As and a habitable climate teeters, it’s understandable to feel despair.

Some of the world’s top climate scientists at the prospect of reaching 3°C by 2100. This hellish scenario, well in excess of the 1.5°C countries agreed to aim for when they signed the 2015 , would indeed spell disaster for much of life on Earth.

As a lecturer in sustainability, I often hear my anxious students bemoan the impossibility of building a way out of ecological collapse. However, the greatest danger is fatalism, and assuming, as claimed, that “there is no alternative”.

There is a vast ocean of possibility for transforming the planet. Increasingly, cities are in the vanguard of forging more sustainable worlds.

Car-free futures

Since the , the car has afforded a sense of freedom while infringing on the freedoms of .

Cars, particularly , are a major source of air pollution and . Motorways and have transformed Earth’s terrain and monopolised public space. For those of us in industrialised societies, it is difficult to .

Global sales of electric vehicles are projected to . Yet even these supposed solutions to an unsustainable transport sector require a lot of space and materials to make and maintain.

With cities set to host nearly by 2050, space and livability are key concerns. As such, and are beginning to reclaim their streets.

Between 2019 and 2022, the number of low-emissions zones, areas that regulate the most polluting vehicles in order to improve air quality and help to protect public health, in European cities. Research suggests that policies to such as congestion charges and raised parking fees can further discourage their use. However, providing viable and accessible alternatives is also crucial: as such, many cities are also widening walkways, building bike lanes and making public transport cheaper and easier to access.

An estimated 80,000 cars used to pass daily through the centre of , a city in north-west Spain. Mayor Miguel Anxo Fernandez Lores instituted a ban on cars in 1999 and removed on-street parking spaces. The city has since drastically reduced air pollution and hasn’t had a vehicular death in over a decade.

Living cities

Cement and concrete are to make major infrastructure such as roads, bridges, buildings and dams. The cement industry accounts for up to . Moreover, the open-pit quarrying of limestone, a key ingredient in cement, involves removing topsoil and vegetation which and increases flooding risks.

A burgeoning “” movement originated in in 2008 and has removed concrete and asphalt from cities including , and several cities , replacing it with plants and soil.

Depaving is an example of the wider movement which aims to restore natural habitats and expand green spaces in cities for social and ecological wellbeing.

Multispecies coexistence

A new by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has documented in the abundance of monitored wildlife populations globally since 1970. Despite such unfathomable losses, many cities are being transformed into .

Prized for their fur, beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK by the 16th century. Their create homes for other species such as birds and invertebrates and help prevent flooding. Eurasian beavers have been since their reintroduction in the 1920s and 1960s, respectively.

In 2022, beavers were designated a in England. , London saw its first baby beaver in over 400 years.

Melbourne has launched a project to create in the city by 2028, with at least 20 local plant species for each square metre. An 8-kilometre long is also being created to allow wildlife to travel between 200 interconnected gardens and further help local pollinators flourish.

Living alongside larger predators brings unique challenges. However, as with any functional relationship, respect is key for coexistence. Los Angeles and Mumbai are two major cities that are mountain lions and leopards. Local officials have launched public education initiatives urging people to, for instance, maintain a safe distance from the animals and not walk alone outside at night. In cases where wildlife conflicts occur, such as who have lost livestock, non-lethal methods such as wolf-proof fences and guard dogs have been found to be than culls.

Environmental justice now

Cities, particularly in wealthy countries, are only a small part of the story.

At just over 500 years old, the modern capitalist system, imposed globally through , is a relatively recent development. Despite its influence, the visionary author Ursula K. Le Guin that “any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings”.

numbering 476 million across 90 countries represent thousands of distinct cultures that persist as living proof of the enduring possibilities of radically different ways of living.

tracks 4,189 worldwide. From keeping illegal miners at bay, to countless local communities and resisting the construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure. Over the last few years, these place-based struggles have either stopped, stalled or forced the suspension of at least .

These examples demonstrate hope in action, and suggest that the radical changes required to avert climate and ecological breakdown are often a simple question of will and collective resolve.

Reality, like the future, is never fixed. Whether the world is depends on actions taken today. The terrain ahead will be full of challenges. But, glimmers of a better world are already here.

, Lecturer in Sustainability,
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

The ‘Zero Carbon Without a Net’ initiative is part of the University’s Environmental Sustainability strategy which was launched last July, and subsequently won the 2023 . Now, the University is being honoured for its dedication to sustainability on an international scale.

