• Government urged to scrap £10.5bn in road projects to pay for rail upgrades

    Campaigners have urged the government to cancel £10.5bn in road projects and use the money to fund new rail and public transport projects. In a letter to transport secretary Louise Haigh, the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) said the £9bn Lower Thames Crossing (designs pictured) and the £1.5bn A66 Northern Trans-Pennine scheme were “large and unnecessary” road projects. The CBT argues that rather than basing the need for new road schemes on increasing capacity for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), the government should instead invest in rail freight upgrades as an alternative to road building which would free up existing road space “for a fraction of the cost”. Haigh is expected to make a final decision next week on whether to grant a development consent order (DCO) for the Lower Thames…

  • Nasa teams up with Starfish Space on a mission to tackle orbital space junk

    Nasa has awarded a $15m contract to Starfish Space for the agency’s first-ever commercial space debris inspection mission. The Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability mission – known as SSPICY – aims to conduct close inspection of defunct, or inoperable, US-owned satellites in low Earth orbit. Nasa has awarded the $15m SSPICY mission contract to Starfish Space, a space technology company based in Washington in the US, which will have three years to execute the mission. Nasa and Starfish Space took to X to make the announcement: The aim of the SSPICY mission is to help identify whether defunct satellites in low orbit could be repaired or whether they should be deorbited. The aim is to help pave the way for future satellite repair and disposal missions, with the ultimate…

  • Carbon capture and storage needs major boost to reach 2°C climate target

    Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is not expanding fast enough to meet the 2°C climate target set out in the Paris Climate Agreement, a study has found. The study, led by researchers at Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology and Norway’s University of Bergen, says that it’s unlikely that CCS will even expand fast enough to reach the 1.5°C target. CCS technology captures carbon dioxide and stores it deep underground. It is thought to play an important role in many climate mitigation strategies, including net zero targets. However, the study – Feasible deployment of carbon capture and storage and the requirements of climate targets – finds that despite all the talk about CCS, the current use of the technology remains negligible. Jessica Jewell, associate professor at Chalmers University…

  • Apple and Meta snub the EU’s voluntary pact on responsible use of AI

    More than a hundred companies have signed the EU’s AI Pact pledging to use AI responsibly, but while Amazon, Google, Microsoft and OpenAI are among them, Apple and Meta have snubbed the initiative. Pact signatories agree on a set of voluntary commitments about how to use the burgeoning technology. This includes three ‘core actions’ they should adhere to, such as developing an AI governance strategy, identifying AI systems likely to be categorised as high-risk and promoting AI literacy and awareness among staff to ensure ethical and responsible development. The pact is a precursor of sorts to the EU’s AI Act that entered into force across all 27 EU member states on 1 August 2024, although enforcement actions for the majority of its provisions will not commence until August 2026. The AI…

  • Monitoring tech on the ISS to provide insights into climate change and natural disasters

    With its unparalleled view of Earth, the International Space Station (ISS) is being installed with new environmental monitoring technology to improve the ability to observe and understand our planet. Through a commercial payload agreement with Airbus US Space & Defence, supported by the ISS National Laboratory, ISS plays host to a variety of payloads for cutting-edge research and product development. The Airbus payload hosting platform Bartolomeo is attached to the European Columbus Module of the ISS and can accommodate up to 12 different experiment modules, supplying them with power and providing data transmission to Earth. The Airbus team has since added the ArgUS multi-payload carrier – a payload accommodation plate that can host up to 10 smaller payloads within one standard payload…

  • Gigafactory builder Northvolt cuts 1,600 jobs amid weak demand for EVs

    Swedish battery developer Northvolt has announced it is cutting 1,600 jobs as it struggles with a tumultuous market for automotives. The firm, which specialises in building lithium-ion technology for electric vehicles (EVs), was founded in 2015 by former Tesla executives and is seen as one of Europe’s primary competitors to China in the battery manufacturing space. China currently dominates the rest of the world in the race for the most EV battery manufacturing, with nearly 66% of global capacity. Its Northvolt Ett factory, which is located in Skellefteå, northern Sweden, is Europe’s first homegrown gigafactory dedicated to producing lithium-ion batteries. But following a strategic review, the firm said it had “revised the scope” of its operations to focus on accelerating production of…

