• UK flood damages will rise dramatically if climate change pledges not met

    Researchers from the University of Bristol and water risk modelling firm Fathom used assessed future flood hazards, based on the most recent Met Office climate projections. Its findings show the forecasted annual increase in national direct flood losses, defined as physical damage to property and businesses, due to climate change in the UK can be kept below 5 per cent above recent historical levels. This scenario can only be achieved if all countries fulfil the climate pledges they signed up to at COP26 and that countries such the UK, which made further net-zero commitments, actually achieve these on time and in full. If these are not collectively met, the annual cost of flooding in the UK over the next century could grow by between 13 and 23 per cent, depending on different levels of…

  • View from Brussels: Brakes on EU engine ban

    “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” can now be misattributed to the internal combustion engine as well as Mark Twain after the events of last week, following a particularly underhanded u-turn by Berlin and Rome. Last year, the European Parliament and Council of the 27 EU member countries agreed on new engine standards that will gradually decarbonise the car sector and eventually lead to a de facto ban on petrol and diesel engines in 2035. It took a lot of negotiating but the deal was eventually struck behind closed doors, aided in no small part by several of the industry’s biggest players like Volkwagen, Volvo and General Motors, among others, saying that they are already planning to stop making new ICEs. In Brussels, new rules are generally set using the following process…

  • Indonesia to incentivise EV sales

    The incentive programme will cover sales of 200,000 electric motorcycles and 35,900 electric cars, said industry minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita. It will also cover the conversion of 50,000 combustion engine motorcycles. The incentives will start from March 20 2023, aiming to attract investment from industry giants such as Tesla, senior cabinet minister Luhut Pandjaitan said. The two ministers did not disclose the budget set aside for the programme, but said 7 million rupiah (£379.31) will be disbursed to producers and retailers for each new motorcycle sold and for each converted into an electric bike. "We are finalising negotiations with two big global car producers," Pandjaitan said, without revealing the names of the carmarkers. "We hope this new policy will make our position much…

  • Solar roofs harness sunlight to power crop growth in greenhouses

    The emerging field of agrivoltaics tries to make use of the same tracts of land for both solar power generation and agriculture simultaneously. Researchers from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering in Los Angeles have been augmenting semi-transparent organic solar cells with a layer of a naturally occurring chemical called L-glutathione to extend the solar cells’ lifetime. Organic solar cells typically have a much shorter lifespan than traditional technologies, as they rely upon carbon-based materials which degrade over time when exposed to sunlight. The chemical addition was found to not only extend the lifetime of the cells but also improve their efficiency, while still allowing adequate sunlight to reach plants in a greenhouse prototype about the size of a small dolls house. …

  • UK ‘science superpower’ ambition supported by £360m fund

    The government has launched its plan to cement the UK’s place as a science and technology superpower by 2030.  The new ‘ Science and Technology Framework ’ is the first major piece of work from the newly created Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Its goal is to "challenge every part of the government to better put the UK at the forefront of global science and technology this decade".  The new plan is backed by an initial set of projects, including a £250m investment in artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technology and engineering biology, as well as the publication of a new review of UK research by Sir Paul Nurse, director of the Francis Crick Institute. The government also pledged to ensure that researchers have access to the “best physical and digital infrastructure…

  • Government urged to insulate Britain’s historic buildings

    Retrofitting the UK’s historic buildings would support 290,000 jobs and boost the UK economy by £35bn as well as slashing Britain’s carbon emissions, a new report has found.  The 'Heritage and Carbon' report was  published by the National Trust, Historic England, the Crown Estate and property companies Peabody and Grosvenor, which are calling on the government to implement a national retrofit strategy for these sites.  The organisations said an extra 105,000 workers, including plumbers, electricians and carpenters, were needed to make historic buildings more energy-efficient, more than double the number currently working on the issue. At the moment, around a quarter of all homes and a third of commercial buildings are considered to be “historic”, as they were built before 1919.  This…

