Environment

New governments bring new opportunities: a way forward for green finance?

By James Jackson Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Cities and Environment, Environment, UK economy Posted: August 19, 2024

Following the result of the general election in July 2024, the new Labour government is now responsible for ensuring the UK gets back on track with its Net Zero objectives. Green finance has become a burgeoning area of climate politics and financial markets, raising the question over how the new government might utilise it to […]

Rooting for effective reforestation: landscape context and woodland cover

By Matthew Dennis Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Environment Posted: August 12, 2024

Native broadleaf woodland in the UK stands at 14.5% land-cover compared to 40% for Europe as a whole. Government targets aim to reach 17% by 2030 – a huge increase on the ground in a short space of time. In this article, Dr Matthew Dennis demonstrates how the question of where to create new woodland […]

Climate Just: supporting equitable responses to climate change through social vulnerability maps

By Sarah Lindley Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Digital Futures, Environment Posted: July 23, 2024

Historical carbon emissions are already locked into the climate system. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that associated impacts now persist, through extreme weather, climate-related events like floods and wildfires, or longer-term changes to the environment and biosphere. We must give urgent attention to tackling current and future emissions, but it is also vital to ensure […]

Energy consumption: solving the storage problem

By Robert Dryfe Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: July 11, 2024

To combat climate change, all developed economies have set the goal of carbon-neutrality by 2050. This means securing more energy from renewable sources. Achieving a high proportion of renewable energy production in the UK and other developed countries is only possible with suitable energy storage infrastructure, to bridge periods of low or no power generation from […]

Untangling the threads: addressing microfibre pollution

By Libby Allen, Claudia Henninger and Jingyi Li Filed Under: All posts, Environment, Science and Engineering Posted: April 29, 2024

As clothes are washed and worn, tiny fibres below 5mm in length are broken off or released from the fabric itself, which are called microfibres. With increasing concerns over the persistence of this pollution, Libby Allen, Dr Claudia Henninger and Jingyi Li are exploring preventative solutions to reduce pollution released from the laundering of clothes. […]

Electricity access vs toxic lead pollution: tackling waste from solar power in sub-Saharan Africa

By Christopher Kinally and Alejandro Gallego Schmid Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Environment, Science and Engineering Posted: April 25, 2024

Millions of short-lived solar energy devices are being sold to households across sub-Saharan Africa each year as a strategy to increase access to electricity. However, the current lack of infrastructure to safely manage the resulting toxic waste flow raises significant environmental, human health, and social justice concerns. Here, Dr Christopher Kinally and Dr Alejandro Gallego […]

What does a ‘metal intensive’ future entail?

By Dr Sampriti Mahanty and Professor Frank Boons Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Technology Posted: February 6, 2024

Critical metals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese, are key to the path towards net zero. The UK Government released their Critical Minerals Strategy in early 2023, which sets out to improve the resilience of the critical metal supply chain. In this article from our publication ‘On Resilience’, Dr Sampriti Mahanty and Professor […]

A silicon revolution for sustainable farming

By Bruce Grieve Filed Under: All posts, Environment, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: February 1, 2024

An increasing population, political pressures, and severe weather events are all putting global food production at risk. The use of AI in agriculture could help farmers and agricultural decision makers to access more accurate data to improve productivity and sustainability. In this article, from our publication On Resilience, Professor Bruce Grieve explores the future of […]

Catalysts or constraints? Emerging policies for a circular plastics system in the UK

By Adeyemi Adelekan and Maria Sharmina Filed Under: All posts, Environment Posted: January 24, 2024

Every year over half a million tonnes of UK plastic waste intended for recycling is rejected due to contamination. The UK also exports more than 60% of its plastic waste burden to other countries. The existing UK plastics system is complex and confusing, but emerging regulations aim to simplify it and promote a circular economy. […]

Promoting flood protection: setting a target for 10% improved water retention in towns and cities

By Graham Haughton and Iain White Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Environment Posted: January 18, 2024

Every year flooding affects communities around the UK. The Chartered Institute for Water and Environmental Management recently contended that although there has been expert agreement for many years about reforms, policy change has been slow. In part, this is due to the complex governance system within which flooding occurs. In this article, Professor Graham Haughton […]