environment – Page 2

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 […]

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

By Sheena Cruickshank Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Urban Posted: January 30, 2024

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, […]

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 […]

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

By Tim Foster Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment Posted: January 10, 2024

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 […]

Climate change: navigating a clear route for UK shipping

By Simon Bullock, Alice Larkin and James Mason Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Technology Posted: January 8, 2024

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 […]

Freedom energy: minimising geopolitical risks to reach net zero

By Matthew Paterson Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Technology Posted: November 30, 2023

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 […]

Strengthening the UK’s energy resilience and security

By Maria Sharmina and Timothy Capper Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering Posted: November 13, 2023

Energy is a key resource enabling the functioning of modern societies. Arguably, the fast-paced technological advances in the past 200 years have been based on plentiful supply of cheap energy. But cheap and plentiful are no more. In this article, from our publication On Resilience, Professor Maria Sharmina and Timothy Capper explore how to strengthen the […]

Game changers, a new approach to tackling sportswear garment waste

By Lindsay Pressdee, Amy Benstead and Jo Conlon Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering Posted: October 16, 2023

The UK disposes of one million tonnes of textiles every year, 300,000 tonnes of which end up in landfill or incineration and figures suggest 10% of global CO2 emissions could come from the fashion industry. The football sector is a huge contributor to this – approximately 2.45 million Liverpool and 1.95 million Manchester United sports shirts […]