  • UN members sign ‘historic’ agreement to protect the world’s oceans

    UN secretary-general António Guterres described the deal as a “breakthrough” after nearly two decades of talks which began in 2004.   “This action is a victory for multilateralism and for global efforts to counter the destructive trends facing ocean health, now and for generations to come,” he said. Referred to as the ‘High Seas Treaty’, the legal framework would place 30 per cent of the world’s oceans into protected areas, put more money into marine conservation, and covers the use of marine genetic resources. The treaty is considered to be crucial for addressing crises including climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.  It is an update on the UN’s Convention on the Law of the Sea, which was adopted in 1982, and laid down rules governing the use of the oceans and their resources…

  • 60 miles of electrification is ‘no regrets’ way to get diesel trains off key freight routes

    The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport – CILT(UK) – has released a detailed map and strategy for electrifying rail freight operations by the mid-2040s. Currently, a mere 10 per cent of British freight trains are hauled by electric locomotives, while a handful of short unelectrified sections force freight trains to be diesel-hauled for long distances ‘under the wires’. Electrifying these ‘infill’ sections would allow around two million train miles a year to be decarbonised, according to CILT. This is equivalent to taking around 80 million diesel HGV miles off Britain’s roads each year. It's estimated that the initial 60 miles of infill electrification would cost around £50m a year over two years – less than the cost of one road scheme – and represent a ‘no regrets’ project. …

  • AI could detect Alzheimer's disease from brain scans

    Artificial intelligence (AI) could help clinicians identify patients who would benefit from the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.  The team at MGH used deep learning a type of machine learning and artificial intelligence that uses large amounts of data and complex algorithms to train models and improve detection of the brain disease.  The AI was trained on  brain magnetic resonance images (MRIs) collected from patients with and without Alzheimer’s disease who were seen at MGH before 2019. Next, the group tested the model across five datasets – MGH post-2019, Brigham and Women’s Hospital pre- and post-2019, and outside systems pre- and post-2019 – to see if it could accurately detect Alzheimer’s disease based on real-world clinical data, regardless of hospital and time. Overall, the…

  • Polluted seawater worsens inland air quality, study finds

    Contaminants such as bacteria, viruses and chemical compounds in polluted coastal waters transfer to the atmosphere in sea spray aerosol formed by breaking waves and bursting bubbles. Researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego studied the impact of untreated sewage being diverted into the Tijuana River, which lies on the US-Mexico border, and flows into the ocean in south Imperial Beach in San Diego. “We’ve shown that up to three-quarters of the bacteria that you breathe in at Imperial Beach are coming from aerosolisation of raw sewage in the surf zone,” said lead researcher Kim Prather. “Coastal water pollution has been traditionally considered just a waterborne problem. People worry about swimming and surfing in it but not about breathing it in, even though…

  • Hands-on review: Proscenic A9 air purifier

    "Inhale pure. Live pure". That's both the promise and the core remit of this air purifier from Proscenic. Concerned about PM2.5 particles in your home? The A9 has got your back. The issue of a build-up of deleterious particulate matter in our homes has become more of a pressing concern lately, now that post-pandemic many of us are spending way more time than we ever did in the same rooms at home, breathing and rebreathing the same air. Seriously, our homes are potentially dangerous places! The airborne particles given off daily by cooking, lighting scented candles and incense, smoking and other noxious sources are all a cause for health concern. Of course, you can't see all these tiny demon particles, but they'll definitely be there and they'll be working their way into your lungs. Without…

  • UK seen as ‘toxic’ for satellite launches, industry tells MPs

    The UK government is being urged to redirect funding earmarked for space projects to hospitals, as investors lose trust in the country's space industry.  Senior figures at Welsh satellite maker Space Forge have spoken to the Parliamentary Science and Technology Committee about regulatory delays and "jarring" interactions with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).  “Quite frankly, it costs us more to license our satellite for launch than it did to launch it,” Joshua Western, the company's chief executive, told MPs.  Space Forge was hoping to become the first company to successfully bring a satellite back down to Earth following VirginOrbit's Start Me Up mission . However, Space Forge lost its satellite after a   dislodged fuel filter on the LauncherOne rocket caused an engine to overheat…

