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ReportZachariah M, T CS R D T A, Barnes C, et al., 2024,
Landslide-triggering rainfall made more intense by human-induced climate change, devastating highly vulnerable communities in northern Kerala
, Publisher: Centre for Environmental Policy -
ReportBarnes C, Santos FLM, Libonati R, et al., 2024,
Hot, dry and windy conditions that drove devastating Pantanal wildfires 40% more intense due to climate change
, Publisher: Centre for Environmental Policy -
Journal articleXu Y, Dang C, Cao XE, et al., 2024,
Artificial phytoremediation solar interface evaporator for efficient heavy metal salt separation and saline soil remediation
, Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, Vol: 12Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is an efficient, green, and low-carbon footprint way to separate heavy metals from contaminated soil. A biomimetic mushroom-like evaporator based on polypyrrole-modified cotton fabric is designed, which uses the mechanism of evaporative diffusion and gravity to drive the separation of heavy metal salt crystals, achieving sustainable remediation heavy metal contaminated soil (HMCS). This stereo biomimetic evaporator not only achieves excellent evaporation performance under solar energy drive but also enhances evaporation efficiency by capturing environmental energy from the side and then using natural convection. At an air velocity of 6 m s<sup>−1</sup>, the evaporation rate reaches 2.32 kg m<sup>−2</sup> h<sup>−1</sup>. After continuous operation for 192 h, the biomimetic evaporator maintains stable evaporation performance and successfully separates metal salt pollutants from the washing solution of HMCS. The removal rates of heavy metal ions Pb<sup>2+</sup>, Cr<sup>3+</sup>, Cd<sup>2+</sup>, Zn<sup>2+</sup>, and Hg<sup>2+</sup> in polluted soil are 53 %, 59 %, 60 %, 62 %, and 84 %, respectively. Compared to untreated control soil, the concentrations of Pb<sup>2+</sup>, Hg<sup>2+</sup>, Cr<sup>3+</sup>, Zn<sup>2+</sup>, and Cd<sup>2+</sup> in the roots of pea treated with solar evaporation remediation decreased by 66.4 %, 31.6 %, 31.1 %, 29.0 %, and 8.3 %, respectively. This study provides a potential new approach and method for the sustainable, low-cost, and low-energy remediation of HMCS using solar evaporation technology.
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ReportJennings N, Brandmayr C, 2024,
How can action to tackle climate change improve people’s health and save the NHS money?
To achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and contribute to global efforts to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, policies are required that reduce emissions across the whole of UK society including the transport, housing and agriculture sectors. Climate action could play an important role in helping to reduce existing health inequalities, improving public health and responding to the high levels of pressure on the NHS.
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ReportLawrance E, Newberry Le Vay J, El Omrani O, et al., 2024,
Global Agenda for Research and Action in Climate Change and Mental Health
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Journal articleGreene SM, Schachat SR, Arita-Merino N, et al., 2024,
Accessible interview practices for disabled scientists and engineers
, ISCIENCE, Vol: 27 -
Journal articleRao RR, Bucci A, Corby S, et al., 2024,
Unraveling the Role of Particle Size and Nanostructuring on the Oxygen Evolution Activity of Fe-Doped NiO
, ACS CATALYSIS, Vol: 14, Pages: 11389-11399, ISSN: 2155-5435 -
Journal articleLiang C, Rao RR, Svane KL, et al., 2024,
Unravelling the effects of active site density and energetics on the water oxidation activity of iridium oxides
, Nature Catalysis, Vol: 7, Pages: 763-775, ISSN: 2520-1158Understanding what controls the reaction rate on iridium-based catalysts is central to designing better electrocatalysts for the water oxidation reaction in proton exchange membrane electrolysers. Here we quantify the densities of redox-active centres and probe their binding strengths on amorphous IrOx and rutile IrO2 using operando time-resolved optical spectroscopy. We establish a quantitative experimental correlation between the intrinsic reaction rate and the active-state energetics. We find that adsorbed oxygen species, *O, formed at water oxidation potentials, exhibit repulsive adsorbate–adsorbate interactions. Increasing their coverage weakens their binding, thereby promoting O–O bond formation, which is the rate-determining step. These analyses suggest that although amorphous IrOx exhibits a higher geometric current density, the intrinsic reaction rates per active state on IrOx and IrO2 are comparable at given potentials. Finally, we present a modified volcano plot that elucidates how the intrinsic water oxidation kinetics can be increased by optimizing both the binding energy and the interaction strength between the catalytically active states.
