Author: staff
Heat pumps are common features in houses in countries like Norway and Sweden but haven’t taken off yet in the UK. The UK government has employed the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) to help change public opinion about heat pumps. Known as the ‘nudge unit’, the UK-based company has been tasked with fighting misconceptions and myths surrounding the clean technology.Common misinformation often shared by the media includes heat pumps not working in the cold and not being suitable for older buildings. “We want to help people get a heat pump as families can save around £100 a year compared to a…
China’s EV boom offers climate hope, but market dominance risks new environmental challenges. Ten years ago, you would be forgiven for assuming the snowballing climate crisis was low-down on China’s priority list. Accounting for approximately 11.9 billion metric tonnes of emissions in 2023 alone, the country has been the largest global emitter of CO2 since 2006 – with emissions double that of the next greatest carbon offender, the United States.But today, China is also the biggest global exporter of electric vehicles (EVs). Following an astonishing 13,300 per cent increase in production between 2017 and 2023, the country has skyrocketed to dominance…
A female endangered Pacific Northwest orca who made global headlines seven years ago when she carried her dead calf for over a fortnight is doing so once again with her new deceased calf. The mother orca is known as Tahlequah, or J35, and has been seen carrying the body of her deceased female offspring since Wednesday (1 January), according to the Washington state-based Centre for Whale Research.“The entire team at the Centre for Whale Research is deeply saddened by this news and we will continue to provide updates when we can,” the team wrote in a post shared on Facebook.…
The UK’s largest woodland conservation charity is fighting to make sure the rainforests across the country are preserved for the good of the planet. Did you know that the UK is home to rainforest, filled to the brim with weird and wonderful wildlife? Today, Britain’s rainforests make up just one per cent of the islands. In the past, they covered 20 per cent but, despite this decrease, they still remain as unique environments, home to wildlife not seen elsewhere.Situated in the south-west of England, Wales, north-west England and Scotland, they’re thought to be more threatened than their tropical counterparts, but…
Antarctic tourism has boomed in recent years with the remote continent attracting record numbers of tourists. In 2024, an astonishing 122,000 people made the trip to Antarctica – a massive increase from the 44,000 visitors recorded in 2017. A vast majority of tourists travelling with the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) arrive by cruise ship. Just one per cent reach the continent by plane. Luxury cruises have made the destination accessible to a wider variety of people and it is now a firm bucket list adventure for many. There are regulations which control the frequency, duration and number…
How one man’s love for the ocean created an Omega-3 alternative that has gained global glory. Douglas Martin has always loved the ocean.“I’ve always felt some connection to the ocean, and water in general. I always feel more at home when I can hear the waves crashing – finding silence amongst the noise,” he says.While Martin was raised in South Africa, his parents are Scottish, and he says he “was very much raised as a Scot”. “The wonderful thing about living in Scotland is that all the main cities are very close to nature, so the oceans and rivers are right…
The practice is easing pressure on drainage systems, one of the Netherlands’ growing climate-induced challenges. A months’ long contest occurring annually in the Netherlands since 2021 sees residents vying to remove as many paving slabs from their gardens as possible. Known as ‘tile whipping’ – tegelwippen – it was dreamt up by creative agency Frank Lee to encourage the greening and rewilding of urban spaces.Now considered a national sport, it sees swathes of grey concrete replaced by trees, grass and vegetable plots every year.‘We want to go from grey to green’During the months of the annual competition, Dutch residents are…
British Sign Language is expanding so a new generation can discuss climate change and environmental issues. The climate crisis demands a new vocabulary to describe what the burning of fossil fuels is doing to the planet. While terms such as greenhouse gases, carbon footprint, and sustainability have quickly slipped into everyday use in English, turning them into sign language is a more complicated process.But a team of experts at the University of Edinburgh – including deaf scientists and educators – were determined to do just that so that deaf people could be included in this critical conversation.Earlier this year, 400 new…
Spanish police have arrested a man in connection with the 2023 shooting of two football fans in Brussels. Spanish police and Belgian prosecutors said on Saturday that the suspect was arrested at Malaga Airport the day before. Two Swedish nationals were killed and another injured in the attack, which took place after a qualifying game between Belgium and Sweden for the Euro 2024 football tournament. Belgian police shot and killed the gunman. Belgian authorities said the suspect arrested on Friday was believed to have supplied the firearm used in the attack.
Reducing coal usage and making permits easier has helped renewables become “the backbone of the system” in Germany. Germany’s power mix passed a green milestone in 2024, with renewables making up 59 per cent of electricity generation, according to the latest figures.That’s up from 56 per cent in 2023, the country’s Bundesnetzagentur (the regulatory Federal Network Agency) reported on Friday. Onshore wind was the biggest single energy source at 25.9 per cent – despite a comparatively less windy year. Solar recorded the largest growth thanks to new installations and “an extraordinary amount of sunshine” over summer, the Bundesnetzagentur states. What’s driving Germany’s renewables…