The awards featured 95 finalists from 28 countries, with the University coming first in the ‘’ category, which focuses on assessing the steps that institutions are taking - or are planning to take - to reach their sustainability targets.

Recognising the innovative and pioneering initiatives in sustainability, the celebrate the projects undertaken by further and higher education institutions who are striving for a sustainable future.

The University’s initiative focuses on decarbonising its operations to secure a zero-carbon future by 2038. Progress already made includes:

• The landmark deal signed in May 2024 that will see up to 65% of the University’s electricity demand supplied through a brand-new renewables project.
• Completion of the first phase of building decarbonisation projects including the newly refurbished building which now has the infrastructure to support zero emissions.
• A further £25m pledged to decarbonise the University, taking the zero-carbon budget to £175m.

The Green Gown Award judges commented: “The University of �Ѳ��Գ������ٱ��’s “Zero Carbon Without a Net” initiative is candid and ambitious. The approach of clearly assessing reality in relation to ambitions is very important and ensures that the approach taken is sincere, going beyond intentions to focus on transformation. Its scientific approach, detailed planning. And substantial internal funding demonstrates a deep institutional commitment to sustainability.”

The University of �Ѳ��Գ������ٱ��’s Environmental Sustainability strategy builds on the University’s core goals of Teaching and Learning, Research and Discovery and Social Responsibility and stresses the need to embed sustainable practises into all University plans, policies and processes.

The strategy also highlights six priority operational areas, all linking back to the United Nations Sustainability Goals: Construction and Refurbishment; Risk and Climate Resilience; Responsible Procurement; Resource Management; Valuing Nature; Travel and Transport. 

“We are incredibly delighted to be recognised internationally for our decarbonisation plans, which are firmly grounded in science, with our zero-carbon target set in collaboration with experts from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research” said Julia Durkan, The University of �Ѳ��Գ������ٱ��’s Head of Environmental Sustainability. “This award not only acknowledges our ambitious plans but also celebrates the collective efforts of our colleagues who have made this initiative a reality.  We’re proud to be part of the international effort to tackle climate change, and we know achieving these goals requires continuous, urgent action and global collaboration.”

Launched on 11 October 2024 in 91ֱ��, academics from partner institutions gathered in person and online to mark the beginning of this collaborative effort at an inaugural meeting. Academics from the member institutions joined a panel discussion on sustainability and climate change – one of the key focus areas of the Alliance.

GHA members include: The University of Manchester, Ashoka University in India, Mahidol University in Thailand, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia, The University of Melbourne in Australia, University of Nairobi in Kenya and University of Toronto in Canada.

The mission of the GHA is to raise the social and political impact of the humanities and social sciences through an emphasis on a programme of research and teaching that takes up global issues, incorporates diverse global perspectives and brings scholars and students together for critical conversations.

Underpinning the Alliance is a core value that by combining complementary and distinctive strengths, it can better address key global challenges and showcase the difference humanities, social sciences and the liberal arts makes to the world.

Professor Angelia Wilson, Faculty of Humanities Associate Dean for Internationalisation at The University of Manchester, commented: “The Global Humanities Alliance brings together academics and higher education institutions from around the world to celebrate and to enrich the important contribution made by humanities and social science research to understanding and navigating the challenges we face in our local communities and in wider society. The member institutions are firmly committed to working together to ensure our students are fit to be engaged, value-driven, and knowledgeable citizens of the world.”

The GHA brings together thousands of humanities and social scientists from around the globe. Alliance collaborations will centre initially around four core themes: public humanities, sustainability and climate change, decolonising knowledge and digital transformations.

The GHA is working towards a range of joint research initiatives and enhanced staff mobility between Alliance member institutions through a programme of visiting fellowships.

And for students, the GHA expands opportunities for an international learning experience with Global Classrooms. Offering virtual guest lectures and international discussion boards, students will get a more diverse learning experience and options to learn from their peers around the world.

Professor Fiona Devine, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, said: “The Global Humanities Alliance will greatly enhance the staff and student experience, not just here at The University of Manchester but for all our partner institutions across the globe. Working with our partners in the Alliance will facilitate the co-production of knowledge, new ways of innovating teaching, and research collaboration to tackle global challenges.”