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ReportRhodes A, Moustafa N, Wyn Owen M, 2024,
EFL White Paper - Nuclear in the UK
, Future of Nuclear in the UK: Challenges and Opportunities -
ReportMoustafa N, Rhodes A, Wyn Owen M, 2024,
EFL White Paper - Nuclear in the UK
, The Future of Nuclear in the UK: Challenges and Opportunities, Publisher: Energy Futures LabA growth globally in population and living standards is driving an increase in energy consumption worldwide. The drivers for energy include essential large-scale power generation, industrial activity, and increased transportation capabilities. These activities come with staggering carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, exacerbating the already significant cumulative totals which are resulting in a global rise in temperature. Currently, the main sources for global electrical energy generation comes from thermal power using coal and natural gas followed by hydro-electric plants, nuclear power with remaining energy being produced from biomass, geothermal, wind, solar and marine energy.Nuclear energy is a low-carbon source of electricity production and is the second largest source of low carbon electricity production globally after hydropower. Nuclear power accounts for 10% of the world’s electricity generation and 18% of electricity in OECD countries. Almost all reports from governments and organisations consider nuclear power as required to create a sustainable future energy system. An IEA report published in 2022, concluded that achieving net-zero targets globally will be significantly harder and more expensive without nuclear energy. The UK currently generates ~15% of its electricity from about 6.5 GW of nuclear capacity. However, most existing capacity will be shut down in the next 10 years. Where current government plans have ambitions for nuclear power to reach 25% of electricity production. Hence there is a need to investigate current and future nuclear power technologies, their technology readiness level, costs and required policy and funding mechanisms to enhance nuclear power generation and ensure British energy security. This research evaluated the prospects for new nuclear power generation to provide a significant proportion of UK generation, showing a rigorous, evidence-based evaluation of realistic timescales, costings and funding mechanisms and required s
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ReportPinto I, Barnes C, Philip S, et al., 2024,
Extreme heat killing more than 100 people in Mexico hotter and much more likely due to climate change
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ReportRogelj J, Stern N, Zenghelis D, et al., 2024,
The truth about climate action in the UK: dispelling common myths to underline the importance of acting on net zero
To help unpack the evidence and provide greater clarity about what is fact and what is false, this collection of essays authored by academics from across the UK explores a range of topics that are often featured in public and policy discussion on climate change.The essays outline the key evidence on climate science, the economic implications of climate action, the performance and costs of technologies and infrastructure to reduce emissions, and public attitudes to net zero.
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ReportZachariah M, Saeed F, Barnes C, et al., 2024,
Increasing April-May rainfall, El Niño and high vulnerability behind deadly flooding in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran
, Publisher: Centre for Environmental Policy -
ReportBrandmayr C, Bird J, Jennings N, et al., 2024,
General Election 2024: climate change priorities for the next UK Government
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Journal articleLee H, Kim K-H, Rao RR, et al., 2024,
A hydrogen radical pathway for efficacious electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia over an Fe-polyoxometalate/Cu electrocatalyst
, MATERIALS HORIZONS, ISSN: 2051-6347 -
ReportClarke B, Barnes C, Rodrigues R, et al., 2024,
Climate change, El Niño and infrastructure failures behind massive floods in southern Brazil
, Publisher: Centre for Environmental Policy -
Journal articleQuilodran-Casas C, Li Q, Zhang N, et al., 2024,
Exploring unseen 3D scenarios of physics variables using machine learning-based synthetic data: An application to wave energy converters
, ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING & SOFTWARE, Vol: 177, ISSN: 1364-8152 -
Journal articleHolm DD, Hu R, Street OD, 2024,
Geometric mechanics of the vertical slice model
, Geometric Mechanics, Vol: 01, Pages: 77-121, ISSN: 2972-4589<jats:p> The goals of this work are to: (i) investigate the dynamics of oceanic frontogenesis by taking advantage of the geometric mechanics underlying the class of Vertical Slice Models (VSMs) of ocean dynamics and (ii) illustrate the versatility and utility of deterministic and stochastic variational approaches by deriving several variants of wave–current interaction models which describe the effects of internal waves propagating within a vertical planar slice embedded in a 3D region of constant horizontal gradient of buoyancy in the direction transverse to the vertical plane. </jats:p>
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Journal articleRai UJ, Oluleye G, Hawkes A, 2024,
