Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By William Bodel Filed Under: Energy and Environment Posted:
In this blog, William Bodel a post-doctoral research associate at the Dalton Nuclear Institute at The University of Manchester, looks at the future of low-carbon energy generation in the UK to see whether nuclear energy should support the UK Government’s climate change commitments. Concerns around climate change, and the political drive to achieve net-zero greenhouse […]
By Matthias Noebels and Mathaios Panteli Filed Under: Energy and Environment Posted:
In this blog, Matthias Noebels and Mathaios Panteli from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at The University of Manchester discuss, motivated by the recent UK wide power cut in August 2019, the need in the UK to think beyond electricity infrastructure resilience to be able to handle such events in the future. In August […]
By Claire Hoolohan and Alison Browne Filed Under: Energy and Environment Posted:
In a recent consultation, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) requested evidence on measures to reduce personal water use. In this blog Dr Claire Hoolohan, a research fellow at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and Dr Alison Browne, a senior lecturer in Geography explore ways in which the UK Government […]
By Allan Matthews Filed Under: Science and Engineering Posted:
In this blog, Professor Allan Matthews highlights the importance of surface engineering in the development and sustainability of materials and sets out why surface engineering should remain part of the conversation in order to position Greater Manchester as a global leader in materials innovation. Surface engineering modifies the surface of what lies beneath, to make it […]
By Sarah Mander Filed Under: Energy and Environment Posted:
Across the UK, Local Authorities and Devolved Administrations are seeking to use their planning powers to block the development of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. This is against UK Government policy. In this blog Dr Sarah Mander from the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering looks at what all of this could mean for the […]
By Kirk J Malone Filed Under: Science and Technology Posted:
Dr Kirk J Malone is Director of Commercialisation at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology. In this blog he looks to nature as part of a wider rethink into how we produce, process and recycle materials. • There needs to be a fundamental rethink in the way we manufacture and dispose of materials. • One of […]
By Richard Fields Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering Posted:
In this blog, Dr Richard Fields looks at the need to be creative in developing transformative technologies such as advancements in battery life, in order to stave off an environmental disaster and ultimately safeguard humanity’s survival. • The cost of batteries has fallen faster than even the most optimistic forecasts, which means the future for […]
By Mike Shaver 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 […]
By Simon Bullock Filed Under: Cities and Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering Posted:
Simon Bullock is a PhD student at Tyndall Manchester, working on shipping and climate change. In this blog Simon discusses the Net Zero report published this month by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) and argues that under the principles the CCC is rightly advocating, this 2050 date is too late. This month the Committee […]
By Sophie Yarker Filed Under: Growth and Inclusion Posted:
Sophie Yarker is a Research Fellow at the Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing (MICRA), working on the Greater Manchester-based Ambition for Ageing programme. In this blog, she discusses her research into the importance of social infrastructure for older people and the need to think about it in new ways. Face-to-face interactions are the […]