Energy and Environment

Is the conflation of ‘hazard’ and ‘risk’ skewing the pesticides debate?

By Ian Plewis Filed Under: Energy and Environment Posted: December 11, 2017

The debate over the safety and impact of pesticides – and especially the weedkiller glyphosate – is littered with ignorance of available statistics, conceptual confusion and misuse of statistical methods, writes Ian Plewis, Emeritus Professor of Social Statistics at The University of Manchester. The evidence indicates that the risks from glyphosate are small once typical […]

Natural gas beyond 2035 is not compatible with our climate commitments

By Kevin Anderson and John Broderick Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment Posted: November 23, 2017

Following on from the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Professor Kevin Anderson and Dr John Broderick discuss their research into global carbon budgets and the carbon footprints of natural gas supplies. By 2035, the substantial use of all fossil fuels, including natural […]

Euratom and leaving the EU – an update

By Juan Matthews Filed Under: All posts, Brexit, Energy and Environment Posted: September 14, 2017

Earlier this year, Professor Juan Matthews contributed to a policy blog on the consequences of Britain’s planned withdrawal from Euratom as part of the Brexit process. Here, he gives us an update on the progress (or lack of it) around the issues of Euratom withdrawal and scientific collaboration with the European Union. In the months […]

Keeping us charged- addressing energy storage related issues

By Richard Fields Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering Posted: August 3, 2017

Last week, the Government announced that new diesel and petrol cars and vans will be banned in the UK from 2040 in a bid to tackle air pollution. In light of this, it was also announced that the Government would invest £246m in battery technology. Here, Richard Fields, a Research Associate at the National Graphene […]

Will China and India lead on global climate action and environmental protection?

By Mark Robinson Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment Posted: July 6, 2017

Following the Rising Powers and Interdependent Futures conference in June, Dr Mark Robinson of the World Resources Institute looks to what needs to happen for China and India to be global leaders on addressing climate change and environmental protection. The US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement marks the culmination of a series of domestic policy […]

Keeping the faith in nuclear power

By Juan Matthews Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment Posted: June 7, 2017

Professor Juan Matthews, from The University of Manchester’s Dalton Nuclear Institute, examines how committed the UK political parties are to nuclear power. The last six months have been worrying for the nuclear power industry and with the election coming up on 8 June he asks what does the industry need from the new government? The […]

ECOSTAR: the University-Business Alliance for Natural Capital

By Ron Chan Filed Under: Energy and Environment Posted: May 31, 2017

Doctor Ron Chan is Lecturer in Environmental Economics at The University of Manchester’s School of Social Sciences. Here, he introduces ‘ECOSTAR’ – an innovation and investment project that brings together universities, business, and the public sector to deliver ground-breaking, nature-based business initiatives. ECOSTAR promotes business ventures that can demonstrate a genuinely positive contribution to the […]

Tackling climate change requires direct market intervention

By Cameron Roberts Filed Under: Energy and Environment Posted: May 24, 2017

Cameron Roberts, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Sustainable Consumption Institute at The University of Manchester explains that in order to tackle climate change governments should not be afraid to intervene directly in the market. To avoid the worst consequences of climate change, we need to de-carbonise our economy. Sustainable technologies such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, […]

The UK must improve water management in the face of droughts

By Claire Hoolohan Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Energy and Environment Posted: May 11, 2017

As the threat of drought rises in the UK, Claire Hoolohan Research Associate at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, considers how we might change the way society uses water. The UK is braced for drought, and though weather is part of drought, so is the amount of water used by people going about […]

The road map to renewable energy

By Patricia Thornley Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Energy and Environment Posted: May 8, 2017

Patricia Thornley, Director of The University of Manchester’s SUPERGEN Bioenergy Hub, comments on the UKs desperate need for a road map to renewable energy implementation. In the UK around a third of our energy consumption is used for heating – the next government should mandate energy efficient building design in all new housing developments. Low […]