The report, a collaboration between Bupa Global, India & UK (BGIUK), Swagֱ�� and The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, aims to tackle the issues faced by the healthcare sector, currently responsible for almost

The report explores the financial, operational and logistical challenges of reducing organisations’ environmental footprints, plus opportunities to reduce emissions, update clinical practices to reduce environmental impact, engage employees and work with supply-chains.

Included is a showcase of best practice from hospital and technology providers, NHS trusts, insurers and industry and sustainability associations. It adds to a growing body of work and pulls together best practice examples with practical actions for healthcare providers.

The report also features a practical scorecard that allows organisations to measure progress against carbon reduction best practice and take forward practical actions in five key action areas:

• Supply chain – the largest proportion of a healthcare organisation’s carbon impact
• Healthcare estates – which make up 18% of all healthcare provision emissions
• Travel and transport – which makes up 4% of an organisation’s emissions footprint
• Clinical practice – including reassessing clinical pathways to provide care that’s best for patients and the planet
• Governance and staff – the importance of high quality governance and engagement when making change

The launch took place in central London at an event attended by over 100 healthcare leaders, providers and industry partners who had a chance to hear in depth about the recommendations of the report and see the scorecard in action.

Also in attendance were suppliers and collaborators Bupa is working with as part of its aims to become a net zero business by 2040, including Upcycled Medical (medical uniforms made from recycled plastic and wood pulp), Sagetech Medical (anaesthetics gases capture and recycling system) and Naked Energy (solar energy providers).

The report is available to download .

Anna Russell, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Director for BGIUK said: “At Bupa, we believe that the health of people and the health of our planet are inextricably linked, and this means we have a big responsibility to make a better world for the generations to come.

“Across the healthcare sector we share a responsibility to reduce the environmental impact of healthcare while upholding high standards of patient care. We hope that this report will serve as a useful roadmap for organisations and that we can work together on common challenges to reach our environmental goals.”

Lou Cordwell, Professor of Innovation and Special Advisor to the President & Vice-Chancellor at Swagֱ�� said: “We're delighted to launch this first project as part of the University's strategic innovation collaboration with Bupa. This report leverages the incredible sustainability expertise of the Tyndall team to create a valuable tool that we're confident will be hugely impactful across the Bupa business and partner network as well as the wider industry.”

Organised by , the workshop provided an engaging platform for sharing the latest advancements in SF₆ leak mitigation, lifecycle management of SF₆ alternatives, retrofill replacement interventions, and new applications for high-voltage systems. The event featured insightful presentations from industry leaders, including Hitachi Energy, GE Vernova and Siemens Energy, and concluded with closing remarks from NGET.

Attendees were offered technical tours of the National Graphene Institute and High Voltage Laboratory, showcasing state-of-the-art research facilities. The event included representatives from network utilities across Great Britain, Ireland and France, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange.

The workshop demonstrated the commitment of key industry players to advance SF₆ alternatives and pave the way for more sustainable power systems in the future.

Led by Professor Deborah Greaves at the University of Plymouth, the Supergen ORE Hub includes co-directors from a consortium of ten universities. From Swagֱ��, serves as a Co-Director and is an Early Career Researcher (ECR) Co-Lead.

The report, aimed at researchers, industry, policymakers, and the public, summarises the current impacts of climate change and the UK’s progress in reducing carbon emissions. It outlines offshore renewable energy deployment pathways needed for a just, sustainable and secure energy transition, with 2040 identified as a key milestone towards the UK 2050 Net Zero goals.

Key findings from the report include:

• Achieving 100 GW of offshore wind energy by 2040 is critical, requiring a nearly seven times increase in capacity. Radical innovation is essential to optimise and scale up growth.
• Tidal stream energy has the potential to grow alongside offshore wind and could reach over 11 GW of capacity in UK waters. Rapid progress is required, to deliver the EU SET Plan target of 6 GW deployment of tidal stream by 2050.
• Wave energy has significant potential, with an estimated exploitable resource of 25 GW in the UK. Deployment of 12 GW of wave and tidal stream by 2050 could add £40 billion GVA to the UK economy and reduce energy balancing costs by £1 billion annually. Investment in innovation over the next decade is crucial to achieving this potential.

Professor Tim Stallard said: “The ORE Outlook 2040 report highlights the high potential for Offshore Renewable Energy sources to contribute to the UK meeting its Net Zero goals. The growth required cannot be realised by upscaling current approaches alone and urgent action is needed to accelerate innovation and deployment.”

The report also explores ORE development through lenses of planning and consenting, people, supply chain, and infrastructure and grid. Investment in research and innovation is highlighted as crucial to de-risking new technologies, reducing costs, improving performance and ensuring the UK retains its technological leadership on the global stage.

The Supergen ORE Hub, established by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), aims to deliver strategic and coordinated research on sustainable power generation and supply.

This ambitious project funded through Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) Beta Phase, a competition ran by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Ofgem, is part of an initiative designed to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the UK’s power grid. 

With £2.4 million in new funding for Swagֱ��, the research will build on ’s work for SF₆-free retrofill intervention techniques that could supplant SF₆ without having to replace or significantly modify existing SF₆-designed equipment. These investigations, in partnership with NGET, were named ‘Best Innovation in Net Zero and Sustainability’ at the 2022’s E&T Innovation Awards.  

This project will be led by Dr Tony Chen, Reader in High Voltage Engineering in Swagֱ��’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He will be joined by , Professor in Chemical Engineering, and , Professor in Artificial Intelligence.  

The impact of this project is expected to be wide-ranging and could lead to significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. 

The project will further develop aspects of SF₆ management based on findings in its alpha phase and will explore the challenges and opportunities in SF₆ replacement and management.  

The projects areas of focus include comparing different intervention strategies, developing energy-efficient methods for disposing SF₆, modelling of SF₆ leakage from switchgear equipment to better inform asset management strategy, and studying alternative gas blends that could replace SF₆ in the longer term through retrofill intervention. These efforts are expected to lead to significant technological advancements, providing solutions that could be applied to other sectors that use SF₆, such as high-voltage particle accelerators and future electrified transportation systems. 

This initiative could make a substantial contribution to the UK’s carbon reduction targets. If successful, its strategies for extending the lifespan of industry assets would also ensure a more reliable operation, lead to lower energy bills for consumers, and reduce the overall costs of running the national electricity network.  

By working with policymakers, industry leaders, and international standards bodies, the Swagֱ�� team are aiming to shape global regulations, continuing to position the UK as a leader in sustainable energy solutions. Their vital research could make a significant contribution to world-wide efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector, helping to close the gap between an unsustainable present and a more sustainable future. 

The UK’s new Labour government has made a bold decision. The new minister for local government, Angela Rayner, has announced that the government would for a new coal mine near Whitehaven in Cumbria, which had been approved two years ago by the then Conservative government.

Rayner’s intervention follows a recent making it harder for new sites of fossil fuel extraction to be approved. Pointing to the implications of the court’s decision, she argued that there had been an “error in law” when Michael Gove, the minister at the time, had given the coal mine the go ahead in 2022.

The mine’s developers still want to go ahead, and a legal challenge by environmental campaigners is being , with a ruling expected later this summer. But, with its decision to withdraw its defence, the government has confirmed that it understands the need to decisively turn away from new fossil fuel extraction. This is good news.

But to rise to the challenge, the government must do much more. It must now show it understands what it means to decisively put the UK on a path towards clean energy while still recognising the importance of economic and social justice.

One of Keir Starmer’s pledges prior to becoming prime minister was to reform planning. He used eye-catching language, promising to the existing planning system to take out (those who say: “not in my back yard”) ostensibly standing in the way of progress.

In Cumbria, the nimbys have a point

But there is an unfortunate irony in how Starmer’s position relates to the Cumbria mine. In Cumbria the ostensible were environmental campaigners pointing out that the mine would add into the atmosphere a year if it got the go ahead. They rightly argued that this would be indefensible in the middle of a climate crisis caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Without their intervention, the mine might already be in operation.

The planning system doesn’t need destroying, as Starmer’s language would suggest. As one of us (Gareth Fearn) , the challenge centres instead on revitalising planning as a public service, such that a new lease of life can be breathed into it.

In recent years, the UK’s planning system has been hollowed out due to austerity. Funding for local government fell by and planning departments shrunk as their work was to private-sector consultants. Meanwhile, the amount of work these departments have been expected to do has, if anything, increased.

This is an untenable situation. To achieve a rapid, just transition the planning system needs to be properly supported so that it can proactively steer the net zero transition, and communities can have a real say on development in their areas.

The alternative is that local areas are left at the mercy of speculative developers who will invest in what is most profitable, rather than what most effectively meets public needs. In a context where green industry often offers less return on capital than or high-end real estate, a deregulatory approach risks forcing local areas to choose between high-carbon speculative development or no development at all, as had happened in Cumbria.

Green policies, resources and community power

We want to see Labour take three steps to get the country on the right path. First, the new government must draw a much clearer connection between decarbonisation and planning policy when it this summer. This would remove ambiguities about new fossil fuel extraction and would mean putting in place strong policies for new, green industries like the government has already done with .

Second, Labour desperately needs to provide more resources to local government so councils and regional mayors can use in house planning expertise, rather than relying on expensive, private-sector consultants. This is at odds with chancellor Rachel Reeves’ approach, which seems to covertly embrace and is reliant on the finance and preferences of the assembled to deliver infrastructure with little public control or ownership.

Third, and most importantly, communities need to be empowered to make genuine choices between alternatives. This is especially important for areas like Cumbria, with its long history of coal mining, or Aberdeen with its offshore oil, where green alternatives are as not as culturally embedded as carbon-intensive industries.

Coal in Cumbria has more than economic value. As one of us (Pancho Lewis) argued in , coal is folded into the area’s history and continues to signal a desirable future for many people. This isn’t because people aren’t concerned about climate change. They are. It’s because coal is a familiar industry which delivered “proper”, reliable jobs in the past and, in the context of proposals for a new mine, promised to continue to do so in the years ahead.

The government must respond by working hand in glove with communities to shape a net zero future that is meaningful to them. This is about delivering reliable jobs that people need and rolling out industry which can provide continuity with the past. Doing this requires forward planning and creative thinking, so that the net zero transition .

The new Labour government’s decision to oppose the mine is good news. But for the energy transition to be successful there need to be opportunities in new industries around the country. This requires a public planning system which is back on its feet and for the public to have meaningful stakes in new projects from local to national government. Labour must rise to the moment.

, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, and , Researcher, Lancaster Environment Centre,

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

The study, published in by scientists at Swagֱ�� and led by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), has found that currents sped up, slowed down, changed direction, and sometimes reversed direction completely, depending on the varying and uneven surfaces and features found on the ocean floor.

Previous models suggested that these currents would be continuous and steady. These findings will help scientists to understand the deep-sea pathways of nutrients that sustain deep-sea ecosystems, as well as assessing where microplastics and other pollutants accumulate in the ocean.

By better understanding how deep-sea currents interact with the seafloor, scientists can now more accurately interpret the deposits they leave behind. Those deposits act as long-term recorders of past climate change and can provide important clues about the potential impacts of future ocean changes. 

The seafloor is the final destination for particles such as sand, mud, organic carbon that provides food for seafloor organisms, and even pollutants. Accumulations of these particles in the deep sea are used to reconstruct past climates, natural hazards and ocean conditions. This provides valuable archives of climate change that extends far beyond historical records.

The lead scientist on the project, Dr Mike Clare of NOC, said: “It is important to understand the behaviour and pathways of currents that operate in the deep sea, to determine pathways of natural and human-made particles. This information helps identify where pollution is coming from, which ecosystems it will interact with, and how to make sense of the records preserved in deposits.