Stochastic optimisation model to determine the optimal contractual capacity of a distributed energy resource offered in a balancing services contract to maximise profit
, Energy Reports, Vol: 11, Pages: 5800-5818, ISSN: 2352-4847In the realm of grid balancing services, determining the generation capacity of a distributed energy resource for contractual agreements with the system operator is pivotal. However, prevalent heuristic or deterministic methodologies employed by demand response aggregators often lack risk assessment and may not optimize generation capacity allocation. Consequently, the potential for maximizing utilization profits remains untapped. This paper addresses these limitations and explains the necessity of using the optimal generation capacity of a grid-connected distributed energy resource which is also fulfilling site electricity demand to maximise profit and mitigate penalties both for demand response aggregators and their clients. Demand response aggregators provide these services to the system operator on behalf of their clients whose electrical generation assets they utilize on a profit-sharing basis. The primary challenge investigated in this study lies in effectively managing the uncertainty surrounding both site electricity demand and short-term operating reserve calls by the system operator through a novel two-step approach. Firstly, a demand bin characterization technique is employed to account for site demand uncertainty. Subsequently, a stochastic model utilizing mixed integer nonlinear programming is developed using the General Algebraic Modeling System, incorporating five years of uncertainty regarding the frequency of short-term operating reserve calls which makes it instrumental and novel in determining optimal contractual generation capacity in a balancing service contract, as well as associated profits and penalties, under varying utilization prices. This distinctiveness positions it as an advancement over and distinct from deterministic approaches. Case study results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed stochastic model in comparison to deterministic methods utilized in prior research. Specifically, the stochastic model yields a realistic profit incr
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ReportEl Omrani O, Massazza A, Fleury J, et al., 2024,
Submission by The Climate Cares Centre and United for Global Mental Health to the Expert Dialogue on Children and Climate Change
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ReportVrkic D, 2024,
Test Dora
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ReportBird J, 2024,
Autumn and winter storms in the UK 2023-24
, Grantham Institute background briefing, Publisher: Imperial Grantham InstituteKey points• Rainfall during autumn and winter storms in the UK and Ireland in 2023/24 was made around 20% more intense by human-caused climate change. • The total volume of rainfall experienced over the October 2023 – March 2024 period increased by about 15% compared to the preindustrial climate. • Rainfall intensity and volume are expected to continue to worsen unless greenhouse gas emissions are rapidly reduced. • A range of factors, including health, economic, social, discrimination and geographic features can impact people’s level of risk from flooding, with risk of harm especially high in cases where multiple risk factors intersect. • The Government has not yet set a long-term resilience target for flooding, and policy measures to build resilience have so far fallen short. In late 2023 and early 2024, the UK and Ireland experienced a very active storm season. The countries were affected by 13-14 severe storms. Storms Babet, Ciarán, Henk and Isha were some of the most damaging in Ireland and the UK, leading to severe floods, at least 13 deaths, severe damages to homes and infrastructure, power outages, travel cancellations, and loss of crops and livestock.
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ReportKimutai J, Barnes C, Masambaya F, et al., 2024,
Urban planning at the heart of increasingly severe East African flood impacts in a warming world
, Publisher: Centre for Environmental Policy -
ReportKew SF, McCarthy M, Ryan C, et al., 2024,
Autumn and Winter storms over UK and Ireland are becoming wetter due to climate change
, Publisher: Centre for Environmental Policy -
Journal articleDang C, Nie H, Cao XE, et al., 2024,
System integration for solar-driven interfacial desalination
, Device, Vol: 2To address the growing global freshwater scarcity, solar-thermal-driven desalination has gradually matured as a promising solution under the advocacy of global energy conservation and carbon footprint reduction. In recent years, the performance of solar-driven interfacial desalination (SDID) systems has been substantially improved via the modification and development of photothermal materials and the design of artificial interfaces and thermal management engineering. In this review, we summarize recent advances in SDID integrated devices and their potential for applications at different scales. The specific and potential application scenarios of SDID devices and the challenges for future development are also described. We also review the interactions between the strategies of seawater supply, steam transport, and freshwater condensation systems with the energy systems.
