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The UK's national resilience framework has now been published. In this article, Richard Smith-Bingham, Executive Director, Marsh McLennan Advantage, explores key strengths of the framework as well as some important areas for further development, which are detailed further in a report for the National Preparedness Commission.
In his foreword to the UK Government Resilience Framework, quietly released in the week before
Lynmouth Road, Walthamstow is about to become its own power station, with solar energy for 30 homes. Now the artists responsible want us all to change how we heat our homes. By Anna Fielding
But we have enough evidence to show that reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions is likely to lead to substantial benefits for public health in England and Wales – and that these benefits are greater in a pathway that entails faster and more ambitious changes, especially in physical activity and diets.
Britain’s cities need urgent transformation in the next decade and beyond if the country is to meet its 2050 net zero targets and create cleaner, safer spaces for citizens, according to a major study from E.ON and the UK Green Building Council.
Britons will soon receive practical information on how to reduce their energy usage in winter.
Delivering his keynote speech at EnergyUK’s annual conference, Jonathan Brearley, Ofgem Chief Executive, said: “We will shortly be launching a campaign to explain the support that is available, on how to reduce energy consumption and what customers should expect from their providers.
While the UK government on Friday announced an additional £1bn for energy efficiency obligations under new legislation, to begin from April 2023, undoubtedly the main focus of the new government is to increase energy supplies (yes, with a cap on consumer prices), largely of fossil fuels including fracking. The energy crisis is currently with us…
A WWF report reveals that - at a time of global food insecurity - half of the UK's wheat harvest each year (equivalent to 11bn loaves of bread) is being used to feed livestock in an "inherently inefficient" process that is fuelling climate change and driving nature's decline in the UK and overseas.
COLUMN. The measure comes against a background of skyrocketing inflation that has rekindled the debate on inequality in the United Kingdom, as journalist Jean-Michel Bezat explains.
The UK’s food policy substantially presumes that foreign countries will continue to send us shiploads of food, and currently over half of what is consumed here is imported. This is perilous indeed, especially at a time when many nations are adopting their own protectionist policies, restricting food exports so to feed their own people.
Fuel poverty had slipped down the political agenda for many years. With one in six households now having to face the choice of eating or heating it is now back with a vengeance. Andrew Warren, chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation, a long-time follower of policies and programmes related to fuel poverty, discusses latest…
The event will launch the report, A Green New Deal for Leeds City Region: GALBA's Vision for a Sustainable Local Economy which was written in collaboration with Green House and published by the Green European foundation
The UK government must expand support for most vulnerable households and ramp up retrofitting programme to prevent fuel poverty emergency, businesses and charities warn. Harry Cockburn explains in an article on The Independent website. Insulation is ‘no regrets’ solution to the energy and climate crises, Boris Johnson told Improving insulation on the UK’s least…
Researchers analysed 18 carbon-cutting measures at home and at work in areas such as food, transport and energy and assessed the impact of each on issues such as health, clean air and water quality. Of the 306 categories they looked at, 79 % were positive for wellbeing. Tom Bawden discusses the study in an article…
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Green Alliance is an independent think tank and charity focused on ambitious leadership for the environment
Recovering urban wildlife isn’t just about protecting a city’s parks and rivers, but also making its streets, homes and skyscrapers greener.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will be expanded to cover all of the capital city to tackle air pollution and congestion.
It will come into effect on 29th August 2023 and will operate across all London boroughs up to the existing Low Emission Zone boundary.
Estimates from Transport for London (TfL) suggests around 160,000 cars and 42,000 vans will be liable for a daily fee of £12.50 on a typical day.
This paper looks at the series of plans developed by the UK Labour Party under the progressive leadership of Jeremy Corbyn between 2016 and 2019 for re-establishing public ownership and operation of services and infrastructure which had been privatised over the previous 40 years.
While governments focus on how to protect consumers from escalating energy prices, Belgium shows an important way forward. Since 2002, eligible households have been shielded from price fluctuations in the energy market. People don’t have to struggle. Carl Packman discusses the approach taken by Belgium in an article on The Guardian website. There is…
During the pandemic, the small size and local ties of these food providers allowed for a quick response to the evolving demand for food. Farmers markets, salad suppliers and community growers were able to make healthy, locally grown foods more accessible while strengthening community ties through collaboration and volunteer opportunities.
Climate change: UK’s net zero target is under threat because there’s no plan to pay for it
The UK government’s plan for achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is at a serious risk of sinking before it’s been fully launched. With the Treasury having rejected a request by MPs to come up with a “clear funding plan”, there’s now every chance that an already bad plan will turn into no plan at all.
Ground and air source heat pumps are expected to play a major role in cutting the use of gas for heating. But one major problem with them is that they need a lot of space. For those living in dense housing it’s just not practical. District heat networks are the usual alternative, but the dense urban areas they serve need to be near a large source of waste heat like power stations or other industrial units. David Barns at the University of Leeds looks at Shared Ground Heat Exchanges as another solution. Here, a set of shared boreholes draw heat from the ground, sufficient for a single street. Each house would only need a small heat pump similar in size to a conventional gas boiler. The business model will need service providers to coordinate with the street householders and the local authorities, and get their consent before making the investment in the shared system.
It’s a popular idea that the path to sustainability lies in high-tech solutions. By making everyday items like cars electric, and installing smart systems to monitor and reduce energy use, it seems we’ll still be able to enjoy the comforts to which we’ve become accustomed while doing our bit for the planet – a state known as “green growth”.
Md Sazan Rahman, PhD Candidate, Bioresource Engineering at McGill University in Canada writes on The Conversation website about the multiple benefits of green buildings. Green buildings can boost productivity, well-being and health of workers Most people now recognize the energy savings benefits of green buildings. These buildings use less water, energy and other natural resources.…
Rising temperatures are leading to a surge in demand for cooling. But, ironically, the more we rely on energy-intensive air conditioners, the more the planet warms. Natalie Muller and Neil King discuss the options in an article on the Deutsche Welle website. Climate emergency: Keeping homes cool on a warming planet In many places,…
In October, the UK government released two different strategies on how to achieve its net zero emissions target by 2050 – the net zero strategy and the heat and buildings strategy. Although both look at how to decarbonise the UK’s economy, they also both overlook an important feature of the future of energy consumption – the demand for cooling.
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