City of Trees is an independent charity that plant, look after and promote a culture of trees across Greater 91ֱ��. They work with volunteers across the region, as part of their ‘Citizen Forester’ programme to enhance green skills, boost health and wellbeing, and to help tackle the climate and biodiversity emergency.

Aligned closely with the University’s values and social responsibility agenda, both City of Trees and The University of Manchester are passionate about making the region even better, one tree at a time.

In the University's special bicentenary year, it is partnering with City of Trees on several initiatives:

• The University's International Relations team signed the first agreement City of Trees earlier this year, kicking off the partnership which has been growing throughout the bicentenary year. The new agreement and initiative is a positive step in looking at the small changes with big impact that we can make as an institution
• The new agreement and initiative was officially launched at the International Friends of Manchester Day on 10 October, whereby the University made a donation on behalf of each international delegate to City of Trees. City of Trees will then plant a tree in Greater 91ֱ�� to represent each international delegate who attended the event - signifying that international colleagues continue to be a crucial part of the growth and development of both the University and the city.
• For our 200th year specifically, the University is working with City of Trees to plant 200 trees across new woodland sites in Greater 91ֱ��.
• From 7-9 October the University hosted the THE World Academic Summit and chose to make a charitable donation to City of Trees on behalf of each delegate attending, to the total of £1,500.

The University of Manchester is truly excited to be supporting City of Trees and partnering with them on these activities, which will foster into the future.

Matthias Honegger, Senior Research Associate at Perspectives Climate Research, said: “No matter your preference on the long-term role – if any – of SRM in managing threats of climate change to human lives and nature, ignoring the topic will not resolve anything. Cautious and deliberate guidance and collaboration on SRM research and its governance are key.”

Julie Vinders, Senior Research Analyst at Trilateral Research, added: “The Co-CREATE project takes a neutral stance on Solar Radiation Management (SRM) and rather focuses on defining the conditions for responsible research. This research is crucial to facilitate informed discussions about SRM and prevent hasty or unilateral deployment of a technology that is not fully understood.”

Dr Peter Irvine, Lecturer at University College London, summarised the project: "Solar Radiation Modification covers a range of different interventions, each with their own potentials, limits, and risks. The Co-Create project will bring together a scientific and technical understanding of these details, with an interdisciplinary assessment of the issues, and stakeholder perspectives to develop robust principles and guidelines for SRM research governance."

Mountain ranges covering vast areas of the world are warming much faster than surrounding lowland areas, triggering huge reductions in snow cover and rapid upward movement of dwarf-shrubs, such as heather.

Scientists at The University of Manchester have found that these changes are disrupting the timing of crucial alpine ecosystem functions performed by plants and soil microorganisms.

The research, published today in the journal and funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council, shows that high mountain ecosystems may be less capable of retaining the important nutrients needed to sustain plant growth and maintain biodiversity in these harsh environments.

Every year, seasonal changes in mountain ecosystems prompt large transfers of nutrients between plants and microbial communities in alpine soils. Following snowmelt in spring, plants start to grow and compete with soil microbes for nutrients, thereby triggering a shift in the storage of nutrients from soil to plants. This transfer is reversed in autumn, as plants die back, and nutrients are returned to the soil within dead leaves and roots.

During alpine winters, snow acts like an insulating blanket that allows soil microbes to continue functioning and store nutrients in their biomass and enables plants to survive cold alpine winters. Climate change is predicted to cause an 80-90% loss of snow cover by the end of the century in parts of the European Alps and advance the timing of snowmelt by five to 10 weeks.

Prof Michael Bahn, a collaborator on the project from the University of Innsbruck, said: "Declining winter snow cover is one of the most obvious and pronounced impacts of climate change in the Alps. Its effects on the functioning and biodiversity of alpine ecosystems are a major concern for people living in Alpine regions and beyond.”

The scientists from The University of Manchester, in collaboration with the University of Innsbruck, Helmholtz Zentrum München, and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, carried out the work on a long-term field experiment in the European Alps. The findings highlight the detrimental effect of climate change on seasonal transfers and retention of nutrients between plants and soil microbes.

For scientists, understanding how ecosystems respond to multiple simultaneous climate change impacts remains a major challenge. Interactions between direct and indirect climate change factors, such as snow cover change or less obvious ones such as dwarf-shrub expansion, can lead to sudden and unexpected changes in ecosystem functioning. These effects are impossible to predict by studying climate change factors in isolation.