  • US presents national cyber-security strategy

    The US's new cyber-security strategy aims to "rebalance the responsibility to protect the cyberspace" away from individuals and placed onto large corporations.  At the same time, the US government plans to accelerate efforts by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Defense Department to disrupt the activities of hackers and ransomware groups around the world.  The Biden administration also expressed their intent to work with Congress on legislation that would impose legal liability on software makers whose products fail to meet basic cyber-security safeguards, officials said. For years, the US government has relied on companies voluntarily reporting intrusions in their systems and regularly patching their programs to fix newly discovered vulnerabilities.  The new National Cybersecurity…

  • Satellites used to track global ‘greening’ to understand climate change impact

    North Carolina State University researchers coupled the satellite imagery with field sensors to estimate worldwide changes in plant leaf growth due to global warming. “As we work to anticipate the future climate, a big question is what’s going to happen to vegetation, one of the largest stores of carbon on earth?” said Josh Gray, a co-author on the study. “We know temperatures will rise and the growing season will be longer in most places, but there are a lot of unknowns about how that will affect how carbon is cycled between plants and the atmosphere. Our new results allow us to be more confident about what those changes will be.” In addition to changing the timing and length of the seasons, climate change has also meant new plant growth in some areas. However, changes in the climate…

  • Concerns over driverless car safety rose significantly in 2022

    An annual survey from the American Automobile Association (AAA) found that while there is still a high level of interest in partially-automated vehicle technology, people are becoming increasing wary of fully self-driving vehicles. This year there was a major increase in drivers who expressed concerns about the technology, rising to 68 per cent as compared to 55 per cent in 2022. This is a 13 per cent jump from last year’s survey and the biggest increase since 2020. AAA said that automakers need to create an environment that promotes the new technologies as safe alternatives to traditional driving which includes a consistent naming regime for vehicle systems available to consumers today. “We were not expecting such a dramatic decline in trust from previous years,” said Greg Brannon, director…

  • Money & Markets: The economic prospects are not as bad as they seem

    With layoffs of engineers and technologists rolling out at a pace in the US, with venture capital investment imploding around the globe, with the cost of living exploding and the British wrapping up in outdoor wear in their homes to save on suddenly incredibly expensive energy prices, it’s easy to imagine the whole system is coming unstuck. It isn’t, we are all being gaslighted. Gaslighting used to be an incredible technological breakthrough that brought the boon of widespread illumination to humanity. Now this benign meaning is swamped by the idea that gaslighting is the process whereby people are driven mad by the artificial creation of a false sense of reality. This new meaning comes care of an old British movie, remade in the US, and the verbing of its title. 'Gaslight', a sinister…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Escalating boreal forest fires point to carbon ‘time bomb’, scientists warn

    Boreal forests, or taiga, is a biome characterised by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. While they typically account for 10 per cent of global fire carbon dioxide emissions, they contributed 23 per cent in 2021, a new study reports. “Boreal forests could be a time bomb of carbon and the recent increases in wildfire emissions we see make me worry the clock is ticking,” said study author Steven Davis. Extreme wildfires – which impact the climate through the carbon dioxide they emit – have become more common. According to the researchers, wildfires in tropical forests have received notable attention for their emissions, while fires in boreal forests have attracted much less focus. This is despite the fact boreal forests are the world’s largest land…

  • 117 zero-emission buses to take to English roads

    The Department for Transport (DfT) said 117 of the zero-emission vehicles will be rolled out in Yorkshire, Norfolk and Hampshire. The buses will be manufactured in Northern Ireland by Wrightbus and operated by First Bus. FirstGroup, an operator of buses and rail in the United Kingdom, said its capital spending would increase to £120-125m in the full year 2024 as it plans to put in an additional £35m to expand the fleet and electrify the infrastructure. The group secured £25.3m in co-funding from the Zero Emission Buses Regional Area scheme to purchase the vehicles to serve Norfolk County Council; Portsmouth City Council; Hampshire County Council; West Yorkshire Combined Authority and City of York Council. This brings total government funding to almost £300m for up to 1,395 zero-emission…