“However, there have been very few direct measurements made of currents that flow across the seafloor in deep waters. Most are made high above the seafloor, over short timescales, and only at individual locations. Until now we have not understood how dynamic seafloor currents can be in the deep sea.”

The new study, which involved researchers from the UK, Canada, Germany and Italy, analysed data from an extensive array of sensors to determine the variability in seafloor currents over four years. Thirty-four deep sea moorings were deployed in up to 2.5 km water depths, equipped with high-frequency Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers - likened to an underwater speed camera that measures seafloor currents.

The study’s lead author, Dr Lewis Bailey, formerly of NOC and now at University of Calgary, said “The ocean bottom currents offshore Mozambique are far more variable than we expected. Just like currents in the upper ocean, their intensity changes between seasons and can even flip backwards and forwards over the course of several hours.”

from Swagֱ��, and a co-author of the study, added: “Seeing how these currents behave is a bit like observing the weather in Swagֱ�� - always changing and often surprising. But observing change in the deep sea is really challenging and, until now, we have had a poor understanding of what background conditions are like in the deep-sea.”

Professor Elda Miramontes from the University of Bremen, also a co-author of the study, said: “These are the first measurements of deep-sea currents across such a large area, long duration and so close to the seafloor. This makes them extremely valuable as they will help improve our models for reconstructing past changes related to climate change in the ocean.”

Dr Mike Clare of NOC, added: “The deep sea can be extremely dynamic and this study underlines the importance of sustained observations, which provide critical information on understanding the ocean. More detailed observations are critical for understanding the important role bottom currents play in transporting sediment, carbon and pollutants across our planet.”

The full study “Highly variable deep-sea currents over tidal and seasonal timescales” was published in Nature Geoscience: .

High performing but costly 
LEAs - unlike traditional electronics, which are typically manufactured on small and rigid substrates like silicon wafers – are made on much larger, often flexible, substrates. This means electronic components can be integrated into different surfaces and materials. Examples of LEAs include: TV sets; mobile phone and tablet screens that can bend or roll (Samsung's Galaxy Fold and LG's flexible OLED displays are good examples); wearable electronics like smart clothing, fitness trackers, and health monitoring devices; printed solar cells; and interactive displays used in e-readers like the Amazon Kindle, which mimic the appearance of ink on paper. 

LAEs are an emerging field. However, their rapid growth brings challenges like the availability of essential materials, energy-efficient manufacturing, device performance, and product end-of-life solutions. One major challenge in producing LAEs is balancing the users’ desire for functionality with the need to reduce costs. To address this, LAEs are currently combined with silicon chips. However, while this supports functionality, it increases carbon emissions significantly. 

Rethinking manufacturing 
To tackle this issue, Thomas Anthopoulos with his team at Swagֱ�� is undertaking fundamental research designed to rethink manufacturing methods. His goal is to look at the fundamental science and develop scalable and energy efficient techniques that can produce LAEs capable of seamlessly integrating with the existing electronics infrastructure, while enabling additional functionalities. 

Addressing manufacturing bottlenecks 
Building on previous research focused on LEAs, Professor Anthopoulos will look to advance LAEs by addressing crucial manufacturing bottlenecks such as the trade-off between high throughput production and high precision patterning. His approach comprises four research thrusts that aim to address these key aspects and include: 

1. Developing new patterning paradigms for scalable and sustainable production of LAEs. 
2. Demonstrating energy-efficient material growth methods. 
3. Exploring eco-friendly materials that are abundant. 
4. Demonstrate advanced LAEs that can interact with the existing electronic infrastructure. 

Maximising impact 
Delivering a paradigm shift in how LAEs with nanometre-size critical features are manufactured, is the core aim of this programme. By addressing the fundamental science, Professor Anthopoulos aims to deliver research that benefit the economy, academia, and society. 

For industry, the outcome of this research has the potential to empower UK companies. For example, the global LAEs market is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years. This prediction, however, relies on the technology being adopted successfully in various emerging areas. Thus, access to innovative technologies can help UK companies remain frontrunners and capture this market, benefiting everyone involved. 

In the academic world, Professor Anthopoulos’s approach will create new knowledge about sustainable electronics, encourage collaboration between different fields, advance sustainable electronics, train junior researchers, and attract top talent to the UK. 

The program will also benefit the public. Sustainable production of LAEs will enable new electronic functions with minimal environmental impact, while easing society’s reliance on polluting silicon chips. These innovative technologies will create new possibilities in personal health, education, entertainment, among other, positively impacting society. 

Professor Anthopoulos explains more about his approach. “I am interested in fundamental research that has potential for practical applications. I very much enjoying approaching a problem from a different viewpoint and pursuing cross-disciplinary research is a key element of it. Swagֱ�� has a rich history, with the isolation of graphene serving as a prime example of how a new perspective can lead to groundbreaking discoveries.” 

“I am also a firm believer in multidisciplinary collaboration; trying to increase the impact of my work by working with people with different expertise while learning new things. Swagֱ�� has a strong reputation in large-area electronics, including flexible and printed electronics, advanced functional materials, and manufacturing. Crucially, we are home to unique facilities like the National Graphene Institute (NGI), the Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials, and the Photon Science Institute, all located on campus, and all unique in the UK. Moreover, the university’s extensive partnerships with industry leaders offer additional opportunities for further collaborations, networking, and potential commercialization of promising research findings.

“Last but not least, the university has a global reputation in climate change, sustainability, and energy policy. This makes Swagֱ�� the ideal place for my research, which at its very heart is aimed at making electronics of the future more sustainable and valuable to our society.” 

About Thomas Anthopoulos 
Thomas Anthopoulos is Professor of Emerging Optoelectronics at Swagֱ��. He is recognised as a world-leading expert in the science and technology of large-area optoelectronics with ground-breaking contributions to the advancement of soluble organic and inorganic semiconductors. Recent examples include the development of printable Schottky diodes with record operating frequency (Nature Electronics 2020), rapid and scalable manufacturing methods for radio frequency diodes using light (Nature Communications 2022), and the development of record-efficient printed organic photovoltaics featuring self-assembled molecular interlayers (ACS Energy Letters 2020; Advanced Energy Materials 2022). 

Related papers  

The Photon Science Institute (PSI)
The PSI enables and catalyses world-leading science and innovation using the tools of cutting-edge photonics, spectroscopy, and imaging. Its lead pioneering research in photonic, electronic and quantum materials and devices, advanced instrumentation development, and BioPhotonics and bioanalytical spectroscopy.

To discuss this research further, contact Professor Anthopoulos at thomas.anthopoulos@manchester.ac.uk

• Feature-Enhanced Representation with Transformers for Multi-View Stereo 
• High-Frequency Channel Attention and Contrastive Learning for Image Super-Resolution 
• A Divide-and-Conquer Machine Learning Approach for Modelling Turbulent Flows 
•  
• DRLFluent: A distributed co-simulation framework coupling deep reinforcement learning with Ansys-Fluent on high-performance computing systems 
• Manifold-enhanced CycleGAN for facial expression synthesis 

To discuss this research or potential partnerships, contact Professor Yin at hujun.yin@manchester.ac.uk.
 

In a major move towards achieving its 2038 zero carbon ambitions, the University has partnered with leading UK clean energy company Enviromena to buy electricity generated from its brand-new solar farm based in Medebridge, Essex.

Once complete, Medebridge Solar Farm will comprise 104,000 solar panels across 175 acres of low-grade agricultural land, the equivalent of around 70 football pitches.

The site will also create a significant biodiversity net gain. With enhancements to the existing hedgerows and planting of native grassland and wildflower meadow beneath and around the solar arrays, the site will encourage nesting opportunities for wildlife and improved habitat connectivity.

The contract that secures this investment, known as a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (cPPA), commits the University to purchase 80% of Medebridge’s total annual generation capacity (58 GWh) for the next decade, reducing University carbon emissions by 12,000 t/co2 every year - enough to power 21,000 homes.

Lee Barlow, Finance & Administration Manager, and Project Lead at Swagֱ��, said: “After nearly three years of rigorous procurement and negotiations, we are proud to announce this landmark agreement, which reinforces our commitment to sustainability whilst delivering best value to our students and stakeholders, in the form of price certainty and supply stability.

“The journey has been marked by unprecedented challenges in the energy and renewables sector, first with the 2022 energy crisis, and later complicated by geopolitical events in Eastern Europe. Securing this 10-year cPPA despite such adversity is a huge accomplishment and holds special significance as we celebrate the University’s bicentennial year.”

and Academic Lead for Carbon at Swagֱ��, added: “The really important thing for us in developing this relationship was that our commitment would add new renewable energy capacity to the UK electricity system. Through our long-term purchasing commitment, we have played a key role in bringing this development forward – maximising the positive impact of our purchasing power.”

Dr Julian Skyrme, Director of Social Responsibility at Swagֱ��, added: “As consumers many of us may have ‘green’ or renewable energy tariff. These are important, but they don’t put ‘additional’ renewable power into the grid in the same way as a power purchase agreement. By signing a PPA we’re supporting not only a greener University of Swagֱ��, but also a greener energy grid across the UK. This PPA is part of a much wider transition away from burning fossil fuels and towards generating significantly more cleaner, electrified forms of power.”

This milestone achievement was made possible through the collaborative efforts of a multidisciplinary implementation team from the University, complemented by the expertise of its energy consultant, Inspired PLC, and Eversheds Sutherland acting as external legal counsel.

Enviromena develops, builds, owns and operates renewable energy assets and currently manages over 300MW of renewables projects. In addition, Enviromena is currently working on a 3GW+ pipeline of renewable energy projects in the UK and Italy that will significantly decarbonise electricity networks, reduce emissions and support the global drive towards net zero.

Lee Adams, Enviromena’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Enviromena is leading the charge towards a world powered by clean energy and our teams are delivering high volume projects that make a massive contribution to lowering carbon emissions. This significant partnership with Swagֱ�� demonstrates the shared commitment between ourselves and an influential, large-scale organisation, which, at the time it celebrates its 200-year anniversary, is taking steps towards reducing its carbon footprint through the technologies of tomorrow for a cleaner future energy supply."

Chris Marsh, Enviromena’s Chief Executive Officer, added: “We’re delighted to partner with the University to support their zero carbon ambitions. In addition to reducing the University’s carbon emissions over the next 10 years, the site itself will benefit the local habitat over its useful life until mid-2060.” 

Construction of Medebridge commenced in April 2024, with energisation expected in autumn 2025.

The University has set ambitious goals to reduce its environmental impact, in line with its core goal of social responsibility. In 2022 it ended investments in coal, oil and gas and reduced the carbon intensity of its investments by 37%.

All degree programmes are kite-marked against the (SDGs) and the University is rated top in the UK and Europe and second in the world in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings global performance table (2023). Swagֱ�� also top in the UK and Europe and third in the world in the independent QS World University Sustainability Rankings (2024)

The research platform brings together the unique depth and breadth of internationally leading research at Swagֱ�� and builds on the University’s track record of successful interdisciplinary working, to produce integrated and truly sustainable solutions to urgent environmental challenges. This includes the , which helped create the University’s Zero Carbon Goal.

The Nile is one of the longest rivers globally and spreads over 11 countries in East Africa, supplying water, energy production, environmental quality and cultural wealth. However, the use of Nile resources has been a long-standing source of tension, often overshadowing opportunities for cooperation and mutual benefit.

But as the demand for energy, water, and food in Africa is steadily increasing, the study, led by Swagֱ�� in collaboration with regional organisations, offers a glimmer of hope at a resolution.

