• Geothermal energy could provide electricity while capturing carbon emissions

    Using Geothermal-Bioenergy and Carbon Capture and Sequestration (BECCS) as an energy source could positively impact the environment, new research has shown.  Karan Titus, UC civil and natural resources engineering PhD student, has investigated this type of energy, and how it can be harnessed to remove carbon from the atmosphere.  The BECCS process involves  taking hot water from geothermal reservoirs and burning forestry waste to superheat it – generating electricity. The geothermal water is then injected back underground along with the CO 2  produced from the burning wood. “We are creating more clean, renewable energy, while indirectly removing CO 2 from the atmosphere," Titus said.  “We can also generate significantly more renewable energy using this process when compared to traditional…

  • UK risks ‘squandering’ its electric vehicle lead, industry body warns

    The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that while almost every EV component is already built in UK plants, the capacity needs to be scaled up rapidly to secure the sector’s long-term future. The SMMT wants the government to shore up Britain’s ability to compete as other countries increase backing for their own automotive sectors. This includes initiatives such as the US' $370bn (£306bn) Inflation Reduction Act and the EU's Green Deal Industrial Plan. The SMMT has set out a blueprint, dubbed the 'Green Automotive Transformation' strategy, designed to position Britain as one of the world’s most competitive locations for advanced automotive manufacturing. The UK plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, but MPs have warned that the government faces…

  • Meta working on social media platform to rival Twitter, reports say

    Mark Zuckerberg's Meta has revealed it is working on a new social network solely designed for sharing text updates. The new app could become the most high-profile rival to Twitter and Mastodon. The former has been rife with chaos since Musk's aggressive takeover, with the company struggling to hold onto its advertising base amid large-scale staff layoffs and a succession of outages for the platform. Meta's news was first reported by Money Control, citing Meta sources, with further details subsequently revealed by Platformer. Following these early reports, Meta confirmed the project. "We're exploring a standalone decentralised social network for sharing text updates," a Meta spokesperson said. "We believe there's an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Clean up your act: greenwashing in sport

    At a recent event run by the Global Sustainability Benchmark in Sports, Christian Hartmann, the company’s CEO, asked experts from a law firm what they saw for the future of sustainability in sport. “I was thinking they would say regulators and governments will start to set reporting standards [for things like emissions]”. Instead, the legal experts told him: “We’re expecting more lawsuits, because these organisations are claiming something that is not actually the case.” The claims those lawyers described can broadly be categorised as ‘greenwashing’. This is the idea that sports events, leagues, and individual clubs around the world are making a lot of noise about environmental initiatives which fail to stand up to scrutiny. If they continue claiming to be eco-friendly without being so, then…

  • Interview: Matheu Parr, ACCEL project lead, Rolls-Royce

    Describing the event as “a momentous occasion” and an “incredible achievement”, Matheu Parr recalls how Rolls-Royce Electrical’s demonstrator aircraft Spirit of Innovation set three world records. On 16 November 2021 the ACCEL (short for Accelerating the Electrification of Flight) project delivered top speeds over distances of 3km and 15km, and for the fastest 3,000m climb. With the records verified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the aircraft reached a top speed of 623km/h (387.4mph), making it the world’s fastest all-electric vehicle. The success of the government-backed project prompted the then UK business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng to state that Spirit of Innovation would help to make electric flight part of everyday life, while stimulating the production of “cleaner, greener…

  • How to talk about climate action

    We know what must be done to combat climate change and the cost of failing to do so. We have known for decades, and yet the world is heading towards catastrophic heating of 2.7°C. Writing in 2020, Sir David Attenborough said: “Saving our planet is now a communications challenge. We know what to do, we just need the will.” This prompts the question: how we can rise to that challenge? According to the IPCC, the world’s leading scientific authority on climate change, we must almost halve global emissions by 2030 to keep warming within 1.5°C. Instead, we are on track to increase global emissions. To feel hopeless is not irrational. A 2022 survey conducted in 27 countries identified 20 per cent of respondents as climate ‘defeatists’ (believes humanity can reduce climate change but will fail…