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ReportZachariah M, Clarke B, Vahlberg M, et al., 2024,
Climate change made the deadly heatwaves that hit millions of highly vulnerable people across large parts of Asia more frequent and extreme
, Publisher: Centre for Environmental Policy -
Journal articleSyafina P, Oluleye G, 2024,
A comparative assessment of policy induced diffusion pathways for utility scale solar PV: case study of Indonesia
, Frontiers in Sustainable Energy Policy, Vol: 3, ISSN: 2813-4982Lack of effective policies hinder the uptake of Utility-scale solar PV, even though they are projected to play a pivotal role in achieving Indonesia’s 2050 net-zero energy target. This study seeks to identify a cost-effective pathway to increase the capacity of utility-scale solar PV in Indonesia through supportive policies that ensure equitable cost distribution between the government and industry. A novel Market Penetration Optimization Model is developed and applied in simulation mode to assess existing policies, and optimization mode to determine new policy recommendations and compare three policy induced diffusion pathways. Results show that current price-based policies are insufficient to stimulate growth in the solar PV market, only covering approximately 13% of the investment cost required by the industry. Thus, necessitating a reactivation of Feed-in-Tariffs. The optimal tariffs rates required range from 0.39 to 1.47 cents /kWh for the most economic pathway during the initial ten-year post-construction period. The Innovation Diffusion Theory-based pathway necessitates the lowest initial investment cost while yielding the highest revenue from electricity sales, demonstrating its superior cost-effectiveness compared to both the supply-based and linear pathways. This study enriches the literature by exploring the financial implications of policy induced diffusion pathways.
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Journal articleAkkiraju K, Rao R, Hwang J, et al., 2024,
Regulating Oxygen Activity of Perovskites to Promote Activity and Selectivity for Methanol Oxidation to Formaldehyde
, ACS CATALYSIS, Vol: 14, Pages: 7649-7663, ISSN: 2155-5435 -
ReportBarnes C, Paton S, Stallard RF, et al., 2024,
Low water levels in Panama Canal due to increasing demand exacerbated by El Niño event
, Publisher: Centre for Environmental Policy -
Journal articleLewis-Brown E, Jennings N, Mills M, et al., 2024,
Comparison of carbon management and emissions of universities that did and did not adopt voluntary carbon offsets
, Climate Policy, Vol: 24, Pages: 706-722, ISSN: 1469-3062The urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, remove carbon from the atmosphere and stabilize natural carbon sinks has led to the development of many carbon management measures, increasingly including voluntary carbon offsets (VCOs). We studied carbon management in universities, institutions with large carbon footprints and considerable influence in climate science and policy fora. However, concerns that VCOs may deter adopters (including universities) from adopting other carbon reduction measures and limit emissions reductions, for example, through moral hazard, have been raised but understudied. We compared the carbon management characteristics (priorities, policies, practices and emissions) of universities that did and did not adopt VCOs. We found adopters measured carbon emissions for longer, and had set targets to reach net zero earlier than had non-adopters. Adopters of VCOs also undertook more carbon management practices in both 2010 and 2020 than non-adopters. We also found that both adopters and non-adopters significantly increased their carbon management practices over the decade studied, but with no difference between groups. Gross CO2 emissions were reduced significantly over time by adopters of VCOs but not by non-adopters, whereas carbon intensity and percentage annual emissions reductions did not relate to adoption status. Consequently, our study showed no indication of mitigation deterrence due to adoption of VCOs at the universities studied. Rather, greater emissions reductions correlated with earlier net zero target dates, and a higher number of policies and carbon management practices. However, our study was constrained to universities that were affiliated with a national environmental network, so research beyond these organizations, and with individuals, would be useful. The survey was voluntary, exposing the study to potential self-selection bias so the findings may not be generalized beyond the study group. Finally, we found the carbon ac
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