The Icon

GREEN COVID-19 recovery packages could boost economic growth and help stop climate change, according to a Cardiff University academic. Dr Jennifer Allan, a lecturer in International Relations, is part of the COP26 Universities Network, which has drawn on the latest research to create a briefing for policymakers outlining a path to net-zero emissions economic recovery from COVID-19. Dr Allan, who is...

A CROSS-PARTY commission proposes that only by going “faster, further, fairer” can we seize the significant national and global opportunities of a net-zero economy. Failure to move further quickly risks the UK missing its climate targets, worsening existing inequalities and emerging from one major global shock only to accelerate headlong into another, says the commission in its first full report...

A NEW government-funded research study published today suggests particles released from vehicle tyres could be a significant and previously largely unrecorded source of microplastics in the marine environment. The study is one of the first worldwide to identify tyre particles as a major and additional source of microplastics. Scientists have previously discovered microplastics, originating from microbeads in cosmetics and the degradation of...

THE COVID-19 pandemic has set in motion the largest drop in global energy investment in history, with spending expected to plunge in every major sector this year – from fossil fuels to renewables and efficiency – the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a new report released today. The unparalleled decline is staggering in both its scale and swiftness, with...

A NEW project led by National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) is exploring using electric heat demand in off-gas areas of Scotland to soak up surplus wind generation, rather than reduce wind farms’ output. The ‘4D Heat’ project – which is funded by Ofgem’s Network Innovation Allowance and also includes partners Delta-EE, Everoze...

Jeremy Yapp, Head of Flexible Energy Systems at BEAMA, sat down with us in a webinar to unmask some of the mystery on Futureproofing for Electric Vehicles: the Interoperability Challenge. BEAMA is the UK trade association for manufacturers and providers of energy infrastructure technologies and systems, representing more than 200 companies. Last summer, the London Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Taskforce published...

WINTER heating costs for families living in the leakiest homes during a coronavirus lockdown would increase to nearly £50 per month more than for those in houses that do not waste as much heat, finds a new report by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU). The analysis finds that, were the coronavirus lockdown to be continued or re-imposed during...

THE UNIVERSITY of Manchester has announced that it will end investments in fossil fuel reserve and extraction companies by 2022, and ‘decarbonise’ all investments by 2038. The changes to the University’s Socially Responsible Investment Policy include a commitment to reduce the carbon intensity of the overall investment portfolio by 30% by 2022, and then to move as quickly as possible...

NEW research shows that electrically-assisted bikes (e-bikes) have the capability to slash carbon dioxide emissions from transport and could offer a safe and sustainable route back to work. University of Leeds Researchers from the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS) found that e-bikes, if used to replace car travel, have the capability to cut car carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in...

Levels of the pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2) has reduced significantly during lockdown, research from King’s College London has found. Concentrations of NO2 have lowered as much as 55% due to less road traffic but levels of PM10 and PM2.5 were higher after lockdown than at any other time in 2020, due to easterly winds and pollutants from northern Europe. Professor Martin Williams, Head of...