  • Dott to refurbish its rental e-scooters in bid to cut emissions

    Initially taking place in Lyon, Dott’s e-scooters will undergo a complete refurbishment, extending their current three years of service by a further four years. By reaching a total lifespan of seven years, the programme avoids manufacturing and transporting new vehicles, which will reduce Dott’s carbon emissions by nearly 50 per cent, the firm said. Last year, the government legalised the private use of e-scooters in a move aimed at improving road safety and lowering the UK’s overall carbon emissions from transport. This is despite warnings from some campaigners that the vehicles are dangerous following a freedom of information request which revealed that accidents had rocketed by around 82 per cent from 2020 to 2021. Dott said its teams of mechanics plan to fully refurbish over 2,000…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • HSBC buys Silicon Valley Bank UK in rescue deal

    The UK government has struck a last-minute rescue deal for SVB UK, as it aims to reassure the thousands of science and technology companies that have accounts with the bank.  The news follows the implosion of California-based Silicon Valley Bank, which US regulators shut on Friday.  The collapse of SVB - which had an estimated $2.9tn of assets - has been described as the biggest financial crash of an individual bank since 2008.  After frantic weekend talks between the government, regulators, and prospective buyers, it was agreed that the UK arm of the collapsed bank would be acquired by HSBC for a symbolic £1.   The acquisition made “excellent strategic sense” and would complete immediately, said HSBC’s chief executive Noel Quinn. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt confirmed the sale on Twitter…

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    E+T Magazine

  • The bigger picture: Danuri lunar orbiter

    A South Korean spacecraft has captured stunning new images of the lunar surface and Planet Earth. Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, also known as Danuri, is South Korea’s first ever spacecraft to orbit the Moon. Launched on a SpaceX rocket from the US in August 2022, it began travelling towards the Moon and was inserted into lunar orbit late in December. The precise detail of the camera on board the lunar orbiter means it is possible to see craters on the lunar surface from close-up, as well as the vast size of Earth in the background. The images are a test of the lunar orbiter, which itself is a major test of South Korea’s plans to explore space. Image credit: Cover Images Such images of the Moon will allow scientists to find a landing location for future exploration…

  • Where have all the batteries gone?

    The collapse of battery manufacturer Britishvolt and its plans to build a new gigafactory sent a message to the emerging electric vehicle industry that mass production of EVs in the UK may no longer be viable. Even now, with the plant under new ownership, the focus for the time being at least is on making batteries for energy storage and the defence industry, rather than for EVs. With domestic car production down to its lowest level for 66 years, what can the industry do to adapt and overcome this latest setback? The transition to EVs is gaining momentum year-on-year, and without significant investment, the UK could fall behind other countries. From a tier-one supplier’s perspective, the lack of a clear EV proposition that includes battery manufacturing capabilities makes the UK a less…

  • View from India: Fragile ecosystems encapsulated on film

    Insects bring to mind creepy-crawly creatures. Some of these winged creatures buzz around, often intimidating people nearby. It’s always best to keep away from them. Yet these creatures aroused the curiosity of Charlie and Lois O'Brien, who have spent a lifetime watching them closely, studying and monitoring them. Their insect pursuit saw the couple travel to over 70 countries, just to bring home an unusual species. Their enduring collection has been turned into an award-winning documentary, appropriately titled 'The Love Bugs', by All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALTEFF). Incidentally, the insect love bug - aka the honeymoon fly - is almost always found in pairs. With over 60 years of marriage, Charlie and Lois O'Brien are similarly matched. He, her teacher, liked weevils;…

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    E+T Magazine

  • FBI chief speaks against TikTok because of its links to China

    The Chinese government could use TikTok to control the data of millions of American users, according to the FBI. During a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats to US security, the agency's director, Christopher Wray, warned against the popular social media app, stressing that its control is in the hands of a government “that doesn’t share our values.” When asked whether China could use the app to feed misinformation, Wray said "yes" and added that the agency is not sure whether this could be detected if it were to happen.  Wray said the FBI was concerned that the Chinese had the ability to control the app’s recommendation algorithm, which would allow them to choose the content that is shown to each user, and therefore influence opinions. He also asserted that China…