The research, published today in the journal , moves away from traditional water-centric agreements, and presents a detailed simulation of the combined energy-water system to reveal how different scenarios of international energy trades could help alleviate the Nile water conflict.

First author Dr Mikiyas Etichia from Swagֱ��, said: “Traditionally, water disputes in transboundary river basins like the Nile have been approached through a water-centric viewpoint. However, sharing benefits of water resources, such as hydro-generated electricity, crops and fisheries can result in a win-win situation.”

Co-author Dr Mohammed Basheer, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, added: “In the Nile Basin, energy-river basin benefit-sharing projects have been implemented in the past at a small scale, but detailed tools like the one presented in the paper can help create actionable large-scale proposals.”

At the heart of the dispute lies the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) - a large dam on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia constructed to improve Ethiopia's electricity access and to export electricity to neighbouring countries. The project sparked tensions between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt over water rights and access.

The simulator, designed by the scientists using open-source technology, covers 13 East African countries, including those within the Nile Basin, to model potential energy trade agreements between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt.

By increasing electricity trade, countries can simultaneously address water deficits, boost hydropower generation, reduce energy curtailment, and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Corresponding author from Swagֱ��, said: “The energy trades tested in this study provide the countries a range of solutions that are likely in their national interest.

“The study highlights the value of detailed multisector simulation to unpick the complex interdependencies of large multi-country resource systems. Implementation of the arrangements proposed here would need to be further assessed from governance and legal perspectives to become viable proposals. If successful, they could contribute to sustainable resource management and regional stability.

“We are hopeful the new analytical tools or their results will be taken up by the negotiating parties.”

Common informal recycling activities for lead-acid batteries used in solar energy systems were recorded to release 3.5-4.7 kg of lead pollution from a typical battery, which is equivalent to more than 100 times the lethal oral dose of lead for an adult.

Off-grid solar technologies are used to provide power to areas lacking traditional grid connections and are crucial for expanding electricity access across sub-Saharan Africa. The private market for off-grid solar electrification technologies is expected to provide electricity access to hundreds of millions of people by 2030, subsidized by global energy companies in the Global North, including the UK. Meanwhile, household scale off-grid solar energy systems in sub-Saharan Africa mostly depend on lead-acid batteries as the most affordable and established energy storage technology.

But the scientists warn that the absence of formal waste management infrastructure presents major human health and environmental risks and urge government intervention immediately.

This research, published today in the journal , was led by Dr Christopher Kinally for his PhD at Swagֱ��, funded by EPSRC.

Dr Kinally said: “The private market for off-grid solar products is a very effective way to increase access to electricity, which is crucial for sustainable development. However, the resulting toxic waste flow is growing rapidly across regions that do not have the infrastructure to safely manage electronic waste.

“Without developing infrastructure, legislation and education around these technologies, there are severe public health risks. Significant social, economic and legislative interventions are required for these solar products to be considered as a safe, low-carbon technology in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Toxic informal waste management practices are known to be common for automotive batteries and electronic waste in low- and middle-income countries, but the environmental and health impacts of these practices have been widely overlooked. Now, efforts to promote sustainable development and electricity access are adding to these life-threatening waste streams.

Dr Kinally recorded that within suburban communities in Malawi, lead-acid batteries from solar energy systems are being refurbished openly on busy market streets by self-taught technicians, who are not aware of the toxicity of the materials they are handling.

He found that batteries are broken open with machetes, lead is melted over charcoal cooking stoves, and improvised lead battery cells are made by hand. In the process, approximately half of the lead content from each battery is leaked into the surrounding environment, releasing the equivalent of more than 100 lethal oral lead doses from a single battery into densely populated communities. 

This is the first data to quantify lead pollution from the informal recycling of lead-acid batteries from solar energy systems.  

Dr Alejandro Gallego Schmid, primary supervisor of the PhD and Senior Lecturer in Circular Economy and Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment at Swagֱ��, added: “The problem is not the use a renewable source like solar energy, but the lack of appropriate treatment of the batteries at the end of life. We urgently need further research to reveal the health impacts of the identified flows of toxic pollution from solar batteries.”

Lead is a potent neurotoxin, and very low levels of lead exposure is known to permanently impact a child’s brain development. UNICEF have estimated that 800 million children across low- and middle-income countries have lead poisoning.

This widespread lead pollution is largely driven by improperly managed automotive battery waste and is expected to have substantial health and economic impacts across the Global South yet continues to be overlooked.  

Prior publications from the research team also highlight that the private off-grid solar market suffers from a general lack of supplier accountability and substandard, short-lived and counterfeit off-grid solar products were found to be common in Malawi, exploiting vulnerable energy-poor populations.

A lack of education about how to build and use these solar energy systems, which are particularly vulnerable to damage from improper use, is also severely limiting the lifetimes of batteries in off-grid solar energy systems.

Batteries in Malawi were recorded to often fail within a year, far shorter than the 3-5 year expected lifetime, accelerating the toxic waste flow. Meanwhile, the environmental impacts (including carbon emissions) from manufacturing and replacing short lived lead-acid batteries is compromising the sustainability and environmental benefits of solar energy systems.

Dr Fernando Antoñanzas, co-supervisor of the PhD, added: “This study brings more light on the maintenance and end-of-life phases of small off-grid solar projects, indeed left unattended in most cooperation projects. While informal lead-acid battery recycling offers a short-term solution for electrification for the poorest, at the same time, represents an enormous public health risk across Sub-Saharan Africa."

The research team has also provided policy recommendations for waste management solutions, including changes to how solar energy companies receive investments from the UK and Global North.

Atmospheric chemists from the , University of Swagֱ��, and University of York are working together to quantify the gases and aerosols that come from stoves in people’s homes. 

Wood burners - the biggest sources of small particulate matter nationwide

The popularity of using wood burners has increased in recent years, in response to severe cold snaps and the rising cost of gas and electricity. 

In the UK, wood burning in homes is the main direct source of airborne particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter (known as PM2.5), and accounts for a high fraction of particles with carcinogenic potential in urban areas. 

Exposure to PM2.5 particles can result in serious health impacts - especially for elderly people and people with respiratory illnesses. 

Stove in a lab - a scientific test facility to capture wood burner emissions

Scientists are using a state-of-the-art test facility, in a Swagֱ��-based laboratory, to study emissions from domestic heating stoves. 

By using a wood burner in a controlled environment alongside specialised pollution monitoring equipment, researchers are replicating a range of conditions and real-life scenarios.

Dr Marvin Shaw, research scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science and the University of York, said: “Recent studies of combustion in household woodburners suggest that operational conditions, such as ignition, reloading, maloperation and use of unconventional fuels are a large and unaccounted for source of pollution in the UK. This project brings together national expertise in order to understand how the operation of these wood burners affects the emissions of gas and particulate pollutants.”

The high-resolution data they are collecting will begin to build a detailed insight into real-time emissions during stove operation in people’s homes. 

, a research scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science and Swagֱ��, explained: “Currently emissions predictions assume that wood burners are operated correctly and the appropriate fuels are used. However, we suspect that many wood burners are not used correctly, with people likely to overstack fuel or burn unseasoned woods. Our laboratory experiments will investigate the effects of gas emissions that condense in the air and form particulate matter after they are emitted." 

The air pollution research project they are working on, known as CondensabLe AeRosol from non Ideal Stove Emissions - CLARISE, brings together expertise in biomass burning experiments, emissions monitoring, atmospheric complexity analysis, and regional modelling.

The initiative, funded by a Defra Air Quality Grant, seeks to understand the motivations behind burning solid fuels in homes and gardens, improve community knowledge and influence behaviour and improve public health in Greater Swagֱ��.

Smoke from log burners, domestic fires and garden bonfires contain tiny particles called particulate matter (PM2.5) that can damage people’s health, increasing the risk of respiratory conditions, such as asthma, and lead to more serious health conditions. 

The study – led by Swagֱ�� on behalf of Greater Swagֱ��’s 10 councils – aims to understand the link between household burning practices (indoor and outdoor) and local air quality.

Over the next two years, the research partnership will help inform a public health campaign across the city region to raise awareness around the negative impacts of domestic burning, with the aim to reduce particulate matter emissions through reduced and cleaner burning habits.

The survey will run until February 2024 and invites both people who burn at home and those that do not to take part.

Those that complete the survey can enter a draw to win one of five food vouchers. The link to the survey can be found

In conjunction with the study, Greater Swagֱ�� has launched an to educate residents about the health impacts and regulations surrounding domestic burning. Over 40 air quality monitors will be strategically placed across the region to better understand the link between domestic burning and PM2.5 air pollution.

The study is one of many research projects at the University which is looking into the

Residents who do need to burn this winter are being encouraged to follow these guidelines:   

• Find out if you are in a – if so your stove needs to be Defra-exempt and you must only use approved fuel.    
• Only burn clean seasoned wood with a moisture content of less than 20% or dried for a minimum of two years, or use ‘Ready to Burn’ approved manufactured solid fuels.   
• Do not burn rubbish or general waste.   
• Get your chimney swept each year and your stove checked.   
• Do not let your fire smoulder overnight. 

Take part in the survey

Their Wellcome Trust funded study, published in Nature Microbiology could spell disaster for patients with aspergillosis - a dangerous fungal disease responsible for the deaths of millions of people worldwide.

With few treatment options for patients, aspergillus has developed widespread drug resistance to one class of drugs, known as the azoles.

The resistance is caused by the use of fungicides in agriculture, known as DMIs, increasing the risk of mortality from aspergillosis from 40% to up to 80%.

However, F2G Ltd – a spin out company from Swagֱ�� – invested more than £250 million over 20 years on a new antifungal drug called olorofim, which is in late-stage clinical trials and aims to be clinically deployed within the next few years.

The scientists argue that because olorofim works against azole resistant infections it could save many lives of affected patients.

However, a newly developed fungicide crop spray called ipflufenoquin has been approved for use in the USA, under the trade name Kinoprol, and could severely impact on the new drug because it has the same biological target and kills the fungi the same way as olorofim.

Exposure of Aspergillus in the environment to Kinoprol could make it resistant to olorofim, rendering the treatment ineffective before it can even be deployed in the clinic, say the scientists.

The research team exposed Aspergillus to ipflufenoquin in the lab and then assessed resistance to olorofim. Genetic mutations that cause changes in the antifungals target gene provide resistance to ipflufenoquin but also provide resistance to olorofim.

Scientists have long known that environmental use of fungicides – which farmers need to keep their crops free of fungal infection – has the potential to drive resistance to other clinical antifungals.

Researchers also believe that composting of waste from farms is causing accumulation of fungicides in environments where Aspergillus likes to grow.

Wind currents, intensive farming, and transport of commercial composts can disperse the drug-resistant fungal spores further into the environment and end up in our gardens, bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms.

Most healthy people are unaffected by Aspergillus, but population groups including the elderly, cancer patients, and the immunosuppressed of all ages are at greater risk of serious illness which destroys the lungs.

Lead author , a Wellcome Trust research fellow at Swagֱ�� said: “We are all very excited about olorofim but when we found out that regulatory approval was sought for ipflufenoquin and its mode of action was same as olorofim, we immediately felt alarmed.

“Making a novel fungicide for humans is very difficult and costs millions of pounds.

“But it is desperately needed, as the few classes of drugs for Aspergillus infection available at present don’t give all of the seriously ill patients a viable treatment option.

“That is why olorofim is such an exciting prospect for patients and why we must lobby the regulatory authorities to implement a risk assessment strategy for the dual use of antifungals in agriculture and clinic.”

