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Policy@Manchester Articles: Energy and Environment
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Science, industry, and government must pull together to solve our plastic addiction

By Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Science and Technology Posted:

Mike Shaver is currently Professor of Polymer Science at the University of Manchester in the School of Materials. In this article Mike explores how we should be viewing the use of plastic and also how we can avoid the potential environmental problems from plastic alternatives. Sustainable alternatives to plastic need thoughtful analysis of the whole […]

Setting climate targets: when is net zero really net zero?

By , and Filed Under: Energy and Environment Posted:

‘Net zero’ and ‘carbon neutral’ have quickly become the go-to phrases for ambitious declarations on climate change action. But what do ‘net zero’, ‘zero carbon’ or ‘carbon neutral’ actually mean in practice? As climate action targets are increasingly announced both locally and nationally, it’s even more important that the assumptions involved are properly understood to […]

How policy instrument choice will shape attitudes to negative emissions

Terri Lucas By Filed Under: Energy and Environment Posted:

The 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change has set out commitments to limit the increase in global average temperature to “well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C”. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has concluded that this is still possible, but nearly all of their scenarios assume that it will require […]

Fuel poverty and low-carbon investment: a role for area-based policy?

picture of Stefan By Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Growth and Inclusion Posted:

The GMCA plans to launch a five year plan for carbon neutrality in Greater Manchester by 2038 at the Green Summit today. Stefan Bouzarovski, Professor of Human Geography, will be hosting a discussion table at the public sector space within the Green Summit. Here, he blogs about the importance of area-based fuel poverty and energy […]

Worryingly windy weather or a strong tail-wind?

By Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Renewables Posted:

On the 7 March, the long awaited “Offshore Wind Sector Deal” was launched, laying out the UK Government’s vision for the future of offshore wind power to 2030. So far, responses to the deal have been somewhat mixed: it’s been welcomed by various industry players as a sign of the Government’s commitment, but has faced […]

Are small modular reactors back on the agenda?

Professor Richard Taylor By Filed Under: Energy and Environment Posted:

The recent suspension of the Wylfa Nuclear power project has been seen by some as a potential opening for small modular reactors. Here Professor Richard Taylor, the BNFL Chair in Nuclear Energy Systems, at The University of Manchester’s Dalton Nuclear Institute looks at what needs to happen for small modular reactors to actually become part […]

Resource efficiency

Local Industrial Strategies can capitalise on gaps in UK climate and resource policies

Dr Kate Scott By Filed Under: Cities and Environment, Digital Futures, Energy and Environment Posted:

As the UK and many local regions embark on developing and implementing industrial strategies Dr Kate Scott from the School of Environment, Education and Development argues it is crucial to identify how their strengths can support innovation and development for low carbon transitions. This is particularly true in light of the government’s recent announcement that […]

Gilets jaunes, Extinction Rebellion and neoliberal climate policy

Prof Matthew Paterson By Filed Under: Digital Futures, Energy and Environment, Europe Posted:

#SDG Two protest movements erupted in the UK and France on November 17th, with apparently opposite logics. Here, Matthew Paterson, Professor of International Politics in the School of Social Sciences, argues that both movements are a result of the way carbon pricing is been both regressive socially and woefully inadequate in climate terms. This centre […]

Response to the IPCC 1.5°C Special Report

Kevin Anderson By Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering Posted:

The University of Manchester’s Professor Kevin Anderson responds to today’s report from the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC report meticulously lays out how the serious climate impacts of 1.5°C of warming are still far less destructive than those for 2°C. Sadly, the IPCC then fails, again, to address the profound implications of reducing […]

A Policy@Manchester interview with the Dr Bachir Ouedraogo, Minister of Energy for Burkina Faso

Chris Peters By Filed Under: Cities and Environment, Digital Futures, Energy and Environment, Industry 4.0 Posted:

Dr Bachir Ouedraogo won a scholarship from the Sustainable Consumption Institute at The University of Manchester and he went on complete his PhD in MACE in 2012 looking at the impact of climate change, renewable energy and population on the future energy demand for Burkina Faso. In 2015 Bachir was elected to the National Assembly […]

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