  • Global shipping off track to meet emissions target by 2030

    The global shipping industry is off track to meet its target of zero-emission fuels accounting for 5% of all fuels by 2030, according to a new report. The report – Progress Towards Shipping’s 2030 Breakthrough – highlights that the next 12 months will prove critical to avoid shipping falling irreparably behind its climate goals. This third annual progress report has been published by the UCL Energy Institute at London’s Global University, UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, and the Getting to Zero Coalition (a Global Maritime Forum initiative). It warns that the majority of actors across the maritime ecosystem – which spans the five ‘system change levers’ of supply, demand, policy, finance and civil society – are moving too slowly to meet the internationally agreed target. Global…

  • From additives to hands free farms: Can technology decarbonise UK agriculture?

    Agriculture in the UK is becoming a climate change laggard, having made almost no reduction in emissions in nearly a decade. With government reluctant to incentivise dietary changes away from emissions-intensive foods, can technology make the difference? In 2022, then environment secretary George Eustice – responding to the Environmental Audit Committee over failures by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to progress its decarbonisation targets – sheepishly diverted to technology. He was “optimistic”, he said, about the role it would play in slashing agricultural emissions. Eustice’s uneasiness before the committee betrayed his predicament. Agriculture contributes less than 1% to the UK economy, but is responsible for around 11% of the country’s total greenhouse…

  • VR tech helps pedestrians and cyclists navigate cities differently to swerve harmful pollutants

    Virtual reality (VR) could be key to reducing the exposure of pedestrians and cyclists to harmful, non-exhaust vehicle emissions, according to a University of Birmingham study. Cyclists and pedestrians in city centres are exposed to numerous particle pollutants through the release of small particles from brakes, tyres and roads. These pollutants, which often cannot be seen by the naked eye, are harmful to human health, putting those in city centres at risk of serious diseases. In a study led by the University of Birmingham, researchers created detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to simulate the release and dispersion of these particles from vehicles. These models helped them identify the key moments in people’s daily journeys where exposure risk is highest. The CFD files…

  • Blue Origin completes crucial second-stage test of New Glenn rocket

    Blue Origin has successfully completed testing on the second stage of its heavy-lift rocket New Glenn, ahead of a hoped-for launch later this year. Jeff Bezos’ space firm originally planned an inaugural flight for 2020. Now, after multiple delays, New Glenn is on the cusp of its first launch, with a mission to carry a prototype Blue Ring spacecraft. Its latest hotfire test marked “a milestone on our road to first flight”, Blue Origin said. The 15-second test marked the first time the vehicle was operated as an integrated system and validated interactions between the subsystems, two BE-3U engines and ground control systems. It also demonstrated the functionality of New Glenn’s three key systems: the tank pressurisation control system, which uses helium to pressurise the liquid hydrogen…

  • Low gravity weakens heart tissue and poses astronaut health risks, space study shows

    Low gravity causes the heart to weaken, a study has found, after bioengineered heart tissue was sent to the International Space Station (ISS). Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, US, wanted to find out what low gravity conditions in space do to the human heart. They placed 48 human bioengineered heart tissue samples on miniature chips, which would collect data about how the tissues beat. The samples were placed in a specifically designed chamber that simulated the environment of a human heart. The chamber was sent to the ISS onboard the SpaceX CRS-20 mission, which launched in March 2020. Upon reaching the ISS, the tissue samples spent 30 days under observation. Scientists received real-time data for 10 seconds every 30 minutes about the tissues’ strength of contraction…

  • Ammonia-powered tugboat completes maiden voyage in carbon-free shipping initiative

    An ammonia-powered tugboat named NH3 Kraken has completed its maiden voyage as part of a research project designed to reduce carbon emissions from shipping. Developed by Amogy, NH3 Kraken was originally constructed in 1957 and has been retrofitted with an ammonia-to-electrical power system. The test voyage took place on a tributary of the Hudson River, upstream from New York City. The huge container ships used to deliver cargo across oceans emit large quantities of air pollutants from their diesel engines, driving climate change and having human health impacts. It has been estimated that maritime shipping accounts for almost 3% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and that the industry’s negative impacts on air quality cause about 100,000 premature deaths each year. Scientists are…