But indirect implications to human health are not taken into account during the approval process, which is why researchers, collaborators, and clinical teams are lobbying hard for the authorities to risk assess any new fungicide.

Corresponding author Prof Mike Bromley, who is a former employee of F2G Limited and co-lead of the Fungal AMR and One Health Network, said: “It is devastating that the efforts that so many have made in development of olorofim are being put at risk by the lack of appropriate legislation that would prevent the release of fungicides without consideration of the risks to driving drug resistance in human pathogens.

“We have made our views clear to the Environmental Protection Agency in the USA and hope they will re-evaluate their approach to environmental release of fungicides.

Politicians in the House of Lords recently a question by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle, which asked the Government what assessment they made of how the UK’s current agricultural fungicide use will affect long-term food and biological security.

Baroness Bennett, a former leader of the Green Party, told the chamber: “Managing fungal crop disease has always been essential to our ability to feed the population, but we cannot afford a haphazard, piecemeal approach that will hurt our public health and our NHS.

“We need integrated, “one health” considerations of the impact of the climate emergency and responsible fungicide legislation.”

Baroness Hayman of Ullock and Baroness Walmsley also spoke in the debate, and highlighted the specific case of olorofim and ipflufenoquin as they called for more robust risk assessments in the licensing of new agricultural antifungals.

• F2G carried out a single assay in the study that the researchers would otherwise have not been able to facilitate. However, the vast majority of the study was carried out independently.
• The paper Aspergillus fumigatus strains that evolve resistance to the agrochemical fungicide ipflufenoquin in vitro are also resistant to olorofim is available

The (GEIC) helps companies progress and launch new technologies, products and processes that exploit the pioneering properties of graphene and other 2D materials.

Mr Khan was given a tour by Professor James Baker, CEO of , and met with application managers and technical specialists engaged in the use of tangible samples and cutting-edge equipment that bring products and applications to life.

He also held informal discussions with Professor John Holden, the University’s Associate Vice President for Special Projects, and the Vice Dean of Research and Innovation.  

To date, the GEIC has delivered more than 350 successful projects for over 200 companies and supported more than 50 spin outs.

Professor James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Swagֱ��, said: “Swagֱ�� is proud to be known as the home of graphene.  It is where it was first isolated by our researchers in 2004 and is the world’s first breakthrough 2D material.

“Through GEIC, we offer a dedicated translation centre that helps SMEs bridge the gap from lab to market - something that is not replicated anywhere else in UK academia.

“Our two-tier membership model also allows us to work on short feasibility projects, through to a long-term strategic partnership with multiple projects in different application areas.

“It was a pleasure to welcome Mr Khan to the centre to be briefed about some of the innovative work we are involved in, and to talk about our ongoing collaborations with major partners including the UAE and the Department for Business and Trade.”

Afzal Khan MP, said: “The GEIC has a remarkable success rate in delivering new projects.

“It is a truly world class facility supported by experienced and knowledgeable applications engineers and internationally renowned academics, working across a broad range of novel technologies and applications.

“Everyone involved in establishing the centre’s enviable reputation deserves immense credit for what they have achieved.    

“I am grateful to the University’s policy engagement unit, , for arranging an especially informative visit and look forward to returning soon.”

The research will deliver a method to produce enriched lithium in the quantities needed to make breeder blankets for deuterium-tritium fusion reactors. This allows tritium, which is an extremely scarce resource, to be produced inside the reactor. Thereby solving the challenge of how to fuel fusion reactors.

Dr Kathryn George will lead the project in collaboration with Prof Philip Martin, Prof Clint Sharrad and Dr Laurence Stamford from Swagֱ��’s Chemical Engineering department, Prof Bruce Hanson at the University of Leeds and Global Nuclear Security Partners Ltd. 

UKAEA launched the new Fusion Industry Programme challenge ‘Realising the potential of lithium in an economic, sustainable and scalable fusion energy fuel-cycle’ in early 2023, encouraging organisations to develop and evaluate prototypes of lithium technology.

In total, five organisations have secured six contracts worth £7.4m in total with UKAEA to develop lithium technology for fusion energy. The four universities and one company have received contracts ranging between £700,000 and £1.5m from UKAEA’s ‘Fusion Industry Programme’.

Tim Bestwick, UKAEA’s Chief Development Officer, said: “Fusion energy continues to feature on the world stage, with recent commitments being made at COP28 to develop fusion as a sustainable, low carbon source of energy for future generations.

“The Fusion Industry Programme is encouraging the development of UK industrial fusion capacity and preparing the UK fusion industry for the future global fusion power plant market.

“The organisations that have been awarded these contracts have successfully demonstrated their lithium technology concepts and will now develop them to the ‘proof of concept’ stage.”

The latest contracts follow the award of Fusion Industry Programme contracts earlier in 2023, focused on digital engineering and fusion fuel requirements, and more recently materials and manufacturing, and heating and cooling technologies.

The collaboration will support the development of future engineering talent, as well as drive the development of innovative and sustainable power solutions.

As part of the collaboration, Swagֱ�� and Cummins will conduct cutting-edge research with the aim of accelerating product development of the latest generation of air handling technologies, such as e-turbos for fuel cells, together with fuel injection systems for hydrogen-based power solutions.

Academics and their students will explore the future use of hydrogen in power solutions as part of the collaboration, using world class engineering equipment, test cells and laboratories.

Students will also be given the opportunity to apply their learnings to a practical environment and gain valuable industry experience with Cummins. These placements will be open to all students, irrespective of academic discipline, aligning with the variety of roles available at Cummins.

Dr John Clark, Executive Director for Research & Development at Cummins, said: “It’s fantastic to announce our collaboration with Swagֱ��, with the partnership holding tremendous potential for both of us. It will provide students and researchers with the opportunity to work with an established, international manufacturer and actively contribute to the advancement of power solution technology. It will also help to drive the development of sustainable products, supporting our commitment to powering a more prosperous world.”

Dr Louise Bates, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Swagֱ��, added: “This partnership is a great opportunity for our research community to engage with an international company, developing widely-used technologies and groundbreaking solutions to real-world challenges. Swagֱ�� is committed to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and this partnership presents a very exciting platform for our two organisations to collaborate and address some of the most pressing challenges facing our planet. We look forward to growing our relationship with Cummins and witnessing what we can achieve together.”

The Cummins Engine Components (CEC) site in Huddersfield designs, develops, produces and refurbishes air handling solutions, which are used globally in vehicles and machinery across various markets.  CEC is part of the international engine, power generation and filtration product manufacturer, Cummins, which employs 73,600 worldwide and generated $28.1 billion in revenue last year. This collaboration between Cummins and Swagֱ��, and the development of future air handling solutions for sustainable technologies, will support the manufacturer’s Destination Zero commitment.

The Green Gown Awards celebrate the innovative and change making initiatives and projects in sustainability across the further and higher education sectors, and the University of Swagֱ�� claimed the top prize for work supporting its new Environmental Sustainability strategy, which launched in July 2023.

The judges said that they were “impressed with the honest, forward looking, innovative, transferrable, scalable and holistic approaches involving carbon budgeting to help deliver the University’s Zero Carbon Masterplan with effective ongoing evaluation and realistic assessment of outputs yet to be realised.”

The team collected their award at a ceremony at the Titanic Hotel in Liverpool on Thursday, 30 November.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor, said: “Winning the prize is a powerful signal to our community about the seriousness with which we are working to our zero carbon target. Our entry is a great example of academic and professional services staff working together and success would be valuable recognition for them.”

Richard Smith, Head of Environmental Sustainability at Swagֱ��, added: “We are thrilled that the University has been recognised at this year’s Green Gown Awards.

“We pride ourselves on basing everything we do on what science demands of us. Our target was devised by our colleagues at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and achieving it requires consistent, urgent action.  

“The work on this initiative has been shared with other HE institutions and city neighbours as we rise to the challenge of climate change together. This award is testament to the hard work and dedication of all our colleagues involved in putting this initiative together and making it come to life.”

So far, the University has secured £157.3m of funding from internal and external sources to deliver its sustainability goals.

It has already begun implementing the strategy with its first air-source heat pumps now in operation, and its first heat pump-only building in construction ready to go live early next year, with much more to come. 

The Environmental Sustainability strategy builds on the University’s core goals of Teaching and Learning, Research and Discovery and Social Responsibility and stresses the need for all decisions to be taken in the light of our existing carbon commitments.

It also highlights six priority operational areas, all linking back to the United Nations Sustainability Goals: Construction and Refurbishment; Risk and Climate Resilience; Responsible Procurement; Resource Management; Valuing Nature; Travel and Transport.

Charlotte Bonner, CEO, EAUC, who deliver the Green Gown Awards, said: “The Green Gown Awards celebrate the most innovative and impactful work being done by those working in the post-16 education sector. The projects, initiatives and people showcased through the awards this year are, as ever, inspirational – it’s been a privilege to be part of the judging. I look forward to seeing them flourish in future and to using their examples to springboard further action for sustainability.”

The 2023 UK & Ireland Awards are held in association with UK Research and Innovation. Now in its 19th year, the 2023 results showcase 20 Winner and 17 Highly Commended institutions.

Read more about and the other .  

Find out more about environmental sustainability at Swagֱ��.

By James Mason, Visiting Academic in Decarbonisation;  Alice Larkin, Professor of Climate Science and Energy Policy;  and Simon Bullock, Research Associate, Shipping and Climate Change.

In the vast expanse of the world’s oceans, a transformation is underway.

The international shipping sector, made up of thousands of massive cargo ships laden with many of the goods we buy, emits carbon dioxide (CO₂) roughly equivalent to the entire country of .

Our emphasises the need for immediate action. Reducing shipping emissions by 34% by 2030 is necessary to stay on course with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal. But with low-carbon fuel pipelines unlikely to be at the necessary scale until at least the 2030s, how can the industry meet its short-term target?

Enter a new solution with ancient origins: sails. Not the billowing canvases of centuries past but high-tech systems capable of harnessing renewable wind energy to supplement the propulsion from a ship’s engine.

A number of advanced sail designs are gaining the attention of shipping firms. Two contenders include Flettner rotors, cylinders that spin to generate propulsion, and “wingsails”, which resemble aeroplane wings and are derived from designs used in yacht racing.

Wingsails, analogous to aeroplane wings, provide lift on either side. Smart Green Shipping,

Wind propulsion allows ships to use less fuel and so emit less greenhouse gas. However, in our , we found that the real opportunity to slash emissions from shipping this decade lies in combining sails with optimal routes plotted by satellite navigation systems.

An old idea with new technology

Optimised routing is a familiar concept to most of us. You’ll have used it by typing a destination into Google Maps and allowing its algorithms to calculate the quickest way for you to arrive at your destination.

The process is similar for ships. But instead of finding the quickest journey, the software models the ship’s performance in water to calculate routes and speeds that minimise fuel use.

With optimised routing and sails, ships can deviate from their standard course to seek out favourable winds. The ship may travel a longer distance but the extra power gained by the sails limits the ship’s fuel consumption and reduces the total emissions over the full journey. The software only suggests routes that guarantee the same arrival time, keeping the ship to its original schedule.

We used a computer model simulation of a cargo vessel with four sails, each taller than Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue at 35 meters high. By calculating the fuel consumption of this large bulk carrier ship on over 100,000 journeys spanning four years and covering 14 shipping routes worldwide, we found that sails can cut annual carbon emissions by around 10%.

The true promise of sails unfolds when optimal routing is used, increasing annual emission cuts to 17%.

Routes with ideal wind conditions have even greater potential. The most promising are typically those far from the equator, such as transatlantic and transpacific crossings, where strong winds can fill large sails. By taking advantage of wind patterns moving across the ocean on these routes, sails and optimised routing can cut annual emissions by over 30%.

