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Climate Change & Environment

Category: Post

  • A Well-Adapted UK

    The UK was built for a climate that no longer exists today and will be increasingly distant in years to come, says the CCC. Read more

  • CAT - not good news

    According to Private Eye (Eye 1675, p41) the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Machynlleth may be on its last legs. Read more

  • Climate impacts at 1.5°C, 2°C, 3°C and 4°C

    A briefing from the UN Climate Summit. Read more

  • Where the food waste goes

    In the UK food waste is often sent to an anaerobic digester. Anaerobic digestion is the process of taking biomass, making a soup out of it, then feeding the soup to bacteria which generate biogas, a mixture of methane and CO2. Usually the gas is burned to create electricity. Read more

  • Why does the price of 'green' electricity track the gas price?

    Electricity is traded in half-hour settlement periods; in each period the power that meets the peak demand is called the Marginal Generation Unit (MGU) and it is that price that sets the wholesale price. The MGU is nearly always gas, so the wholesale price tracks the gas price pretty closely. Read more

  • Is it true that solar panels don't work if it is too hot?

    If you have solar panels you don't care too much about their efficiency, you care about how much energy you get out of them. You'll get the most energy on long summer days. Read more

  • Is it true that heat pumps don't work if it is too cold?

    No, but they are less efficient. Read more

  • China added a Germany-sized grid in 2025

    .... and it was nearly all solar and wind. Read more

  • The Waste Management Hierarchy

    A framework that ranks waste management options by their environmental impact. It guides businesses and public bodies to follow five steps, from most preferred to least preferred. Read more

  • Low-carbon electricity sources grew faster than demand in 2025

    Global electricity production increased by around 850TWh in 2025, with solar and wind accounting for nearly all of this growth. The world burned more gas, but this was more than offset by a decline in coal and oil. Read more

  • Defossilize the chemical industry

    As well as stopping burning of fossil fuels we must stop using them as feedstock in industry. Europe should look to recycled plastic waste and captured CO2 for sources of carbon. Read more

  • Net zero backlash

    In 2025 there were more UK newspaper editorials opposing climate action than supporting it. All editorials opposing climate action were in right-leaning outlets, while nearly all in support were in left-leaning and centrist publications. It shows the net-zero backlash in the UK’s right-leaning press and the shift away from a political consensus. Read more

  • Sheep may safely graze

    Sheep graze on land that supports solar panels. Is the win-win-win for farmers, renewables and society or just a PR exercise for energy companies? Read more

  • Microplastics in the human body

    Studies reporting the presence of microplastics in the human body have been criticised by scientists who say the discoveries are likely the result of contamination and false positives. Microplastic and nanoplastic particles are tiny and at the limit of today’s analytical techniques. Read more

  • Clean power in India and China

    In 2025 electricity generated by coal plants fell by 1.6% in China and by 3% in India. A boom in clean energy in both countries was more than enough to meet their rising demand for energy. Read more

  • UK EfW processed 17.1m tonnes of waste in 2025

    Waste inputs to UK 64 Energy from Waste (EfW) plants rose 1.6% to 17.08m tonnes in 2025. New capacity outpaced demand. Fossil CO2 emissions reached a five-year high. Read more

  • Free electricity

    Beginning July 2026, residents of three of Australia’s six states will get three free hours of electricity every day, with the rest of the country to follow in 2027. Read more

  • Bioplastics

    Confusion among terms like bioplastics, bio-based and biodegradable plastics makes it hard to make the environmentally responsible choice. Read more

  • Plastics

    A list of references. Read more

  • Forever chemicals

    The 'forever chemicals' are per- and PolyFluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), which have the endearing properties of being both toxic and nonbiodegradable. Read more

  • GB renewable energy in 2025

    Renewable sources produced a record amount of electricity in Great Britain last year, Wind was the biggest renewable source of electricity; solar rose by nearly a third on 2024 levels, helped by the UK's sunniest year on record. Read more

  • California clean power

    The Trump administration has rolled back climate initiatives, but some states show what can be done. Gavin Newsom, governor of California, is quoted in the Guardian saying "we're running the fourth largest economy in the world [on] two-thirds clean energy on nine out of ten days in 2025". Read more

  • Health advances

    The Guardian reports on five global health advances in 2025 - advances in the treatment and prevention of cervical cancer, malaria, measles, rubella, HIV, and TB. Goals that once seemed wholly aspirational, such as the eradication of TB, are increasingly possible. Read more

  • Climate anxiety

    Two articles on this topic: Eco‑anxiety: how do young people relate to the climate crisis? / Why emotional resilience should be at the heart of climate change education Read more

  • Electric Rail

    Switzerland has electrified 100% of its railway network, India 94%, China 74%. The UK lags behind at 38% (measured by length of track) although many of the busiest routes are electric. Read more

  • EU electricity in 2025

    Wind and solar generated 30% of EU electricity in 2025, more than the 29% supplied by coal, gas and oil. The EU continues to shift towards low-carbon energy; its electricity mix is now mostly low-carbon, with renewables and nuclear together supplying 71% of electricity. Read more

  • Extreme heat

    Extreme heat is making it hard even for young, healthy people to safely carry out normal physical tasks in many parts of the world Read more

  • Hydrogen

    Roles for hydrogen in the future energy transition. Read more

  • Buy clothes from a reselling platform (or a charity shop)

    A vow to “buy nothing” is hard to keep. A vow to “buy second hand” gives you a treasure hunt. Fashion is a big polluter, so buying lots of outfits from the high street is problematic. Resellers such as Vinted, Depop and eBay, or charity shops, can provide a guilt-free solution. Read more

  • Pick up Plastic

    This is a picture of plastic waste (here expanded polystyrene) on its way to becoming microplastics. If you see something like this please pick it up and put it in a bin. Read more

  • A battery-powered train

    Great Western Railway is operating a battery-powered train on the West Ealing to Greenford branch line, as a first step to replacing diesel trains on routes that have proved difficult or expensive to electrify with overhead wires. Read more

  • New record for GB solar

    NESO set a new record for UK solar generation on 15th April 2026. Read more

  • National Emergency Briefing, Climate and Nature

    A frank assessment of our current situation but also a vision of a hopeful, more resilient future—achievable with courage and vision. Read more

  • Climate Stripes

    Climate stripes show the change in global temperature since 1850. Read more

  • New GB Wind Records

    New wind records twice in December 2024 Read more

  • Plastic pollution summit derailed

    In face of opposition from oil-producing nations, INC-5 concluded without agreeing a treaty on plastic pollution. Read more