Policy@Manchester Articles

Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues

Policy@Manchester Articles
Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
Image of a path through a green park with a few people walking and cycling through it.

Charting a path to clean air: A community-centred approach to active travel policy

Sheena Cruickshank By Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Urban Posted:

Greater Manchester has amongst the worst air quality in the UK. Air pollution causes many health problems, as well as worsening pre-existing health conditions. Increasingly, Greater Manchester residents are concerned about poor air quality and want actions to be taken. Yet, budgets that could support change are under more and more constraints. In this article, […]

Arms holding a placard in the air with a recycling symbol on it.

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

Headshot of authorMaria Sharmina By and Filed Under: All posts, Environment Posted:

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. […]

EV production line - cover image for EV article

Accelerating the electric vehicle transition in the UK     

James Jackson author headshot By Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Science and Technology, UK economy Posted:

Following the publication of the industrial strategy in 2017, in which Theresa May attempted to envisage a post-Brexit future, electric vehicles (EVs) were identified as an important opportunity for the UK political economy. Yet, despite the almost annual publications that reiterated the need for EVs to become a significant feature of the UK, attempts to […]

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

Iain White By and Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Environment Posted:

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 […]

Sparking change: the rush to electrify

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

The environmental threats of climate change and extreme weather are forcing us to rethink our energy production and usage. As a society, we know how to produce clean low-carbon electricity and deliver it to customers in a reliable, efficient and economical manner. In this article, from our publication On Resilience, Dr Robin Preece, Dr Eduardo […]

No room for drought: Steps to improve the UK agricultural sector’s resilience to drought and water security

By Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment Posted:

In 2022, the UK experienced its fifth driest summer since 1836. Combined with record-breaking temperatures, this led to severe drought conditions across the country, with key agricultural regions as some of the worst affected areas. The drought resulted in widespread reductions in crop yields and harvested areas, as dwindling water supplies in soils, rivers, and […]

Aerial view of a cargo ship in transit

Climate change: navigating a clear route for UK shipping

Alice Larkin By , and Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Technology Posted:

After a year of devastating climate disasters, nations at COP 28 in Dubai in December signalled the need for the “end of the fossil fuel era”. To meet that ambition, 2024 will need to see a major acceleration in global action to address climate change. Here, Simon Bullock, Alice Larkin, and James Mason from the […]

Planning ahead: A multi-sector approach to net zero

Mathaios Panteli By , and Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures, Energy and Environment, Environment, Inclusive Growth, Renewables, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

With climate change increasing some resources’ uncertainty – and global development making others scarcer and more interdependent – society requires improved planning and policy frameworks to deliver a secure, equitable and resilient transformation to net zero. In this article from our publication On Resilience, Professor Julien Harou, Dr Eduardo A. Martínez Ceseña and Professor Mathaios Panteli explore how […]

Article image - young people

Mapping pathways to learning

Claire Forbes author image By Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Cities and Environment, Education, Levelling up Posted:

How to raise educational outcomes and solve the entrenched attainment gaps between more and less affluent young people has long been a policy concern of successive governments. As the current government moves away from place-based approaches and towards curricular reform to address these gaps, Dr Claire Forbes will suggest that more needs to be done […]

Freedom energy: minimising geopolitical risks to reach net zero

Prof Matthew Paterson By Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Technology Posted:

Geopolitical dynamics are crucial to our thinking about the future of energy and the pursuit of net zero. In this article from our publication On Resilience, Professor Matthew Paterson explores the complexity of alternatives to fossil fuels, the impact of renewables on our energy security, and how policymakers can reduce exposure to the geopolitical risks of the […]

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Articles give the views of the author, and are not necessarily those of The University of Manchester.

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