Take the journey between the UK and the US as an example. A ship setting out on this voyage will typically experience strong headwinds which generate drag and push the ship backwards, meaning more fuel must be burned to maintain the same forward momentum. But by using sails and optimised routing software on this crossing, ships can avoid these headwinds and steer into more favourable winds.

Flettner rotors are smooth cylinders with discs that spin as wind passes at right angles across it. Norsepower,

On the return journey, the ship would typically experience strong winds from behind and the side, which would fill the sails and push the ship on. With optimised routing software the ship can find even stronger winds and fine-tune its direction for the sails to maximise propulsion.

Keeping the 1.5°C target afloat

The International Maritime Organization (the UN agency responsible for environmental regulation in shipping) has a of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20%-30% by 2030. The Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target .

Our research shows that cuts to CO₂ of this magnitude are possible this decade using wind propulsion and optimised routing on promising routes. Achieving this will oblige the shipping industry to deploy existing technologies and practices and shift its focus from fuel alone, as will take longer to develop.

As we sail further into the 21st century, our research delivers a clear message to the shipping industry: substantial carbon reductions are feasible this decade. Here is an old idea, one that integrates technology with tradition, that can steer international shipping towards its climate goals.

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

A new special feature published today (November 21), in the (PNAS), which was guest edited by researchers from Swagֱ��, the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW), and Harvard University, presents new findings about transitions in electricity, food and mobility systems.

These findings synthesise, elaborate and apply research on sustainability transitions, which has progressed significantly over the past decade, generating novel insights about the dynamics of transitions. This research shifts the focus from sustainability goals and targets to the real-world change processes that could help to meet those targets. The special feature contains 15 articles that present new insights on transitions to a wider sustainability science audience, policymakers, and practitioners.

Large-scale, long-term changes of systems needed

“The central challenge of our age is how to make development sustainable – to assure that it advances people’s well-being in the here and now without unfairly constraining the ability of people elsewhere, or in the future, to advance their own well-being”, says William Clark, professor at Harvard University and director of its Sustainability Science Program. “That requires transitions, by which we mean significant large-scale, long-term changes in the actors, institutions, technologies, and resources that make up consumption-production systems.” The papers in the special feature analyse these changes for electricity, mobility, and food systems. In addition, they address crosscutting issues such as the destabilisation of existing systems, the role of shocks, and the governance of transitions.

Core aspects of transitions research: multi-level interactions, solutions, process of change

“This special feature makes three contributions to the pursuit of sustainability: highlighting the importance of multi-level interactions in sustainability transitions, a focus on solutions (innovation), and a deeper and more differentiated analysis of the processes of change”, explains , professor of sustainability transitions at Swagֱ��. “It is interesting to see that transitions in the electricity, mobility and food systems are currently unfolding at different speed and depth. This is due to different techno-economic developments and socio-political activities. They have progressed farthest in the electricity system. In the (auto)mobility system they are beginning to unfold, and in food systems they appear to be in early phases.”

The papers demonstrate the multi-dimensional nature of sustainability transition processes which cannot be reduced to purely technological or economic explanations. Instead, they show the importance of understanding sustainability transitions as multi-level, systemic, incomplete, and contested processes, in which innovation plays an essential role that is always shaped by and contributing to social, political, economic, and cultural developments.

Deeper transitions are slower

“One of the important findings from across the special feature is that transitions are often about reconfiguration rather than substitution of existing systems, and that there are tensions between depth and speed of change: the deeper a change, the more difficult and slower it tends to be. It is also important to recognise that the governance of transitions is highly political and can be very politicised. There are winners and losers”, states Florian Kern, transitions researcher at the Berlin-based Institute for Ecological Economy Research. “While recognising various complexities, the special feature also shows how transition processes can be accelerated and steered in more sustainable directions. This is crucial, because historical transitions were often slow, decade-long processes, while time is pressing for the polycrises of the present.”

The Special Feature on ‘Sustainability transitions in consumption-production systems’ in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is published open access and can be found here: . 

 

The Mayor and his team met with Institute Acting Director Professor Clint Sharrad, and Associate Directors Professors Scott Heath and Adrian Bull to discuss the Institute’s unique breadth of research, focus on nuclear skills development and impact through policy engagement work.

Vice-Dean for Research and Innovation Professor Richard Curry, Head of the School of Engineering Professor Sarah Cartmell, and Associate Dean for Research Institutes Professor Stuart Holmes discussed the important role the University has to play in contributing to the UK’s Net Zero ambitions nationally through research and teaching, as well as to the Greater Swagֱ�� region. There was also an opportunity during the visit to hear from some of the Institute’s young researchers about their work.

The Mayor heard about the University’s world-leading facilities, including the Henry Royce Institute Hub, where the meeting was held, with Professor Abbie Jones, Head of the Nuclear Graphite Research Group, in attendance. Professors Barry Lennox and Fred Currell highlighted our nuclear network across the North West, extending into Cumbria where the Dalton Cumbrian Facility and the Robotics and AI Collaboration (RAICo1) serve as vital hubs in the heart of the nuclear industry.

Mayor Andy Burnham said: “It was a pleasure to visit Swagֱ�� and meet with so many talented and enthusiastic people from the Dalton Nuclear Institute and elsewhere in the university working on nuclear research. An incredible amount of work is done in the nuclear industry by the university, an industry that is growingly important for the UK.

“This research also importantly includes decommissioning and the cleaning-up of the UK’s public sector nuclear facilities as well as discovering new ways to manage and dispose of the nuclear legacy to protect our environment. Many interesting discussions were had on energy, skills, the economy and collaboration with the Dalton Nuclear Institute, a great asset for our city-region.”

Acting Director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute, Professor Clint Sharrad said: “We were delighted to welcome the Mayor and his team to the University today and I was pleased to find we have so many areas of common interest, especially in skills, training and education.

“Nuclear is at the heart of the economy across the North West of England, and we all recognised what a great opportunity the sector offers in addressing future energy needs for the country while also providing pathways for young people setting out on their career journeys, as well as those who are mid-career and looking for a new challenge.

“It was refreshing to hear Andy’s strong support for all that we are doing, and we will be having further conversations to make sure we maximise the opportunity for adding value to the region’s economy.”

In an article published by the University’s policy engagement unit Policy@Swagֱ�� to coincide with the 20th annual Recycle Week, Lindsay Pressdee, Dr Amy Benstead and Dr Jo Conlon highlight that, of the one million tonnes of textiles disposed of every year in this country, 300,000 tonnes end up in landfill or incineration with figures suggesting 10 per cent of global CO2 emissions may come from the fashion industry. 

And they warn that the damage inflicted by discarded sportswear is often overlooked, “despite an over-reliance on polyester garments, which are harmful to the environment as the fabric releases microfibres and takes hundreds of years to fully biodegrade.”

Pressdee, Benstead and Conlon stress the importance of establishing “sustainable behaviour throughout the supply chain” and praise the European Commission for proposing an “extended producer responsibility (EPR)” for textiles in the EU which “aims to create appropriate incentives to encourage producers to design products that have a reduced environmental impact at the end of their life.”

This contrasts with the UK where, they argue, “tackling sustainability in the fashion industry has lost its place on the political agenda.”

Swagֱ�� academics contend that there has been “disappointing lack of progress from the UK Government” following the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s Fixing Fashion report in 2019.

They continue: “This report included a call for the use of EPR as well as other important recommendations such as a ban on incinerating or landfilling unsold stock that can be reused or recycled and a tax system that shifts the balance of incentives in favour of reuse, repair and recycling to support responsible companies. We urge the Government to think again and drive forward the Committee’s recommendations in order to put sustainable fashion back on the political agenda.”

Pressdee, Benstead and Conlon also criticise Ministers for abolishing the standalone GCSE in textiles which provided many young people with the ability to mend clothing such as football kits instead of throwing them away.

They write: “We are therefore calling on the Government to reintroduce textiles as part of the school curriculum to engage young people in sustainable materials and equip them with the basic skills required to repair clothes.”

Swagֱ�� has launched a new project dedicated to tackling the impact of textile waste in the football industry through the provision of workshops tasked with transforming surplus football shirts into unique reusable tote bags, whilst educating local communities on the environmental impacts of textile waste and how to extend the life of garments. The initiative aims to provide a fun, responsible way to keep kits in circulation while shining a light on the problem.

‘Game changers, a new approach to tackling sportswear garment waste’ by Lindsay Pressdee, Dr Amy Benstead and Dr Jo Conlon is available to read on the . 

Researchers from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), including those from Swagֱ��, compared standard jet fuels with several different blends of sustainable aviation fuel, including fuels supplied by Neste.

They monitored the emissions produced by two different engines, included those used on the FAAM Airborne Laboratory's BAe-146-301 aircraft using CFS Aero facilities at Hawarden Airport.

The aviation sector was responsible for more than 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2021, but sustainable aviation fuel has the potential to reduce climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions - such as carbon dioxide - in aviation by up to 80% when compared to standard jet fuel. It also has the potential to benefit local air quality.

Findings from the research found that emissions of ultrafine black carbon at low thrust, which directly impacts local air quality, was 45% less in number and 80% less in mass for every kilogram of blended sustainable aviation fuel burnt.

The results could help reduce the climate warming effects of aviation globally.

Dr Paul I Williams, NCAS research scientist based at Swagֱ��, said: “As aviation and the UKRI funding bodies move towards carbon neutral, it is important to understand what effects these alternative fuels have. This study is really important to understand these effects and to provide the UK with capability to make these assessments in the future as new fuels and technologies are developed.”

Sustainable aviation fuel is made from renewable biomass and waste resources and can be used as a direct replacement for jet fuel sourced from crude oil. These fuels are blended with standard jet fuels so they are compatible with all current aircraft, including the FAAM aircraft.

The goal is by 2050, all Jet fuels will be 100% synthetic and not from fossil fuels.

The ground-based engine testing enabled the team to detect a range of air pollutant emissions created by the combustion of blended aviation biofuel and HEFA fuel - to compare emissions between fuels from sustainable and non-sustainable sources. 

The chemical and physical properties of emitted gases and particles - such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and suspended small particles - were evaluated. 

Using a sample probe developed by SCITEK, and equipment from Swagֱ��, Cardiff University and York University, emissions were measured within the engine exhaust. 

Dr Williams added: “As part of the ground-based engine testing we sampled emissions of ultrafine black carbon, also known as non-volatile particulate matter. Non-volatile particulate matter emissions from aircraft engines at low thrust directly impact local air quality near the earth’s surface, and the people who live and work nearby airports. The testing shows that at low thrust, for every kilogram of blended sustainable aviation fuel burnt, there is approximately 45% less in number and 80% less in mass of non-volatile particulate matter.

“At cruise thrusts, we found that there were also lower amounts of non-volatile particulate matter being emitted from the burning of sustainable aviation fuel. This indicates that while an aircraft is cruising there would be less non-volatile particulate matter produced, which in turn impacts contrail formation. This could have the potential to reduce the climate warming effects of aviation globally.” 

Using sustainable aviation fuel, as well as adopting a range of other sustainable practices, is a quick way to reduce carbon emissions from aviation, which includes the UK research aircraft and operations. 

The study follows on from the world’s first in-flight emissions study, which recently made its first flight using a blend of sustainable aviation fuel.

Alan Woolley, Head of the NCAS-managed FAAM Airborne Laboratory, said: “For NCAS and the FAAM Airborne Laboratory, the results from this emissions-testing work will inform decisions around investment and the use of sustainable aviation fuel for future airborne science missions around the world.

