carbon reduction

Making sustainable business models for green electricity attractive to the mainstream

By Jonatan Pinkse Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Renewables Posted: July 4, 2022

Scaling up green electricity is key to achieving net zero. While the government has made progress in supporting solar PV and offshore wind, technologies alone will not make for a successful transition to net zero. To be successful in the market, technologies need an attractive business model. In this blog, Professor Jonatan Pinkse discusses how […]

The importance of mapping in the shift to net zero

By Charlotte Brown, Hannah Charles and Rob Bellamy Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment Posted: June 17, 2022

Delivering on net zero energy requires the radical transformation of our whole energy system from supply and distribution to demand. In this blog, Charlotte Brown, Hannah Charles and Rob Bellamy explore three topics that illustrate the importance of mapping in relation to low carbon energy transitions and their implications for policy. Policymakers should go ‘beyond […]

Energy inequality and low carbon futures: geography matters

By Amish Sarpotdar, Kate Scott, Manon Burbidge and Stefan Bouzarovski Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment Posted: June 17, 2022

The UK is heading towards a period of economic uncertainty. The cost-of-living crisis, inflation, and an increase in energy prices have further stressed the finances of households. With a rapid increase in the number of households experiencing difficulty in affording their domestic energy, many will be unable to secure the level of energy needed for […]

Why policy on air quality and greenhouse gas emissions needs to be joined-up

By Grant Allen Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Urban Posted: April 21, 2022

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving air quality are closely linked objectives but are not considered simultaneously under current policy frameworks. In this blog, Professor Grant Allen discusses the benefits of developing a common policy framework aligning GHGs reduction goals with improvements in air quality. Considering these two objectives simultaneously, rather than in isolation, […]

Indoor and outdoor wood burning needs a new way of thinking

By Amanda Lea-Langton Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Renewables, Urban Posted: February 16, 2022

Biomass combustion, a significant contributor to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), has increased in urban areas due to the growing popularity of wood-burning stoves and biomass boilers. In this blog, Dr. Amanda Lea-Langton, Senior Lecturer in Bioenergy Engineering at The University of Manchester and member of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, outlines policy recommendations […]

Carbon Capture and Storage and Greenhouse Gas Removal – Essential ingredients for net zero

By Sarah Mander and Clair Gough Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering Posted: February 7, 2022

Our planet is heating up, and the impacts of climate change are already being felt across the world. We all know reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential for our planet’s future. However, research shows that, given the scale and urgency of the challenge of reducing emissions across the entire economy, meeting climate change targets will […]

How to incentivise bioenergy with carbon capture and storage responsibly

By Rob Bellamy Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: January 24, 2022

The latest IPCC report on the state of the world’s climate shows that the remaining carbon budget – the amount of CO2 that can still be emitted while keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees – is almost gone. To meet net zero within these parameters, we will need to remove CO2 that is already in […]

Carbon capture and storage: A solution under our noses

By Cathy Hollis, Kevin Taylor and Lin Ma Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: January 10, 2022

In 2019, the UK became the first major economy to legally commit to achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. With new evidence of rapid, anthropogenic-induced climate change emerging, it is likely that many climate forecasts have underestimated the speed and extent of climate change. This means that drastic action is needed to both slow […]

The right tools for the job: Tracing the sources of harmful particulates in the future economy

By Nicholas Marsden Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Science and Technology Posted: December 14, 2021

While poor air quality is generally associated with adverse health outcomes, some air pollutants are more harmful than others. In this blog, Dr Nicholas Marsden outlines the need for building air quality monitoring networks to study specific properties of fine particulate matter (PM). Some PM types are more harmful than others; more research on PM […]

Is the shipping sector on a collision course on climate?

By Alice Larkin and Simon Bullock Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering Posted: November 1, 2021

In the run-up to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has strongly criticised the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for not doing enough to cut carbon emissions from the shipping sector. He said the sector’s current commitments were consistent with global warming above 3 degrees, whereas the Paris Agreement sets […]