  • View from Brussels: Bond, Green Bond

    Estimates vary but according to one consultancy, Europe will have to invest €28tn over the next 30 years in order to neutralise greenhouse gas emissions and achieve its ‘first climate-neutral continent’ ambitions. Needless to say, that is a lot of money. Far more than what the public purse can afford and, currently, far more than the level of investment being made in clean energy, low-emission transport and other pollution-busting policies. That is why it has been generally accepted that private capital is going to do most of the heavy lifting and public money is going to have to act as a catalyst or a sweetener for most clean technologies and green projects. Enter the European Union. This week, governments and EU lawmakers agreed on a new set of rules for green bonds, a financial instrument…

  • Industry calls for ‘urgent’ publication of strategy to bolster hydrogen transport

    In the future, hydrogen could be used to fuel vehicles where current battery technologies struggle to provide enough power density such as planes and heavy goods trucks. Hydrogen UK, which represents the industry, has called on the government to publish a strategy with aims to establish a network of refuelling stations by 2030. It also called for an increase in the rollout of more hydrogen ecosystems like the Tees Valley project , which attempts to aggregate various hydrogen demands to reduce the risk of investing in supply. The report benchmarks the UK’s current global position on hydrogen transport deployment against other international economies. “We know that hydrogen has a critical role to play in the decarbonisation of transport and this report highlights the importance of implementing…

  • British-based renewables produced more electricity than gas this winter

    Renewably produced electricity this winter has displaced more than a third of the UK’s entire annual gas demand for power generation, according to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU). Between October 1 and February 28, power generated by wind, hydro and solar reached 47TWh (terawatt hours), the research said. In contrast, generating the same amount of electricity using gas power stations would have required around 95TWh of gas – equal to 110 tankers of liquified natural gas (LNG), which would have potentially increased net gas imports by more than 22 per cent, including gas imported via pipeline. “We’re seeing the old electricity system give way to the new, with renewables becoming the backbone and displacing more and more gas," said Jess Ralston, head of energy at ECIU. …

  • Sponsored: The Electrical Digital Twin

    The Electrical Digital Twin represents the physical components of the electrical network. Connected to field devices, the digital twin allows engineers and operators to manage assets throughout the project lifecycle, run what-if scenarios assessing equipment response under specific conditions and analyse and optimise settings and procedures in a safe virtual environment. This webinar will provide application examples and best practices, demonstrating its value in the areas of: Electrical Safety Efficiency & Sustainability and System Reliability From the design, and analysis to operation and automation - throughout the entire power system lifecycle and across the energy landscape. Register for this webinar to learn about: The concept of Electrical Digital Twin The importance…

  • Health sensors made from seaweed outperform synthetic materials

    Developed by a team at the University of Sussex, the sensors can currently monitor heart rate and temperature and are built using natural elements like rock salt, water and seaweed, combined with graphene. Because they are solely made with ingredients found in nature, they are fully biodegradable, making them more environmentally friendly than commonly used rubber and plastic-based alternatives. Their natural composition also places them within the emerging scientific field of edible electronics as they are safe for human consumption, the team said. The seaweed-based sensors were found to outperform existing synthetic-based hydrogels and nanomaterials used in wearable health monitors in terms of sensitivity and accuracy. Dr Conor Boland, a materials physics lecturer who worked on the…

  • SpaceX launches international crew to ISS in scientific mission

    Nasa's SpaceX Crew-6 mission lifted off at 12:34am EST (05:34am GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission has seen the arrival of the first person of Arab origin intending to stay for an extended time in the ISS, as part of a six-month-long science mission that will study microgravity. UAE's first-ever astronaut launched to orbit in 2019 aboard a Russian spacecraft. The SpaceX launch vehicle consisted of a Falcon 9 rocket topped with an autonomously operated Crew Dragon capsule called Endeavour. Onboard were Nasa's retired Navy submariner Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, the United Arab Emirates' Sultan Al Neyadi, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Fedyaev is the second cosmonaut to fly aboard an American spacecraft under a renewed ride-sharing deal…

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