“The aviation sector will be able to use our data to improve sector-wide understanding of the gases and particles released from gas turbine engines - of the size used on the FAAM Airborne Laboratory’s research aircraft.”

The engine tests for monitoring sustainable aviation fuel emissions were made possible by a partnership with NCAS and its FAAM Airborne Laboratory*, Cardiff University, Neste, Rolls-Royce, CFS Aero, SCITEK, University of Swagֱ��, and University of York. 

The study is just one way that Swagֱ�� is working to reduce climate change caused by the aviation industry. Research conducted at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at Swagֱ�� has been used to drive policy changes in the shipping and aviation sectors, bringing greenhouse gas emissions targets more in line with the Paris Agreement.

*The FAAM Airborne Laboratory’s research aircraft is owned by UK Research and Innovation and the Natural Environmental Research Council. It is managed through the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, and leased through the University of Leeds. The aircraft is supported, modified and upgraded by BAE Systems, operated by Airtask Group, and maintained by Avalon Aero. It is hangared in Bedfordshire, with Cranfield Airport at Cranfield University.

The proposed redevelopment would help meet the demand for student bedrooms on the University’s popular Fallowfield campus. Located near to the University’s main buildings, the site is well-connected and provides students with a wide range of support services to ensure the best student experience.

The outline planning application submitted to Swagֱ�� City Council this week proposes to replace existing older accommodation on site and deliver 3,300 modern bedspaces.

Earlier this year, the University delivered a month-long public consultation for residents, local groups, students and staff to share their feedback on the proposals. Responses were shared via the consultation website and through digital and in-person events held at the University.

You can read more information about the on our website.

Dr Simon Merrywest, Director for Student Experience, University of Swagֱ�� said: “A significant amount of hard work, consideration and engagement has taken place ahead of the submission of these plans to Swagֱ�� City Council. It reflects our ambitions to deliver modern, high quality living for our students on one of our most popular campuses for new and returning students.

“As the largest academic institution in the city, it is important that we deliver high-quality purpose-built rooms that can match the status and profile of the University reputation nationally and globally.”

If successful in gaining planning consent, the University will work with a delivery partner to bring the plans forward.

In the coming weeks, Swagֱ�� City Council will open a statutory public consultation on the submitted application. For more information, please visit .

The research, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council’s (BBSRC) strategic Longer and Larger (sLoLa) grants programme, takes the first major step towards understanding complex microbial communities and will support the move towards a more sustainable and Net Zero future.

The University is one of four institutions to receive a share of £18 million from the BBSRC to support adventurous research aimed at tackling fundamental questions in bioscience.

The project, worth £5.4 million, builds on the work of the Swagֱ�� Microbiome Network - a network that brings together the leading microbiome science expertise from across the University to deliver a step-change in understanding microbial communities, regardless of habitat.

Lead researcher, Professor Sophie Nixon, BBSRC David Phillips and Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Fellow at Swagֱ��, said: “Microbial communities, often called microbiomes, are found in almost every habitable environment on the planet. They exert a significant influence on each of these environments, whether that be the soil we grow our food, in the guts of animals, or even in extreme environments like geothermal springs – our target environment for this project. However, microbiomes are inherently complex and challenging to study, and their ‘rules of life’ remain obscure.

“Recent technological advances have allowed researchers to study the interactions between members of microbiomes for the first time. Yet, we have barely scratched the surface of resolving how these interactions affect the structure, function, and stability of the community as a whole.   

Over five years, the researchers from Swagֱ�� and the Earlham Institute will concentrate on low-diversity communities inhabiting geothermal springs, using a powerful combination of biochemical, ‘omics, and synthetic biology approaches to uncover the rules that govern microbial life in communities.

Using a tractable model system, the team aim to engineer the microbial community both as a learning tool to test emerging hypotheses, such as the ways in which microbes depend on or hinder one another, and as a testbed for future biotechnological development.

Ultimately, the findings will facilitate the engineering of bespoke microbial communities to be used for a plethora of important applications, including new ways to bio-convert CO2 emissions into socio-economically beneficial compounds, contributing toward a more sustainable and Net Zero future. 

Professor Guy Poppy, Interim Executive Chair at BBSRC, said: “The latest investment by BBSRC’s sLoLa award programme represents a pivotal step in advancing frontier bioscience research.

“These four world-class teams are poised to unravel the fundamental rules of life, employing interdisciplinary approaches to tackle bold challenges at the forefront of bioscience.

“By fostering collaboration and innovation, we aim to catalyse ground-breaking discoveries with far-reaching implications for agriculture, health, biotechnology, the green economy and beyond.”

Swagֱ��’s research team includes seven researchers from the Faculty of Science and Engineering (five of which are based in the flagship Swagֱ�� Institute of Biotechnology), two from the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, and one from the Earlham Institute - a life science research institute based in Norwich.

A decade ago, scientists at Swagֱ�� demonstrated that graphene is permeable to protons, nuclei of hydrogen atoms. The unexpected result started a debate in the community because theory predicted that it would take billions of years for a proton to permeate through graphene’s dense crystalline structure. This had led to suggestions that protons permeate not through the crystal lattice itself, but through the pinholes in its structure.

Now, writing in , a collaboration between the University of Warwick, led by Prof Patrick Unwin, and Swagֱ��, led by Dr Marcelo Lozada-Hidalgo and Prof Andre Geim, report ultra-high spatial resolution measurements of proton transport through graphene and prove that perfect graphene crystals are permeable to protons. Unexpectedly, protons are strongly accelerated around nanoscale wrinkles and ripples in the crystal.

The discovery has the potential to accelerate the hydrogen economy. Expensive catalysts and membranes, sometimes with significant environmental footprint, currently used to generate and utilise hydrogen could be replaced with more sustainable 2D crystals, reducing carbon emissions, and contributing to Net Zero through the generation of green hydrogen.

The team used a technique known as to measure minute proton currents collected from nanometre-sized areas. This allowed the researchers to visualise the spatial distribution of proton currents through graphene membranes. If proton transport took place through holes as some scientists speculated, the currents would be concentrated in a few isolated spots. No such isolated spots were found, which ruled out the presence of holes in the graphene membranes.

Drs Segun Wahab and Enrico Daviddi, leading authors of the paper, commented: “We were surprised to see absolutely no defects in the graphene crystals. Our results provide microscopic proof that graphene is intrinsically permeable to protons.”

Unexpectedly, the proton currents were found to be accelerated around nanometre-sized wrinkles in the crystals. The scientists found that this arises because the wrinkles effectively ‘stretch’ the graphene lattice, thus providing a larger space for protons to permeate through the pristine crystal lattice. This observation now reconciles the experiment and theory.

Dr Lozada-Hidalgo said: “We are effectively stretching an atomic scale mesh and observing a higher current through the stretched interatomic spaces in this mesh – mind-boggling.”

Prof Unwin commented: “These results showcase SECCM, developed in our lab, as a powerful technique to obtain microscopic insights into electrochemical interfaces, which opens up exciting possibilities for the design of next-generation membranes and separators involving protons.”

The authors are excited about the potential of this discovery to enable new hydrogen-based technologies.

Dr Lozada-Hidalgo said, "Exploiting the catalytic activity of ripples and wrinkles in 2D crystals is a fundamentally new way to accelerate ion transport and chemical reactions. This could lead to the development of low-cost catalysts for hydrogen-related technologies."

Advanced materials is one of Swagֱ��’s research beacons - examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships tackling some of the planet's biggest questions. 

The UK disposes of one million tonnes of textiles every year, 300,000 tonnes of which end up in landfill or incineration. Some figures suggest 10% of global CO2 emissions come from the fashion industry. 

The football sector is a huge contributor to this - approximately 2.45 million Liverpool and 1.95 million Swagֱ�� United sports shirts were sold worldwide in 2021 alone. 

The new project, KIT:BAG by RÆBURN, will work with local sportswear suppliers and the local community transform surplus football shirts into unique reusable tote bags, while educating them of the environmental impacts of textile waste and how we can extend the life of our garments. 

It aims to provide a fun, responsible way to keep kits in circulation while shining a light on the large-scale problem in the industry. 

Lindsay Pressdee, Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Fashion Marketing & Branding Communication at Swagֱ��, said: “Developing meaningful sustainable business models and consumer behaviours remains a key issue within the fashion sector and raises serious environmental concerns.  

“This project focuses on the overlooked area of sportswear; how we can extend the life of these polyester garments and avoid them going into landfill or incineration, through the key principle of community education. 

“The initiative aligns with Swagֱ��'s objectives of promoting sustainability and social responsibility and by collaborating with Raeburn Design, which follows the REMADE sustainable ethos, we have an excellent opportunity to raise awareness and address this issue.” 

Christopher Raeburn, Creative Director at RÆBURN, added: “As our business has evolved, we’ve tried, tested and proven our “Remade, Reduced, Recycled” motif can be scaled and translated into other industries outside of fashion, such as architecture, furniture design, film and cultural placemaking. 

“KIT:BAG by RAEBURN marks our newest venture: bringing circular design solutions to the sports industry. We’re excited to have the University of Swagֱ�� on board as our research partner for this project. Together, we’ve set out a roadmap and a masterplan, now we’re inviting industry leaders to join us on this journey.” 

While many solutions are emerging to tackle the problem of sustainable fashion, the size of the problem relating to official sportswear remains unknown.  

As research partners, academics from the Department of Materials at Swagֱ�� will focus on advancing current knowledge and generating new knowledge in this area. The researchers, including Lindsay Pressdee, Dr Amy Benstead,  Dr Jo Conlon and student intern Lena Bartoszewicz, will look at post-consumer waste, diverting it from landfill and repurposing it into a new usable product - a key part of the circular design model. 

Lindsay added: “The waste of sportwear is a hidden problem – we know that football teams can have on average three kits per season, but we do not know how many people have in their homes, shoved in their wardrobes, or put away in their lofts.  

“The problem requires a multifaceted approach and any change requires collaboration with consumers, sports clubs, garment recycling schemes, sports brands and producers. 

“It is difficult to distinguish who is responsible, so we must consider both the sustainable production and consumption of products – a key principle of which is education.” 

KIT:BAG by RÆBURN will launch on Thursday, 27 July with a party at The Lab E20 – Raeburn’s creative workspace in London. This will be followed by a community event for children and families on Saturday, 29 July.  

The team plan to extend this to Swagֱ��, where they will invite the local community to various workshops and have a go at making their own reusable bags.

Erratic weather is a major source of concern for ship owners installing modern sails to reduce carbon emissions. However, new research from Swagֱ�� highlights operational strategies that can reduce shipping emissions by up to a quarter, strengthening confidence in sails as a decarbonisation tool.

It is estimated that the international shipping sector contributes to 2–3% of global carbon emissions annually and its target to cut carbon by 50% relative to 2008 levels by 2050 falls short of the cuts required in the Paris Climate Agreement, meaning the shipping sector requires urgent global action.

The research, published in the journal , calculated carbon emissions from more than 1000 ship departures setting sail from three main shipping routes. The results found that combining modern sail technology with efficient routing systems could provide greater assurances of carbon savings by using the technique that reduces uncertainty from unpredictable weather patterns.

Dr James Mason, previously a postdoctoral researcher and now a visiting academic at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at Swagֱ��, said: “Current measures to reduce carbon emissions include fitting retrofit technologies, such as wind propulsion technology, where modern sails produce direct energy from the wind to reduce the power consumed by a ship's engine. Weather routing is also used as an efficient routing system to allow a ship to deviate from standard shipping routes to search for new routes with more favourable winds.