  • AI-driven underwater vehicle performs ‘world’s first’ autonomous inspection of a wind turbine

    A remotely operated device (ROV) driven by AI has conducted a fully autonomous inspection of a wind turbine off the coast of Scotland. Beam, a UK provider of high-tech offshore wind services, used an ROV fitted with specialist technology to perform complex underwater surveys and asset inspections without any human intervention – “the world’s first”. Performing manual underwater inspections of offshore wind turbines is a challenging and labour-intensive process. Beam partnered with the energy company SSE Renewables to perform an inspection campaign on Seagreen, the world’s deepest fixed-bottom offshore wind farm, located off the coast of Scotland. During this campaign, Beam’s ROV was used to inspect the jacket foundations and cables of a wind turbine and stream data directly back to…

  • £3.5bn Mersey Tidal Power scheme reaches two planning milestones

    Planning and public consultations for the Mersey Tidal Power scheme, a major new link between Wirral and Liverpool, are about to get under way. Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said that the £3.5bn Mersey Tidal Power scheme had entered the formal planning process, with the submission of a scoping report to the Planning Inspectorate. It also announced that a six-week public consultation on the scheme would begin on 1 October 2024, offering local people and organisations the opportunity to comment on initial proposals for the scheme. The 700MW Mersey Tidal Power scheme is a ‘first of a kind’ project in the UK, building a barrage across the River Mersey with turbines, sluices and marine navigation locks. The 28 turbines will generate power by turning with the tide. The barrage…

  • Graphene-enhanced asphalt trialled on British roads to boost durability and sustainability

    A new type of asphalt that has been imbued with graphene to improve its resilience is being trialled on British roads by National Highways. The new surfacing material incorporates a graphene-enhanced polymeric additive called Gipave. Graphene is the strongest compound discovered (100-300 times stronger than steel) and acts as a reinforcement to the bitumen film surrounding aggregates in asphalt. The trial surfacing took place on the A12 between Hatfield Peverel and Witham and contained 40% reclaimed asphalt. Previous studies have shown Gipave has improved stiffness and resistance to deformation compared to conventional asphalt while improving its long-term endurance. National Highways plans to monitor the performance of the material on the A12 over several years before considering whether…

  • Engineering nature: How biotech innovations are reshaping the fight against climate change

    From bioengineering large natural systems and tinkering with genes to redesign biology, to copying natural processes with an engineering twist – the world is finding new ways to cut emissions and clean up dirty industries. Can nature, enhanced by human ingenuity, save us from climate change? Bioscientists are scouring the living world for solutions to meet urgent climate goals. Natural carbon sinks already absorb about half the áá in the atmosphere. Estimates vary but by 2050, á agreed targets will depend on removing and storing around 10 gigatonnes of carbon every year. Marian Krueger heads a not-for-profit carbon removal accelerator, Remove. “The scale of the challenge is so vast there’s no single solution that will get us there” she says. “Our task is to use biology as efficiently as…

  • Aviation can achieve net zero by 2050 if immediate action is taken, says report

    Cambridge University has published a report outlining a five-year roadmap to help the aviation sector achieve net zero by 2050. Aviation, which accounts for approximately 3% of total CO2 emissions worldwide, is considered a hard-to-abate sector because of a lack of technologically mature alternatives to traditional jet-fuelled engines, as well as the low scale-up of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production. Despite industry pledges and government action, such as the UK government’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandate, the Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA) argues that the aviation sector still remains significantly off-course in its efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The AIA, a project led by the University of Cambridge and hosted by the university’s Whittle Laboratory…

  • Autonomous robot inspects fusion facility, paving way for safer, cheaper maintenance