  • WhatsApp would refuse to comply with Online Safety Bill

    Will Cathcart, Meta’s head of WhatsApp, has described the bill as the most concerning piece of legislation currently being discussed in the Western world. The executive told reporters the company would refuse to comply if asked to weaken the privacy of encrypted messages, preferring to leave the UK than provide a less-secure service to users.  “We’ve recently been blocked in Iran, for example. But we’ve never seen a liberal democracy do that,” said Cathcart. “The reality is, our users all around the world want security. Ninety-eight per cent of our users are outside the UK. They do not want us to lower the security of the product, and just as a straightforward matter, it would be an odd choice for us to choose to lower the security of the product in a way that would affect those 98 per…

  • Track down the plastic greenwashers

    “We can be a bit geeky,” says John Willis, director of research at financial think tank Planet Tracker, “but we like to make sure what people are saying is true. We go through all the footnotes, and everything the auditors say; the devil is often in the detail.” It may not be the most glamorous of roles, but work Willis and his team do behind the scenes is critical, given the prevalence of increasingly sophisticated greenwashing. “I don’t think the general public are aware of how widespread this is, and they think quite reasonably that someone must be checking all of this, but until now they haven’t been,” he says. Last year, Willis came across the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), and the organisation seemed “very worthy. We would love to see plastic waste ended,” he says. After…

  • Latin America poised to become renewable energy giant, report reveals

    Latin America is poised to become one of the world's largest producers of renewable energy, with almost one billion solar panels' worth of large-scale clean-electricity projects slated to come online in the next seven years across the region, the report says. GEM, a US-based non-profit organisation which tracks clean-energy development, states: "Rich in wind and solar resources, Latin America has the potential to be a global leader for renewable energy". Together with existing distributed and smaller-scale solar capacity, Latin America will be on track to meet, and potentially surpass, the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) 2030 regional net-zero renewable energy goals if it implements all of its prospective larger-scale projects. GEM's report - 'A Race to the Top' - tracks the utility…

  • UK ‘will fail’ to reach net zero targets without carbon capture funding, say MPs

    The House of Commons' Scottish Affairs Committee has warned that the UK might fail to meet its net zero targets without the widespread implementation of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) projects.  The committee chair, Pete Wishart, insisted it was “deeply disappointing” that the Acorn CCUS project in  St Fergus, Aberdeenshire, had been “put on the back burner”. Wishart highlighted that much of the necessary infrastructure for the project – which missed out on funding in the first phase of the UK Government’s CCUS cluster sequencing process – was already in place.  “Net zero is little more than a pipe dream without carbon capture,” Wishart said, as he demanded that   “clarity must be given at next week’s Budget”. Wishart’s comments were made as the committee published a…

  • What makes a credible corporate climate pledge?

    The British government likes to advertise its contribution to cutting carbon emissions. And the figures do look good at first glance. The UK was apparently doing a good job of meeting commitments agreed at the end of 2015 well before ministers even turned up in Paris for a signing session. UK emissions peaked 50 years ago, a time when coal was the predominant fuel for both heating and electricity generation. Though investment in its planned replacement, nuclear, petered out, the once proud ‘dash for gas’ since the end of the 1980s helped cut overall emissions. The UK’s estimated greenhouse-gas (GHG) output almost halved in the three decades since 1990, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) published in February 2022. It’s a remarkable reduction and the kind of…

  • Dear Evil Engineer: Could I nudge the Earth a little further from the Sun?

    Dear Evil Engineer, As a yeti, I often wish that millions of years of evolution had better prepared me for life on a planet with average temperatures well above freezing. I tend not to stray far from the Arctic – which severely limits my career opportunities – but global heating is rendering even that habitat smaller and sweatier by the year. Would it be possible to nudge the Earth into a higher orbit around the Sun and bring down surface temperatures to something more comfortable? Yours, A yeti Dear villain, You will be pleased to hear that the question of moving the Earth into a different, higher orbit has been given more serious thought than questions of this magnitude usually are. Even given humans’ limited lifespans, they have difficulty accepting that the Sun will eventually…

