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A deep-dive on desalination
Categories: technologyHow much energy does it use? Is it affordable? Read more
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How would the UK cope with drought?
Categories: climateIt’s 50 years since the 1976 drought: how would the UK cope with its next major one? Read more
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Great Britain's Water
Categories: bookGreat Britain’s Water: The Precious Resource is the title of a book that reader Geoff is writing. He would like to engage with those interested in commenting or reviewing. Read more
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Think before you flush
Categories: small actionsHow and when to save water at home. Read more
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GB Energy Stats May 2026
Categories: GB clean powerWind was GB’s leading source of electricity generation at 24.7%, gas came a close second at 22.6%. Read more
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Spain and Portugal get over 40% of their electricity from solar and wind
Categories: EU clean powerWind power is more prevalent in Portugal, while solar is ahead in Spain. Read more
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Scotland's GHG emissions fell in 2024, but more slowly than in 2023
Categories: net zeroGHG emissions have reduced by more than half since 1990 across all sectors except international aviation and shipping. Read more
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Ice melt is lengthening days at a rate unmatched for 3.6m years
Categories: discussion topicMelting ice is lengthening days at a rate unmatched for 3.6 million years, straining GPS precision. Read more
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A new reuse symbol
Categories: waste managementA new universal symbol for reuse aims to encourage the switch from single-use to reusable packaging and the development of integrated reuse systems. Read more
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Look into time-of-use tariffs
Categories: small actionsThey allow energy firms to incentivise customers to move their electricity use to times when the grid has more renewable energy than it needs. Read more
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Thinking about selling on Vinted?
Categories: small actionsSteps you can take to make this a greener option. Read more
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Economic growth in low-income countries can reduce pressure on nature
Categories: economicsPromoting agricultural innovation, economic opportunity, and more efficient food systems could result in less poverty, less habitat destruction, and lower climate emissions. Read more
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Recycling in the UK
Categories: waste managementIt starts with the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations. These require producers of packaging to contribute to the cost of recycling it. Read more
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Global groundwater depletion
Categories: discussion topicHuman activity has moved enough water to increase mean sea level and to move the rotational pole. Read more
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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
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CAT - not good news
Categories: PostAccording to Private Eye (Eye 1675, p41) the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Machynlleth may be on its last legs. Read more
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Heatwaves are now everyday disasters
Categories: climateGovernments need to do more to protect people. Shiv Yucel in The Conversation, 14 May 2026. Read more
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Use a shopping list
Categories: small actionsPeople who check their fridge and use a shopping list waste less food. Ian Williams in The Conversation, 18 May 2026. Read more
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Climate impacts at 1.5°C, 2°C, 3°C and 4°C
A briefing from the UN Climate Summit. Read more
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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
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Nuclear power
Categories: discussion topicAre you for or against? Read more
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It's time to talk about geoengineering
Categories: discussion topicReflecting 1% of the sunlight that Earth currently absorbs may be enough to counteract all the warming caused by the increase in CO2 above preindustrial levels. Read more
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Don't talk about climate
People are most likely to engage in climate- friendly action if their friends do - far more likely than if they are given cash incentives. Read more
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Being hated worked for Just Stop Oil
Categories: discussion topic"Disruptive protests may be unpopular, but they are effective at attracting media attention and public awareness". Read more
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Zero Carbon Britain
Categories: discussion topicA description of what the country might look like if we achieve zero emissions. It implies significant change to the lifestyle of the average Brit. Would we ever vote for something like this? Read more
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Land for solar or food?
Categories: discussion topicLink to a balanced article on 'Land for Solar or Food'. Very useful for a group discussion. Read more
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Carbon Capture and Storage
Categories: discussion topicDiscussion topic. CCS features in the UK's plans for net zero. George Monbiot argues against government policy, saying that it will increase emissions not reduce them. Prof Myles Allen has a different view. Read both of them and decide if you are for or against. Read more
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Stop buying so much rubbish
I had a good discussion with my Environmental Sustainability group around the book 'Less' by Patrick Grant. Read more
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Why does the price of 'green' electricity track the gas price?
Categories: PostElectricity 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
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Is it true that solar panels don't work if it is too hot?
Categories: PostIf 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
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Is it true that heat pumps don't work if it is too cold?
Categories: PostNo, but they are less efficient. Read more
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China added a Germany-sized grid in 2025
.... and it was nearly all solar and wind. Read more
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Energy from Waste
Is it a 'least worse technology'? Read more
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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
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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
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Moving beyond GDP
A report commissioned by the UN proposes 31 new indicators to “complement and go beyond” gross domestic product (GDP) as the world’s main measure of economic growth. Read more
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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
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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
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Sheep may safely graze
Categories: PostSheep 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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Bioplastics
Confusion among terms like bioplastics, bio-based and biodegradable plastics makes it hard to make the environmentally responsible choice. Read more
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Plastics
A list of references. Read more
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Forever chemicals
The 'forever chemicals' are per- and PolyFluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), which have the endearing properties of being both toxic and nonbiodegradable. Read more
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45% of UK plastic packaging 'unrecyclable'
Categories: plasticsThe Government has proposed Year 2 disposal fees for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging in the UK. Read more
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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
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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
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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