“Current academic methods assume a perfect foresight of future weather rather than accounting for unpredictable winds that are happening in real-time. This can detrimentally reduce the carbon savings from weather routing and could present a real challenge for the shipping sector when trying to meet its climate reduction goals.”

Dr Alejandro Gallego Schmid, a Senior Lecturer at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, added: “This research provides an insight into which routes are most sensitive to changing weather forecasts when using wind propulsion and assesses a strategy that could help to mitigate the detrimental impact that unpredictable weather conditions can have.”

The strategy mirrors existing routing methods in the sector by updating weather and wind every 12 hours to allow ships to adjust their routes based on the most accurate weather forecast available.

To test the strategy, the study simulated 1080 ship departures across eastbound and westbound journeys in the North Sea, South Atlantic Ocean and North Atlantic Ocean, which have voyage times of up to 12 days.

The research found that the method successfully reduced the uncertainty from unpredictable weather and showed that sails and efficient routing can provide annual carbon savings of up to 25%.

However, while the method reduces the uncertainty from unpredictable weather, it does not remove it entirely. Wind propulsion and efficient routing can provide maximum carbon savings of up to 29% in ideal conditions and weather uncertainty reduces these savings by 10-20%. Further research is needed to understand how ships can achieve these maximum savings in practice.

Reducing shipping emissions by up to a quarter by using wind propulsion with efficient routing could provide profound benefits to the sector. The research offers a clearer understanding of the potential carbon savings achievable through wind propulsion decarbonisation strategies, without which, objectives in the Paris Climate Agreement may become out of sight.

The researchers have been awarded £1.8 million to carry out a novel observational campaign in southern England to evaluate turbulence in the atmosphere.

The campaign, named WesCon - Observing the Evolving Structures of Turbulence (WOEST), is being led by the National Centre for Atmospheric Science to complement the Wessex Convection (WesCon) Experiment led by the Met Office. Its results hope to improve how we predict the weather on a day-to-day basis and manage risks from severe weather more effectively.

Dr Emily Norton, Scientist at the Centre for Atmospheric Science at Swagֱ��, said: “Weather models currently rely heavily on theoretical knowledge to simulate turbulence in our atmosphere, and this could be a large source of potential errors in weather predictions.

“The Met Office model has made many improvements over the last decade, but it still has some long-term biases and is prone to forecasting too much rain at the wrong time in convective conditions. 

“Working together, our goal is to build a complete picture of turbulence in our atmosphere how the processes leading up to an extreme weather event evolve.”

Throughout the summer months, Swagֱ�� will be part of the team to set up and operate meteorological instruments, including wind profilers, drones, radars and lidars positioned at different locations within Southern England and will provide a unique insight of the state of turbulence in the atmosphere at any given time.

After the campaign, the team will begin analysing the data from all of the measurements to better understand the atmospheric conditions near the surface of the Earth leading up to the formation of thunderstorms.

Researchers from all organisations will combine observations from every angle to help them describe turbulence in the atmosphere, and ultimately, will use the observations to improve the high-resolution weather forecasts.

 Dr Ryan Neely III, lead researcher from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Leeds, said: “Turbulence is easy to see in our daily lives, if you look closely at clouds in our sky, you might notice how air swirls in random fluctuations around their edges.

“But how do you quantify chaos? Our observational campaign sets out to do just that. We have brought together a world-leading team, and state-of-the-art technology to answer a question that has intrigued me since I was a kid.”

Turbulence in our atmosphere is best described as chaotic motions of the air, and can cause irregular fluctuations in the wind, temperature, humidity and composition of the atmosphere.

Although turbulence plays a key role in thunderstorms, the ability to measure turbulence and how it impacts on our weather has been a longstanding challenge for researchers and there have been very few observations dedicated to evaluating turbulence in the sky.

The WOEST campaign, which also includes scientists from the University of Reading, University of Oxford and Imperial College London, will aim to capture real-world data about how turbulence near the Earth’s surface develops over time, and to produce three dimensional estimates of turbulence in convective clouds.

Some of these weather radar will be powered by HVO fossil-free biofuel diesel generators, instead of diesel fuel sourced from crude oil, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%. 

The field campaign was made possible by the £1.8m funding award from the

Observations made by scientists at Swagֱ�� found that the primary source of urea – a nitrogen-rich compound, vital for the growth and development of living organisms - comes from the ocean.

The observations reveal an important but unaccounted for source of reduced nitrogen and offer the first-ever observations of gaseous urea in the air.

The research, published in the journal , also reveals that urea can be transported over long distances through the atmosphere to benefit other environments that may be nutrient-deficient.

The results could have far-reaching consequences for marine productivity and climate stability.  

Emily Matthews, Atmospheric Scientist at Swagֱ��, said: “Our observations provide new insights into the complex interactions between the atmosphere, ocean and ecosystems.

“Understanding the behaviour and impact of urea in the atmosphere is vital for advancing our knowledge of how chemicals and substances are transferred through our environment and can help us to inform strategies to address climate change.”

The observations of gas-phase urea in the atmosphere were collected over the North Atlantic Ocean using the , a UK airborne research facility managed by the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) and owned by UK Research and Innovation and the Natural Environmental Research Council.

Measurements made during these flights provide detailed data on the composition and properties of aerosols and gases in the atmosphere. Scientists from Swagֱ�� and NCAS have identified unique species important to the marine reduced nitrogen cycle, including the first observations of gas-phase urea in the atmosphere.

The researchers say that the findings have significant implications for our understanding of the nitrogen cycle and calls for a revision of current models.

Emily Matthews added: “The ocean plays an important role in maintaining a stable climate through biological activity occurring near the surface of the water and contributes to oceanic uptake of carbon dioxide.

“We now know that it is also a significant source of urea in the atmosphere throughout most of the year, which means we need to modify the processes and factors involved in the nitrogen cycle to account for the newfound importance of urea.”

The nitrogen cycle is the process during which nitrogen moves through both living organisms and physical environments including the atmosphere, soil, water, plants, animals and bacteria. It is central to the composition of the Earth System and changes of the natural environment through interactions such as aerosol formation, ozone production and as a supply of essential nutrients to living organisms. 

The explanation for the observations of gas phase urea remains a mystery and further research is needed to fully understand biogeochemical coupling of nitrogen between the ocean and atmosphere.

The research findings represent an important pathway for long range transport of nitrogen to fertise nitrogen poor regions of the surface ocean. Revising this knowledge better helps to understand how the ocean biosphere will respond to future changes.

Maybe you have one bin or many boxes. You might even have a compost caddy. Whatever your setup, chances are that at some point you’ve been left wondering what should go where and if a particular item is indeed recyclable or if it should just go in the main dustbin.

Research from Wrap, a climate action charity, has found that 82% of UK households regularly add at least one item to their recycling collection that’s not accepted locally. And data from recycling facilities shows that .

This can include electrical goods, nappies and food, though it more commonly involves packaging caked in remnants of what was – still covered in peanut butter or jam, toothpaste tubes, juice cartons, greasy takeaway packaging, damp cardboard and glittery birthday cards. Plastic pots, tubs, trays and bottle tops along with metal lids may also count as contaminants – depending on where you live.

And that’s a big part of the problem. Because what is and isn’t recyclable varies a lot from area to area. In the UK, there are 39 different bin collection regimes across . Rules aren’t aligned in terms of what is and isn’t collected for recycling or how items should be prepared: washed or rinsed, crushed or not, lids on or off. It’s different everywhere.

Our into the complexities of the UK’s found all these different rules and requirements have created a lot of confusion in terms of what should and shouldn’t be recycled. In some instances, this confusion can even result in people to recycle at all.

Breaking it down

We’re also now confronted with lots of multi-material packaging – those envelopes with plastic windows and also cake boxes and .

While some might try and “unengineer” such items to try and separate the different material components, others make a judgement based on what something is mostly made of, meaning items can then end up in the wrong bins. If indeed you even have to separate your recyclables by type where you are. Told you it was confusing.

Then there’s also the fact that many large retailers and organisations now provide collection points to recycle certain types of plastics, such as bread bags, crisp packets and pet food pouches, (which can’t usually go in household recycling bins).

Though in principle these schemes are good, they can lead to confusion, with people thinking that if these items are collected for recycling elsewhere, they can go in the recycling bin at home.

Crackdown on confusion

In response to the issue of contaminated recycling, the UK government has plans to crack down on “” by asking people to be more careful about what they put in their bins. Wishcycling is when people optimistically stick items in the recycling bin hoping they can be collected when in reality they can’t.

This forms part of a wider review of England’s recycling collection based on a consultation which was launched in 2021 by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on how to improve the consistency of recycling in both homes and businesses.

Defra has said it wants to make recycling easier and more consistent so that all councils collect the same materials. This is to be welcomed, as our research has found that across all regions alongside that people can understand would make it easier for householders to know they are doing the right thing.

We also found that people want a simpler system as they want to recycle more. As part of our research, we heard from people who held back plastic milk bottle tops to donate to schemes that promised to recycle them as they were not collected by their local authority. Others were storing plastic fruit netting for fear of it not being appropriately dealt with and ending up causing environmental harm.

Some were driving bin bags full of plastics out of their local authority areas to other locations where family members and friends could feed them into their household recycling collections. All of this indicates that there is clearly a thirst to recycle, limit environmental harm and live more sustainably.

Tackling the confusion around what can and can’t be recycled is also needed because it’s adding to plastics’ bad reputation. Waste professionals we’ve worked with have told us that negative consumer perceptions and the move away from plastics aren’t always helpful because alternatives can carry larger environmental footprints. Though a contentious point, it’s recognised that .

Sorting out our broken recycling system is an important step if we really want to be a greener and more environmentally conscious society.

, Research Associate, Sustainable Consumption Institute and Sustainable Innovation Hub, ; , Senior Lecturer in Sociology, , and , Post Doctoral Research Associate, Materials Engineering,

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As part of the government’s Innovation Accelerator Fund, the four projects focus on the very latest technology around genomics, medical diagnostics, advanced materials and artificial intelligence. The bids were coordinated by the Greater Swagֱ�� Combined Authority and funding is for two years.

The funding, awarded by the (DSIT), has been allocated to innovative projects in sectors where Greater Swagֱ�� has existing research strengths,

The projects are:

The Swagֱ�� Turing Innovation Hub, is led by the University of Swagֱ��, working with a consortium of business, academic and public sector organisations. The project aims to accelerate Greater Swagֱ��’s £5bn digital economy by supporting existing start-ups and creating new ones – especially in the field of artificial intelligence. It will also help to develop skills in the region with a particular focus on women, and under-represented groups in the industry. The Hub will bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and business, and will have centres across the region from which to coordinate activity. With no city having a global lead in AI commercialisation, the project aims to position Greater Swagֱ�� at the forefront, which would have a transformative effect on the regional economy and jobs.

Residents in eight out of the ten local authorities in GM spend more of their life in poor health, and instances of smoking and obesity and associated health issues are more prevalent than the national average. The Greater Swagֱ�� Advanced Diagnostics Accelerator aims to address this. It is led by Health Innovation Swagֱ��, hosted by Swagֱ�� University NHS Foundation Trust and partnered with the University. Focussing on liver, heart and lung disease, programme outputs are designed to open market opportunities for local businesses and support NHS cultural change from reactive acute care to proactive community prevention, resulting in better health outcomes and reduced demand for hospital services.

The Development and Validation of Technology for Time Critical Genomic Testing (DEVOTE) programme will be led by Swagֱ��. It focuses on biomarkers, which are chemicals or signals in the body which can be used to diagnose disease or predict future health. At the moment there is a bottleneck between the discovery of new biomarkers, and their use as a tool to help patients. DEVOTE aims to change all that by developing raid tests which can be used at the bedside by clinicians. This will be done through a partnership between the University, Health Innovation Swagֱ�� and local businesses. Greater Swagֱ�� is already a leader in this field and the new funding will create a legacy not only in people’s health but in a culture which makes new advances in future years.