  • Government delays HS2 by two years over ‘rocketing’ costs

    With over £20bn spent on Phase One – the line going from London to the West Midlands – already, the government said it was shifting towards prioritising this opening stage, with the first high-speed rail services set to run between new stations at Old Oak Common in West London and Curzon Street in Birmingham by the early 2030s. It added that while it remains “fully committed” to delivering HS2 from Euston to Manchester, inflationary pressures coupled with the UK’s struggling finances have forced the DfT to delay the Birmingham and Crewe leg by two years. It blamed “challenging economic headwinds” following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and ongoing supply chain disruption as the global economy recovers from the pandemic, which has made it difficult to deliver the project on time.…

  • Defect-detecting AI could enable 3D printing on industrial scale

    Many industries already rely on the process to rapidly build parts and components. Rocket engine nozzles; pistons for high-performance cars, and custom orthopedic implants are all made using additive manufacturing, a process that involves building parts layer-by-layer using a 3D printer. However, structural defects that form during the building process is one of the reasons why this approach has not become more widely adopted. Now, a research team led by Argonne and the University of Virginia (UVA) have developed various imaging and machine-learning techniques to detect and predict the formation of pores in 3D-printed metals in real time with near-perfect accuracy. The metal samples used in the study were created using a process called laser powder bed fusion, in which metal powder is…

  • After All: All aboard the vintage tram of life

    Guess what the biggest highlight was of my recent short visit to Lisbon? No, not Alfama, the city’s oldest district, with its winding, naturally ventilated alleyways, cobbled streets, and secret squares. Nor the magnificent Castelo de Sao Jorge, with its thick Moorish walls and lush gardens. Nor even the mouth-watering Pasteis de Nata, the famous freshly baked and cinnamon-dusted custard tarts – yum! No. It was the vintage city trams – those moving wrinkles on Lisbon’s ageless face, the ‘wrinkles’ that, surprisingly, make it both livelier and younger. Here they were: strewn all over the city like some randomly distributed slices of a giant birthday cake on wheels (the visit to Lisbon coincided with my birthday); trundling past castles and monuments; squeezing themselves into narrow streets…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Space junk treaty needed to keep Earth’s orbit usable, experts say

    The number of smaller pieces of space debris currently in orbit is thought to number more than 100 million. Due to their colossal orbital speeds, even small pieces can pose a threat to satellites and spacecraft, several of which have been damaged or destroyed already. The number of satellites in orbit is expected to increase from around 9,000 today to over 60,000 by 2030. While such technology is used to provide a huge range of social and environmental benefits, there are fears the predicted growth of the industry could make large parts of Earth’s orbit unusable. An international group of experts from the University of Plymouth; Arribada Initiative; the University of Texas at Austin; the California Institute of Technology; Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Spaceport Cornwall, and the Zoological…

  • ‘Urgent changes’ needed to decarbonise the power system, report says

    The CCC has criticised Britain's lack of a strategy to meet its targets of decarbonising electricity supplies in the next 12 years.  “The government has not yet provided a coherent strategy to achieve its goal, nor provided essential details on how it will encourage the necessary investment and infrastructure to be deployed over the next 12 years," reads a report published by the committee.  The report includes 25 recommendations the government should implement in order to reach a decarbonised power system, described as “the central requirement for achieving net zero”.  It includes a series of “urgent changes”, such as removing barriers from the regulatory, planning and consenting regimes for the development of new infrastructure. In addition, the CCC advises the government to offer new…

  • EV transition targets are ‘not achievable’ within current timelines, industry says

    New global research commissioned by ABB Robotics and Automotive Manufacturing Solutions, revealed that 59 per cent of respondents believe the shift to pure EV production is not achievable within current legislative timelines.   The survey included almost 600 global industry experts, from vehicle manufacturers and suppliers at all levels of management, engineering and other key professionals throughout the automotive world. Of these respondents, only 11 per cent believed that all regional targets for EV adoption by 2030-2040 were realistic. Around 28 per cent said the deadlines were achievable, and 18 per cent believed the present targets would never be met.  In contrast, 80 per cent of respondents said the shift to sustainable manufacturing is achievable, although challenging.  “The…

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