The Icon

IN JULY 2021, the Adaptation Committee of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), will launch a major new independent assessment of the climate risks and opportunities facing the UK. The Climate Change Risk Assessment Evidence Report is a collaborative effort involving over 130 organisations. On the basis of this evidence, the Adaptation Committee will provide its advice to Government to inform the UK...

Researchers have demonstrated the use of tinted, semi-transparent solar panels to generate electricity and produce nutritionally-superior crops simultaneously, bringing the prospect of higher incomes for farmers and maximising use of agricultural land. By allowing farmers to diversify their portfolio, this novel system could offer financial protection from fluctuations in market prices or changes in demand, and mitigate risks associated with...

THE UNIVERSITY of Surrey is to begin work on a new lithium-ion battery technology that is capable of capturing CO2 emissions, following an award from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The project, which will be led by Dr Yunlong Zhao, will undertake research into state-of-the-art batteries that use Li–CO2 electrochemical technology. Crucially, the research will look to achieve a breakthrough in...

LIDL GB unveils initiative to prevent household food waste as stats show over 1.8 million Scots are shopping without a list, contributing to 60 million meals being wasted every month. The retailer has teamed up with Love Food Hate Waste Scotland to launch a series of food waste-free shopping lists that will help Scots plan better, save money and fight...

Hundreds of homes and buildings across Cardiff and Bridgend will receive low-carbon energy from new heat network projects thanks to a £8 million boost announced by the UK Government. The funding will develop a new system of distribution pipes taking excess heat from a central source such as energy generated from waste in Cardiff, and a Combined Heat and Power...

A new set of rules could bar the UK government’s chief foreign lender from offering financial support to foreign fossil fuel projects. The new policy, which could come as soon as this week, will rule out future loans and financial guarantees for polluting projects overseas through the UK’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance, just weeks after it agreed to a...

BOOHOO plans to set up a “model factory” in Leicester following allegations of poor working practices at its supplier factory last month. John Lyttle, Boohoo’s CEO, outlined plans for the online retailer to begin manufacturing its own products at the facility as soon as September. According to Leicestershire Live, the company has confirmed that it has bought a former car showroom...

Solar and wind power are an important part of solving the problem of climate change, but these renewable technologies on their own probably will never provide the energy for many industrial processes, like making steel. Approximately 90 percent of the world’s energy use involves generation or manipulation of heat, including the cooling of buildings and food. Maintaining modern economies and improving...

A NEW programme will help high street businesses, including Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Co-op and Waitrose, to strengthen their global supply chains by supporting workers in developing countries during the coronavirus pandemic. The new funding announced by International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan includes investment from UK businesses to keep vulnerable workers in their supply chains in safe and...

Michael Phelan, Chief Executive and Co-founder at GridBeyond, shares his views on the Uk's Green Economic Recovery Plans & National Grid Forecasts.   The Government recently announced its focus on fighting unemployment and post-COVID-19 economic recession by heavy investment in new environmentally friendly residential projects and modernisation of the old housing system.   The goal is to provide green jobs and affordable housing,...