The Sustainable Materials Translational Research Centre is a partnership between the University of Swagֱ��, including the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre and the Henry Royce Institute, the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, and Rochdale Development Agency. Sustainable materials are urgently needed to help reach global climate goals but there is a lack of capacity to produce these, and to scale up production of new products which use them. Greater Swagֱ�� is well positioned to solve this problem, with a rich history of developing materials (notably at Swagֱ��). The project will help connect local businesses to the national supply chain, and to the outstanding materials research in the city, it will support the creation of new businesses, and attract inward investment, with a particular focus on the Atom Valley Mayoral Development zone, bringing new jobs and opportunities to Rochdale, Bury, Oldham and beyond.

Professor Richard Jones, Vice-President for Regional Innovation and Civic Engagement at Swagֱ�� said:  “The Innovation Accelerator is about taking the great research in GM’s universities, and translating that into good jobs, inclusive economic growth, and better health outcomes for citizens across the whole of Greater Swagֱ��. 

“These four projects highlight the University of Swagֱ��’s research strengths in advanced materials, in digital technologies, and in health sciences, and demonstrate our commitment to working together with business, the NHS, the other GM universities and FE colleges, and local government in the city region for the benefit of the people who live here.

“We are very much looking forward to working with our partners on these projects, and we welcome the funding to all of the other projects in Greater Swagֱ�� that has been announced.”

Mayor of Greater Swagֱ��, Andy Burnham, said: “Greater Swagֱ��’s selection as one of three Innovation Accelerator regions demonstrates the Government’s confidence in our innovation ecosystem. The projects being backed are undertaking world-leading research to address some of the biggest challenges we face.

“They also align with the sectors where Greater Swagֱ�� has emerging or established strengths, like advanced materials, artificial intelligence (AI) and diagnostics. We look forward to working with partners to ensure this funding supports the growth of our future industries and delivers greater prosperity for our people.”

Minister of State for Science Research & Innovation at DSIT George Freeman said:

“Through Record investment in our UK science, technology & innovation sectors, the Innovation Economy is creating new career opportunities in the campuses, clusters & companies of tomorrow.

“That’s why UKRI is putting clusters at the heart of its of its £25bn budget up to 2025, and why our £100m Innovation Accelerator Program provides £33m each to 3 emerging clusters to attract industrial co-investment and become major, globally competitive centres for research and innovation.

“The Greater Swagֱ�� Cluster is becoming a world class hub of R+D in AI and advanced computing, advanced manufacturing and Net Zero Cleantech and associated technologies.

“I’m delighted that local leaders have come together to use our £33m to launch such exciting programs with industry and Universities in this exciting area.” 

The University has therefore hit its target of reducing the weighted average carbon intensity (WACI) by 50% by 2027 ahead of time. The University also ended investment in fossil fuel companies in 2021, as part of its .

Carbon intensity is a measure of carbon efficiency, in which the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions by a company are divided by the level of its activity (as measured in value of sales). The University aims to reach net zero carbon in its investments by 2038 at the latest.

The Endowment Investment Portfolio Climate Change report for the year ended 31 July 2022 has been prepared with support from Mercer, the University’s investment adviser.

As well as updating on progress, the report explains how the University considers climate-related risks in relation to its endowment investment portfolio, how it adopts governance processes and investment strategies, and assesses relevant metrics and targets in order to manage these risks.

Asset owners like the University sit at the top of the investment chain and, therefore, have an important role to play in influencing the organisations through which they invest (such as asset managers) and companies in which they ultimately invest to provide better climate-related financial disclosures.

Professor Nalin Thakkar, Vice-President for Social Responsibility, said: “I’m really pleased with the progress we have made on this, as it brings us much closer to our ultimate ambition of net zero-carbon in our investments. Publishing this report is part of demonstrating our ambition in a transparent way.

“This work, and our efforts to decarbonise our campus operations, helps us make a contribution to tackling the climate crisis, alongside our important teaching, research and social responsibility activity.”

The UK government recently launched “”, a campaign aimed at providing “simple, low or no-cost actions that households can take to immediately cut energy use and save money”. The campaign speaks to persistent calls to increase the assistance provided to households across the UK.

Rapid energy price rises have pushed millions into fuel poverty, with an estimated . For many, independent advice on safely reducing energy use and accessing financial assistance can make a vital difference in confronting the combined cost of living and energy crises.

Trustworthy advice goes far beyond a few short-term behavioural “hacks” – some of which have been – to also include deeper measures to upgrade the UK’s .

To meet its climate change targets and protect households from rising energy costs, the UK must rapidly insulate millions of homes and . But installing such measures is often complicated and there is limited information, guidance or support. The UK can’t decarbonise its energy system without increasing the help available to households from trained energy experts.

Reducing the UK’s carbon emissions should go hand-in-hand with tackling fuel poverty. housing, heating systems and appliances are key drivers of fuel poverty, and people living in well-insulated, low-carbon homes are more likely to have affordable energy bills. While advice alone will never solve fuel poverty, when combined with other measures it can make a . Advisers can point people towards appropriate government aid and or help arrange debt repayment plans, or insulation and heating upgrades.

We know what works

Academic and policy experts, , have undertaken extensive research on integrated energy advice in the UK and beyond. Numerous across the UK and similar countries provide a useful testbed for understanding what works.

Research has shown there are , such as how energy advice is communicated, who is providing it, and how it is framed. The most effective forms of energy advice are those that are , primarily via in-person, community-based and context-sensitive work.

Yet energy advice provision in the UK remains fragmented and insufficient, with across the country. Organisations such as Citizens Advice do brilliant work, but they don’t have the resources to provide widespread, personalised advice.

NEAS to meet you

One thing that might help is the establishment of a National Energy Advice Service. Akin to the efforts involved in building the UK’s National Health Service back in the 1940s, it could provide widely accessible, free support for anyone who needs it. With dedicated funding from utilities or government, the service could help integrate , it could reduce skills shortages and help address both fuel poverty and the transition to net zero.

What does this mean in practice? People wanting to improve the energy performance of their home would be able to access a single advice line, or a website. This could either lead to an adviser visit, or advice could be provided remotely if more appropriate. The advice would allow a household to identify the best options in light of its budget and other circumstances, and any support or subsidy schemes that might be available. Perhaps most importantly, people could be pointed towards certified sellers and installers of relevant materials.

The advice service could also work directly with government agencies, the NHS and community groups to seek out and approach those who might benefit from energy efficiency upgrades. This could be done at the neighbourhood scale, through area-based targeting, community retrofit coordinators, , or other local initiatives. Any households or businesses who sign up would be advised on support schemes and energy upgrade options.

Everyone should have access to state-of-the-art energy measures, regardless of their income or other forms of disadvantage. The service must not be restricted to those with the confidence and resources to take the initiative.

So there is a strong case that this would promote energy justice. By integrating financial subsidies, and working with trustworthy installers and companies, a national-level advice service could help promote equitable access to low-carbon energy for all.

, Professor of Human Geography, ; , PhD Candidate, Low-Carbon Energy Transitions, , and , Senior Lecturer in Geography,

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The robot, called Lyra, is one example of mobile robotic platforms designed for inspecting hazardous environments and is a groundbreaking invention that can change how people live, work, and think about what is possible.

Lyra was built by researchers at Swagֱ��, working within the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear (RAIN) Hub and with considerable guidance from technical and operations staff at Dounreay Site Remediation Ltd (DSRL). The technology is commercially available through Ice Nine Ltd.

In April, Lyra completed a survey of a radioactive ventilation duct below a disused laboratory at the Dounreay nuclear complex. It also used Lidar, a detection system similar to radar but which uses lasers, and took swabs using a manipulator arm.

The robot traversed 140m of duct from a single entry point. It provided operators with detailed radiological characterisation information that can now be used to help plan safe and efficient laboratory decommissioning.

To gain this detailed information previously would be complicated and require operations staff to make additional airline suit entries into contaminated areas, increasing cost and elevating risk. Additionally, due to the duct size and radiological threats, human access to this area is currently impossible.

Barry Lennox, RAIN Director and co-founder of Ice Nine Ltd, says the robot can accelerate the pace of decommissioning legacy nuclear facilities in the UK while simultaneously reducing the risk to humans, decreasing costs and even reducing the amount of additional low-level waste generated during decommissioning.

Sadly, the original Lyra had to be disposed of after its critical mission soaked it in plutonium and other materials. “This was a shame, as several of the researchers had become very attached to it,” Lennox says.

The research team is grateful for the use of the Lyra robot, which was made available for this work through the NNUF Hot Robotics Programme.

DSRL Project Manager Jason Simpson said: “DSRL is greatly indebted to the team from Swagֱ��, their efforts coupled with that of FIS360 Managing Director Frank Allison have clearly demonstrated the substantial benefits to be gained through collaborative working with the supply chain. Now that the characterisation survey is complete, we have built up a comprehensive picture of the duct which will help us make informed decisions on how the duct will be decommissioned going forward.

“Although it is recognised that the incentives to succeed differed for all parties, the enthusiasm and commitment from Frank Allison, Barry Lennox, Matthew Nancekievill, Keir Groves and the rest of the team at Swagֱ��, ensured our objectives ultimately aligned to culminate in the successful deployment and data capture witnessed via Lyra.”

This year, The Earthshot Prize is breaking records with 30% increase inspiring solutions compared to last year. It is an honour for Swagֱ�� to be nominated such a prestigious prize.

In the last two years, the University has saved CO₂ through active travel, shaped municipal climate change policy, increased biodiversity and enabled ethical consumption whilst empowering and equipping the future workforce of a net zero world. The Earthshot Prize would harness the massive global force for sustainability to affect change whilst shaping the decision makers of the future. 

Action for sustainability requires both multidisciplinary and collaborative solutions. The University methodology transforms how universities contribute to the most urgent challenges facing our planet in a scalable way.

The connects Swagֱ�� students to hundreds of research projects set by organisations around the world working at the cutting edge of sustainable development. Framed with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals these projects can be adapted to most assessments for most disciplines for students across the globe to tackle.

Dr Julian Skyrme, Director of Social Responsibility said: Our community of over 40,000 students have a range of advanced skills that can benefit communities, but rarely are these harnessed at scale, and in ways that meet the real needs of communities. Our University Living Lab addresses this challenge in of the UK’s largest universities by supporting students to undertake practical pieces of work linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Driven by a multitude of community-driven, people, planet and prosperity challenges students develop their sense of social responsibility, meet key learning objectives and know they are making a difference to real needs.”

is the biggest environmental sustainability initiative in the higher education sector. Swagֱ�� students and staff are together taking small steps to live more sustainably and take care of our planet at a global level. 

Through this platform, people can pledge sustainability actions and charter their progress. There are more than 150 different actions to reduce carbon impact and combat climate change whilst looking after the environment.

Dr Jennifer O’Brien, Lecturer in Geography said: “The 43,000 students are the University of Swagֱ�� are agents of change for sustainability, yes as future thinkers, decision and policy makers, but also right now during their studies. Our innovative, scalable, methodology through the University Living Lab and 50,000 Actions deploys that huge force for change whilst enhancing student experience and employability.”

The University’s approach brings up a huge potential. With the estimated growth rate of students in higher education, 50000 small actions could add up to great change. This method brings the full knowledge resources of universities to bear upon the most pressing global challenges, delivering timely, streamlined, replicable and scalable change.