have been aware of the issue for many years, it is only in recent years that the majority of the media and public have become aware of the severity of the air quality crisis in many of Britain's towns and cities. But is it too little too late? The articles in this issue of the environmental SCIENTIST discuss controversial topics around air quality management and measurement, and suggest ways in which both government and individuals can strive to tackle this problem.

It is estimated that the world's population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050. This presents a huge challenge: how to feed this many people. This problem can be addressed in a variety of ways: increasing production and sustainability through new technologies and practices, preventing food waste, and changing our diets and behaviours towards consumption. Featuring discussions on topics ranging from smart farms and soil research, to case studies of 'super foods' and successful food waste charities, this issue of the environmental SCIENTIST seeks to explore some of the interconnected challenges of feeding nine billion people. Innovation in thought, technology, policy and practice will play a crucial role in tackling food security in the coming decades, and we hope the case studies presented here will provoke further discussion and provide some insight.

Increasingly vocal demands for repatriation of power from both Brussels and Westminster have re-opened the debate about where decision-making powers on environmental issues should lie. This issue of the environmental SCIENTIST highlights several devolution success stories in environmental policy areas, and reflects on what we can learn from these cases. A series of three Analysis pieces offer a comparative exploration of how one important issue, climate change adaptation, is being addressed in each of the devolved administrations. We also present a perspective from the United States, and further analysis on what Brexit may mean for devolved environmental policy in the UK. The policy landscape is in flux and the environmental sector needs to embrace new approaches to help shape future frameworks. This journal aims to encourage the reflection required, by carefully evaluating the options available to us, examining congruent domestic and international experiences, and highlighting best...

Whilst the traditional sciences have been recognised for decades, it was only with the emergence of serious environmental problems in the mid-20th century that environmental science was professionalised. But now, a minor revolution is taking place and the environmental sciences are leading the way. In the last few years, the introduction of portable technologies such as GPS and image processing has allowed curious non-experts, ‘citizens’, to get involved, collecting data with little more than a smartphone. This, along with social media connecting people worldwide, means that researchers can be aided by large, widespread teams. Citizen science does however have its critics, who question data quality or participant motivation. This issue highlights examples of exciting and innovative citizen science successes, but also seeks to address some of these concerns.

From the moment humans began launching into space, we have been turning our tools of exploration back towards the Earth itself. Here, we bring together a collection of papers which explore how Earth Observation technology has changed the way we study environments on Earth, what we can learn about the Earth from looking beyond our own biosphere, and the complex ethical questions of how our environmental obligations apply as we explore Space.