Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
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 […]
By Jaise Kuriakose, James Mason and Brendan Moore Filed Under: Energy and Environment Posted:
‘Net zero’ and ‘carbon neutral’ have quickly become the go-to phrases for ambitious declarations on climate change action. But what do ‘net zero’, ‘zero carbon’ or ‘carbon neutral’ actually mean in practice? As climate action targets are increasingly announced both locally and nationally, it’s even more important that the assumptions involved are properly understood to […]
By Stefan Bouzarovski Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Growth and Inclusion Posted:
The GMCA plans to launch a five year plan for carbon neutrality in Greater Manchester by 2038 at the Green Summit today. Stefan Bouzarovski, Professor of Human Geography, will be hosting a discussion table at the public sector space within the Green Summit. Here, he blogs about the importance of area-based fuel poverty and energy […]
By Laurence Stamford Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Renewables Posted:
On the 7 March, the long awaited “Offshore Wind Sector Deal” was launched, laying out the UK Government’s vision for the future of offshore wind power to 2030. So far, responses to the deal have been somewhat mixed: it’s been welcomed by various industry players as a sign of the Government’s commitment, but has faced […]
By Ruth Lupton Filed Under: Growth and Inclusion, Urban Posted:
Greater Manchester (GM) is one of a handful of ‘trailblazer’ areas selected to work with government on a local industrial strategy (LIS), due to be signed off in a few weeks’ time. As deliberations enter their final stages, Ruth Lupton, Head of the Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit (IGAU), looks at how the strategy might shape […]
By Kate Scott Filed Under: Cities and Environment, Digital Futures, Energy and Environment Posted:
As the UK and many local regions embark on developing and implementing industrial strategies Dr Kate Scott from the School of Environment, Education and Development argues it is crucial to identify how their strengths can support innovation and development for low carbon transitions. This is particularly true in light of the government’s recent announcement that […]
By Matthew Paterson Filed Under: Digital Futures, Energy and Environment, Europe Posted:
#SDG Two protest movements erupted in the UK and France on November 17th, with apparently opposite logics. Here, Matthew Paterson, Professor of International Politics in the School of Social Sciences, argues that both movements are a result of the way carbon pricing is been both regressive socially and woefully inadequate in climate terms. This centre […]
By Alice Larkin and Claire Hoolohan Filed Under: Cities and Environment, Digital Futures, Science and Technology Posted:
UK academia is arguably at the forefront of the kind of inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary research needed to tackle global grand societal challenges. This distinctive mode of research aims to be policy-relevant and impactful, but by its nature is often messy, complex and difficult to communicate. Here, a group of academics from The University of Manchester […]
By Kevin Anderson Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering Posted:
The University of Manchester’s Professor Kevin Anderson responds to today’s report from the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC report meticulously lays out how the serious climate impacts of 1.5°C of warming are still far less destructive than those for 2°C. Sadly, the IPCC then fails, again, to address the profound implications of reducing […]