Bloomberg report: Urgent deployment of existing technology can get world close to net zero

Although prevailing wisdom holds that time is running out, BloombergNEF’s New Energy Outlook 2024 seemingly shows how the world could still achieve the major...

Engineering interventions that could reduce exposure of open-water swimmers to human faecal matter

Wastewater treatment must be improved to reduce exposure to human faecal pathogens in treated effluent, according to a new report published on 21...

Can coal mines be tapped for rare earth elements?

Research led by the University of Utah has documented elevated concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs) in active coal mines rimming the Uinta coal...

$3.7m crop lab will create food for ‘tomorrow’s atmosphere today’

A new $3.7m facility at the University of Essex aims to make it possible to adapt plants for a hotter drier climate, preventing threats...

Data scarcity challenges identification of endocrine disruptors

Lack of data from the chemical industry in the EU often prevents the assessment of whether substances used in consumer products, for example, are...

Electricity networks accelerate potential connection dates of over 200 clean energy projects

7.8GW of clean energy projects, more than double the output of Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, have had their connection offer dates brought...

The sins of the land are visited upon the sea

A new report attempts to better understand the provenance and impact of plastics in the ocean. Launched ahead of Earth Day 2024 (22nd April),...

EU rules compel manufacturers to make repair easier

The European Parliament voted on 23 April to adopt new rules on the so-called “right to repair” for consumers, which aim to make it...

DRS to be delayed until 2027

The UK government has announced a delay to the scheduled October 2025 start date of a UK-wide Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), which will now...

Chitty-chitty-pop-bang! Are noise cameras ready to tackle UK traffic?

Noise camera technology is ready to be deployed for monitoring urban traffic, according to a number of firms developing it. Envirotec looks at how...

Regret over target climbdown

Commentators expressed disappointment at the Scottish government's 19 April decision to abandon its target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2030. Màiri...

Call for clarity on DEFRA plan to withhold air quality funding

The Environmental Industries Commission’s Air Quality Taskforce has called for greater clarity on the future of the Air Quality Grant scheme following the news...

Cooling conjecture: cloud engineering could be more promising than previously believed

Cloud ‘engineering’ could be more effective for climate cooling than previously thought, because of the increased cloud cover produced, new research seems to show....

Circular pallets scheme gears up for May rollout

Recyclable pallets initiative The Pallet LOOP says it is manufacturing tens of thousands of its distinctive bright green, circular economy pallets in readiness for...

High Court agrees to hear legal challenge over Gove’s green homes ‘roadblock’

The High Court has given the green light for a judicial review of Michael Gove’s policy on green homes. Campaigners say the barriers...

Switch to green wastewater infrastructure could reduce emissions and provide huge savings

Researchers say they have shown that a transition to green wastewater-treatment approaches in the US, away from greywater treatment, could save $15.6 billion and...

Negative emissions in North Wales: £200 investment advances CCUS plans in Deeside

Energy-from-waste operator enfinium has announced (on 11 April) it is progressing plans to invest around £200 million in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology...

Defra appoints ecological consultancy as ‘responsible body’ to work with landowners

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has appointed a new ‘responsible body’. Ecological consultancy RSK Biocensus – and specifically its biodiversity...

Amnesty International: Dow’s failure to offer remedy for Bhopal disaster has created a “sacrifice...

The failure of the US-based chemical company Dow to provide remedy to victims of a deadly gas leak from a pesticide plant in India...

Scotland’s recycling rate hits all-time high

Scots are recycling more than ever before as the nation’s recycling rate hits an all-time high in data released by Scotland’s environment watchdog, SEPA. The...