Drone swarm advance would boost speed and safety, say researchers
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The researchers say T-STAR allows swarms of drones to fly faster, safer, and with unprecedented coordination, even in highly complex and obstacle-filled environments. An advance that might allow drones to retain high speed while avoiding collisions in cluttered environments has been reported by researchers at Durham University A seemingly notable development in drone swarm technology, […]
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A new generative AI approach to predicting chemical reactions
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Many attempts have been made to harness the power of new artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs) to try to predict the outcomes of new chemical reactions. These have had limited success, in part because until now they have not been grounded in an understanding of fundamental physical principles, such as the laws of […]
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Reviewing Energy Transition Ratios: the Reliable, Revealing, and Risky
This blog is the second in a three-part series on sustainable finance metrics that better evaluate corporate climate risk, opportunity, and impact, and make metrics more relevant to financial decision-making. In the last decade, financial market participants have begun to grapple with the risk and opportunity posed by the transition from today’s fossil […]
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“Doing the utmost”: Due diligence as the standard of conduct in international climate law
One of the most profound findings in the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ’s) climate change advisory opinion (AO) is that State obligations to mitigate climate change to a level that holds warming to the Paris Agreement’s 1.5oC threshold are spread out over the large canvas of international law, including United Nations (UN) climate treaties, particularly […]
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New geological ‘pathways’ discovered beneath Welsh capital
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Geothermal developers looking to locate a ground-source heat pump in Cardiff (pictured) need to consider the new data carefully, says BGS. Scientists have discovered cavities in the clay underneath Cardiff, which will influence the siting of future geothermal developments. Understanding how heat moves within the subsurface is important for the development of geothermal energy, including […]
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Section 82: an opportunity for strategic thinking
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Darren Hanson is director environmental solutions, Xylem UK. New environmental legislation for England and Wales requires continuous water quality monitoring, writes Darren Hanson of Xylem UK – and the wins will go beyond river water quality. With the Environment Act 2021 now in active rollout, the UK water sector is entering a pivotal phase. Part […]
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Victims’ Rights, Redress and Accountability for the Climate Crisis: Lessons from Transitional Justice
The climate reparations debate seeks justice for states, communities, and individuals suffering from the unjust distribution of climate-related harms. This debate can be usefully informed by lessons from the field of ‘transitional justice’, i.e., the body of scholarship and practice concerned with how societies respond to the legacies of massive and severe violations of international […]
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World’s first commercial ammonia engine for shipping launches
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The world’s first full-scale commercial ammonia-fuel engine has been completed by Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG), marking a milestone in efforts to decarbonise global shipping. A large (50cm) bore, seven-cylinder engine intended for medium gas carriers, a mid-sized class of commercial gas-transport vessels, it is equipped with high-pressure selective catalytic reduction (SCR). The engine passed its […]
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Immune response suggests genetic strategies for increasing plants’ drought resilience
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Researchers in the US report that plants rapidly boost their immune systems during drought recovery, knowledge of which phenomenon they say indicates potential genetic strategies for designing more drought-resistant crops (words: Salk Institute) A plant’s number one priority is to grow—a feat that demands sunlight, nutrients, and water. If just one of these three inputs […]
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Simulation study identifies opportunities and bottlenecks for Scottish Offshore Wind
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A new study appears to find that the scale, speed, and ambitious targets driving Scotland’s offshore wind industry demand a strategic approach to supply chain development. Strengthening resilience will require both the diversification of port operations and focused investment in key infrastructure such as wet storage and integration berths. The comprehensive simulation modelling project was […]
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3 Questions: The pros and cons of synthetic data in AI
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Synthetic data are artificially generated by algorithms to mimic the statistical properties of actual data, without containing any information from real-world sources. While concrete numbers are hard to pin down, some estimates suggest that more than 60 percent of data used for AI applications in 2024 was synthetic, and this figure is expected to grow […]
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3 Questions: On biology and medicine’s “data revolution”
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Caroline Uhler is an Andrew (1956) and Erna Viterbi Professor of Engineering at MIT; a professor of electrical engineering and computer science in the Institute for Data, Science, and Society (IDSS); and director of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where she is also a core institute and scientific […]
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Supreme Court Signals Challenges to Federal Grant Terminations are Contract Disputes
*This is Part One of a two-part blog series that examines the impact of federal grant termination litigation on the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). At the time of this post, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has just issued a decision in Climate United Fund v. Citibank, vacating […]
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Alarming levels of microplastic pollution revealed by Hampshire chalk stream study
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Chalk streams – globally rare rivers once known for their gin-clear waters – are being impacted by microparticle pollution to a disturbing extent, according to a new study, seemingly the first to gather this kind of monitoring data about a chalk stream. Fewer than 300 chalk streams exist worldwide, and England is home to most […]
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Climate Change and Reparations: Introduction to the Blog Symposium
As the realities of climate change become increasingly dire, communities worldwide face devastating impacts, from rising sea levels to extreme weather events, disproportionately affecting those who have contributed the least to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this context, impacted individuals and communities are increasingly seeking recourse in international and regional courts and tribunals to clarify […]
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The hidden value in EPR reporting data
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The introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has rattled many industries, with companies concerned about potential cost increases. However, EPR may also present an opportunity to reduce disposal costs or even cash in on some commercial waste. Recycling rebate experts at BusinessWaste.co.uk are advising business owners to re-evaluate their waste to discover if they could […]
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Applying advanced waste reduction strategies in modern warehousing
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This article contains sponsored content. Modern warehouses generate an estimated 2.5 million tonnes of operational waste annually across the UK, with packaging materials accounting for nearly 60% of this total. Traditional recycling approaches, while valuable, only address waste after it has been created. Advanced waste reduction strategies focus on prevention, optimisation, and systemic change to […]
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Scottish wild boar numbers to rise signifcantly over the next 50 years, new model predicts
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A group of wild boar caught on a trail cam at at Bunloit Estate (image credit: James Hutton Institute) New modelling has predicted a significant rise in Scotland’s boar population over the next 50 years – with hotspots persisting in the West Highlands, Dumfries and Galloway, northern Moray and Aberdeenshire, and Perthshire. Once extinct in […]