Making sense of sewage discharge data
More data is becoming available to help with understanding why so much sewage is being spilled in UK rivers, and fascinating efforts are underway to interpret it and present it to the public in an accessible and transparent format. Envirotec reviews the latest data, tools and what experts believe we can learn.
Anyone for nuclear-powered floating desalination plants?
Land-based desalination plants are a familiar fixture in many regions of the world but their cost and reliance on fossil fuels remain a bugbear. A new report explores the possibilities presented by a novel alternative.
Hull enhancement eliminates copper
A Danish biotech firm believes it may have found a way to eliminate copper from ship's paint, replacing it with a more sustainable and biodegradeable alternative: eelgrass acid.
Silly numbers: The hopes and fears of climate intervention (book review)
"It would be very difficult, but it could be done" is maybe the most exuberant appraisal to derive from Wake Smith's detailed analysis of the climate intervention landscape as it currently appears. Pandora's Toolbox: The Hopes and Hazards of Climate Intervention explores geoengineering and carbon removal options varying across a spectrum of feasibility and cost.
Slow pace of innovation continues to frustrate supply chain, says water industry survey
A new survey from British Water points to an ongoing lack of innovation uptake by water companies and their delivery partners.
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Global warming is projected to exceed 1.8°C, according to McKinsey report
The energy transition continues to gain steam, with oil demand projected to peak in this decade, perhaps as soon as 2025, according to new...
Climate and agriculture halve insect populations in some areas, warns UCL study
Climate change and intensive agricultural land use have already been responsible for a 49% reduction in the number of insects in the most impacted...
Recycling trade association criticises comments of EA chief on waste exports
The Recycling Association has criticised the "dangerous language" used by Environment Agency chief executive Sir James Bevan.
In a speech at a 12 April event...
AI and Blockchain start-up brought into major Scottish infrastructure framework
A six-year Framework with Morrison Construction and Scottish Water has been awarded to Hypervine, a cleantech construction startup that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and...
Tropical megacities enter new phase of declining air
A new study appears to reveal rapid degradation in air quality in megacities in Africa, Asia and the Middle East - as well as...
$650 million investment is the biggest so far in direct air capture
Swiss direct air capture (DAC) start-up firm Climeworks announced on 5 April that it has signed an equity round of $650 million (CHF...
€1 million award for app-supported regreening programme
A project that aims to help farmers restore land and introduce more sustainable methods has secured a €1 million grant from the Dutch National...
Partnership offers route to a greener dram
An innovative new project is ‘distilling’ residues from Scotland’s famous whisky industry into sustainable, green energy.
The successful trial involving Scottish Water, SEPA and major...
Port Meadow becomes UK’s second river site to gain bathing status
A stretch of the River Thames at Port Meadow, Oxford, has been designated as an official river bathing location after a nearly two-year long...
Government awards £30m to cutting-edge highway decarbonisation projects
Cutting-edge, innovative ideas to decarbonise the UK’s highways are to benefit from tens of millions of pounds in Government funding.
The £30...
Risk of recycling crisis as UK Government ‘deaf’ to industry concerns about Red Diesel...
The body representing Scottish SME resource and waste management operators says recycling services across the country are under threat following the UK Government’s refusal...
Consortium to assess the future of packaging waste sorting
Nine brand-owners, an independent test & research centre and two universities will bring expertise over 2 years to develop and test an...
Planning to fail: net zero is impossible without urgent changes to planning policy, says...
Reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is impossible without urgent changes to national planning policy, analysis by CPRE, the countryside charity, appears to...
Project trials use of bacteria to convert steelmaking emissions into raw materials
A trial is studying the use of bacteria to convert emissions from Tata Steel’s blast furnaces into products which could be used by other...
Local authorities ask for backing to accelerate net zero
Cut VAT on retrofit measures to reduce energy waste, household bills, and UK reliance on Russian gas, urges cities network UK100
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