    An autonomous robot has been used to inspect the inside of a fusion energy facility for the first time as part of efforts to make maintenance more cost-efficient and safer for humans. The 35-day trial took place at the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Joint European Torus (JET) facility, which until its recent scientific operational shutdown was one of the largest and most powerful fusion research machines in the world. Researchers said the JET facility provided the ideal opportunity to test the ‘AutoInspect’ platform developed by the Oxford Robotics Institute. It used a robot developed by Boston Dynamics called ‘Spot’ to investigate an environment still hazardous after two high-powered deuterium-tritium experiments in the space of three years. The facility consists of a tokamak fusion system…

  • Comment: Labour’s ambitious planning reforms set the stage for Britain’s green energy revamp

    Longest King’s speech in decades sets ambitious planning reforms for a greener future. This summer’s King’s speech in the UK ran to 1,223 words: the longest at a parliamentary state opening since 2005. It included a mammoth 40 bills – a lot, but not unexpected for the first Labour-led administration since 2010. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill – arguably one of the most significant pieces of legislation outlined – aims to streamline the process for approving critical infrastructure and overhaul rules on the compulsory purchase of land. Ultimately, the need to reform the UK’s planning regime is driven by the government’s climate change goals, with energy infrastructure and housebuilding being the most obvious beneficiaries of the bill. In its manifesto, Labour set itself a lofty…

  • Major UK businesses call for energy market reform to ‘drive faster grid decarbonisation’

    Major UK companies have published a report with recommendations to reform the government’s Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) scheme to ensure it supports grid decarbonisation by 2030. Led by international nonprofit organisation Climate Group, the group consists of BT Group, British Land, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, EnergyTag, Good Energy, Google, Pearson, Unilever, Unite Students, Vodafone UK and Virgin Media O2. These signatories have published a report – Unlocking corporate investment in UK renewables – that lays out recommendations to reform the REGO scheme to ensure it more effectively supports the mission of grid decarbonisation. The REGO scheme was designed to provide transparency to consumers about the proportion of electricity that suppliers source from renewable…

  • Starlink’s new satellites have been ‘blinding’ radio telescopes, study reveals

    Radio telescopes could be practically “blinded” by unintended radio waves emitted from the vast constellation of satellites operated by Elon Musk’s Starlink, researchers have said. Starlink can offer broadband internet services to almost any location on Earth using signals beamed down from one of its 6,281 low earth orbit (LEO) satellites. It plans to add thousands more to make the service more robust. Netherlands researchers made observations with the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) radio telescope last year that showed that first generation Starlink satellites emit unintended radio waves that can hinder astronomical observations. However, new observations show that the second-generation ’V2-mini’ Starlink satellites emit up to 32 times brighter unintended radio waves than satellites from…

  • E+T Off The Page: Biotechnology was going to change the world - but has it delivered?

    Biotechnology was going to change the world - but has it delivered?

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Researchers find no evidence that AI-generated content impacted recent European elections

    AI-generated disinformation and deepfakes did not meaningfully impact election results in the UK, France and the European Parliament this year, according to research by The Alan Turing Institute. When the UK and France both announced snap elections for July 2024 (the month after the planned European Parliament election), concerns were raised over the potential role of generative AI in interfering with voting processes and spreading disinformation. The Alan Turing Institute, the UK’s national institute for data science and AI, conducted an evidence-based analysis of the influence of generative AI during these elections throughout June and July 2024. Researchers from the Centre for Emerging Technology and Security (CETaS) at The Alan Turing Institute identified just 16 confirmed viral cases…

  • India’s coal mining ambitions risk ‘profound’ short-term global warming, report warns

    India’s plan to ramp up coal mining by 2030 could significantly increase its methane emissions, which may significantly exacerbate climate change, a report has found. The energy think tank Ember has called on India to urgently develop a robust national policy to address methane emissions from coal mines. Methane is a greenhouse gas thought to have a global warming effect more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide. It is thought to be responsible for 20% to 30% of climate warming since the Industrial Revolution, although it dissipates much faster in the atmosphere – only around 12 years compared to centuries for carbon dioxide. While India has been ramping up its solar power generation at an impressive rate, unprecedented increases in electricity demand are still outpacing the…

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