Rare earth magnet recycling centre launched in West Midlands
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Electronic waste for recycling. A facility for separating and recycling rare earth magnets has been launched at the University of Birmingham, which was opened on 15 January by Chris McDonald MP, Minister for Industry in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business and Trade. The new facility uses an […]
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Prof Ben Santer: Trump administration is ‘embracing ignorance’ on climate science
The attacks on climate science by the Trump administration means the US is now “part of the problem” on global warming and “not part of the solution”, says Prof Ben Santer. Santer – a leading climate scientist and early pioneer in establishing the human “fingerprint” on warming – has played a central role in major […]
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Q&A: What UK’s record auction for offshore wind means for bills and clean power by 2030
A record-breaking amount of new offshore wind capacity has been secured at the UK’s latest auction for renewable energy projects. Five fixed-foundation projects, amounting to 8.25 gigawatts (GW), secured fixed-price “contracts for difference” (CfDs) to supply electricity for an average of £91 per megawatt hour (MWh). Additionally, two floating offshore wind projects with a combined […]
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Measuring movement creates new way to map indoor air pollution
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Researchers say they have developed a new way of measuring and analysing indoor air pollution that – in initial trials – has established a clear link between office occupancy, physical activity, and air quality. Using radar-powered movement detectors and low-cost pollution sensors, researchers equipped office space in central Birmingham to monitor the number of people […]
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Interactive map shows how well English highway authorities are performing on road maintenance
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The measures are intended to support a move away from expensive, short-term repairs, and towards long-term proactive maintenance. A new ratings system lets the public see how well each of the 154 local highway authorities in England is fixing potholes and maintaining roads. An interactive map provides a visual appraisal of progress, with authorities graded […]
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AI is changing the monitoring of biological pollutants in water bodies
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The authors of a new review outline how AI can turn water quality management from a reactive, after-the-fact process into a proactive early warning and control system for harmful microbes, algal toxins, parasites, and antibiotic resistance genes in aquatic environments. These living “biocontaminants” are highly dynamic, able to grow, evolve, and spread with changing temperature, […]
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Flow computer offers versatile measurement of gas and fluid flow
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This article contains paid for content produced in collaboration with VEGA Controls. The SFC3000 flow computer from Sussex based Ex-i Flow Measurement, is a highly versatile liquid hydrocarbon and gas flow measuring device capable of operating in a stand-alone single stream flow measurement system or as part of a highly complex multi-stream system. It has […]
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At MIT, a continued commitment to understanding intelligence
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The MIT Siegel Family Quest for Intelligence (SQI), a research unit in the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, brings together researchers from across MIT who combine their diverse expertise to understand intelligence through tightly coupled scientific inquiry and rigorous engineering. These researchers engage in collaborative efforts spanning science, engineering, the humanities, and more. SQI seeks […]
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Generative AI tool helps 3D print personal items that sustain daily use
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Generative artificial intelligence models have left such an indelible impact on digital content creation that it’s getting harder to recall what the internet was like before it. You can call on these AI tools for clever projects such as videos and photos — but their flair for the creative hasn’t quite crossed over into the […]
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Cropped 14 January 2026: Wildfires scorch three continents; EU trade; Food and nature in 2026
We handpick and explain the most important stories at the intersection of climate, land, food and nature over the past fortnight. This is an online version of Carbon Brief’s fortnightly Cropped email newsletter. Subscribe for free here. This is the last edition of Cropped for 2025. The newsletter will return on 14 January 2026. Key developments […]
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State of the climate: 2025 in top-three hottest years on record as ocean heat surges
The year 2025 was in the top-three warmest years on record, with average surface temperatures reaching around 1.44C above pre-industrial levels across eight independent datasets. The different temperature records confirm that last year was either the second or third warmest since observations began in the mid-1800s, with razor-thin margins between 2025 and 2023. Last year […]
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The Happy Birth and Timely Death of the MetroCard
The retirement of the MetroCard as the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve was bittersweet for me. In 1983, as a young lawyer, I took a year’s leave of absence from my law firm to serve as special counsel to Richard Ravitch, chairman of the MTA. He gave me the task of leading a […]
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Analysis: The climate papers most featured in the media in 2025
The year 2025 saw the return to power of Donald Trump, a jewellery heist at the Louvre museum in Paris and an engagement that “broke the internet”. Amid the biggest stories of the year, climate change research continued to feature prominently in news and social media feeds. Using data from Altmetric, which scores research papers […]
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Dual-layer system intercepts most micro- and nanoplastics from landfill leachate, say researchers
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The membrane performed well over multiple filtration cycles, and could be cleaned and reused thanks to a methodical backwashing system. Researchers have created a new two-layer membrane filtration system that can significantly reduce the amount of micro and nanoplastics that leak from landfills into local water basins. The group – at the University of British […]
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Laser cladding demonstrated for rail track repairs by Sheffield group
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Laser cladding is “a highly promising alternative for rail repair,” said Kate Tomlinson of the University of Sheffield. Field demonstrations of laser cladding technology hosted by the University of Sheffield Rail Group have shown how additive manufacturing can repair railway infrastructure and provide superior wear resistance. Working in collaboration with British Steel and Technogenia UK […]
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Odour control system combines neutralisation with fragrance design
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The AiroVive® system deployed at a water treatment facility (image credit: Probe Industries). A new product offering in the odour control space appears unusual in its combination of industrial odour neutralisation with deliberately designed “mood-enhancing” fragrances. The AiroVive® from Probe Industries is said to be the world’s first industrial odour enhancer that combines a biodegradable, […]
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Analysis: Coal power drops in China and India for first time in 52 years after clean-energy records
Coal power generation fell in both China and India in 2025, the first simultaneous drop in half a century, after each nation added record amounts of clean energy. The new analysis for Carbon Brief shows that electricity generation from coal in India fell by 3.0% year-on-year (57 terawatt hours, TWh) and in China by 1.6% […]
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Welsh utility scales up deployment of Intelligent submersible wastewater pump
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Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water will roll out hundreds of Flygt Concertor intelligent pumping systems, following a successful deployment which delivered energy savings of 40%. The project demonstrates the evolution of pumping, writes Synneve Henningson, senior product manager, Xylem. As part of its commitment to enhancing customer service and protecting the environment, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW) is significantly […]