UNEP accreditation grants our University the privilege to submit written contributions, participate in the work of UNEP’s Governing Bodies, such as  and the Committee of Permanent Representatives, and be granted observer status to the Assembly and its subsidiary bodies.

The University is delighted to have been awarded such status and looks forward to using its outstanding research contributions in environmental sustainability to influence and drive further change through such a prestigious organisation as UNEP.

By James Mason, Visiting Academic in Decarbonisation;  Alice Larkin, Professor of Climate Science and Energy Policy;  and Simon Bullock, Research Associate, Shipping and Climate Change.

In the vast expanse of the world’s oceans, a transformation is underway.

The international shipping sector, made up of thousands of massive cargo ships laden with many of the goods we buy, emits carbon dioxide (CO₂) roughly equivalent to the entire country of .

Our emphasises the need for immediate action. Reducing shipping emissions by 34% by 2030 is necessary to stay on course with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal. But with low-carbon fuel pipelines unlikely to be at the necessary scale until at least the 2030s, how can the industry meet its short-term target?

Enter a new solution with ancient origins: sails. Not the billowing canvases of centuries past but high-tech systems capable of harnessing renewable wind energy to supplement the propulsion from a ship’s engine.

A number of advanced sail designs are gaining the attention of shipping firms. Two contenders include Flettner rotors, cylinders that spin to generate propulsion, and “wingsails”, which resemble aeroplane wings and are derived from designs used in yacht racing.

Wingsails, analogous to aeroplane wings, provide lift on either side. Smart Green Shipping,

Wind propulsion allows ships to use less fuel and so emit less greenhouse gas. However, in our , we found that the real opportunity to slash emissions from shipping this decade lies in combining sails with optimal routes plotted by satellite navigation systems.

An old idea with new technology

Optimised routing is a familiar concept to most of us. You’ll have used it by typing a destination into Google Maps and allowing its algorithms to calculate the quickest way for you to arrive at your destination.

The process is similar for ships. But instead of finding the quickest journey, the software models the ship’s performance in water to calculate routes and speeds that minimise fuel use.

With optimised routing and sails, ships can deviate from their standard course to seek out favourable winds. The ship may travel a longer distance but the extra power gained by the sails limits the ship’s fuel consumption and reduces the total emissions over the full journey. The software only suggests routes that guarantee the same arrival time, keeping the ship to its original schedule.

We used a computer model simulation of a cargo vessel with four sails, each taller than Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue at 35 meters high. By calculating the fuel consumption of this large bulk carrier ship on over 100,000 journeys spanning four years and covering 14 shipping routes worldwide, we found that sails can cut annual carbon emissions by around 10%.

The true promise of sails unfolds when optimal routing is used, increasing annual emission cuts to 17%.

Routes with ideal wind conditions have even greater potential. The most promising are typically those far from the equator, such as transatlantic and transpacific crossings, where strong winds can fill large sails. By taking advantage of wind patterns moving across the ocean on these routes, sails and optimised routing can cut annual emissions by over 30%.

Take the journey between the UK and the US as an example. A ship setting out on this voyage will typically experience strong headwinds which generate drag and push the ship backwards, meaning more fuel must be burned to maintain the same forward momentum. But by using sails and optimised routing software on this crossing, ships can avoid these headwinds and steer into more favourable winds.

Flettner rotors are smooth cylinders with discs that spin as wind passes at right angles across it. Norsepower,

On the return journey, the ship would typically experience strong winds from behind and the side, which would fill the sails and push the ship on. With optimised routing software the ship can find even stronger winds and fine-tune its direction for the sails to maximise propulsion.

Keeping the 1.5°C target afloat

The International Maritime Organization (the UN agency responsible for environmental regulation in shipping) has a of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20%-30% by 2030. The Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target .

Our research shows that cuts to CO₂ of this magnitude are possible this decade using wind propulsion and optimised routing on promising routes. Achieving this will oblige the shipping industry to deploy existing technologies and practices and shift its focus from fuel alone, as will take longer to develop.

As we sail further into the 21st century, our research delivers a clear message to the shipping industry: substantial carbon reductions are feasible this decade. Here is an old idea, one that integrates technology with tradition, that can steer international shipping towards its climate goals.

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Erratic weather is a major source of concern for ship owners installing modern sails to reduce carbon emissions. However, new research from The University of Manchester highlights operational strategies that can reduce shipping emissions by up to a quarter, strengthening confidence in sails as a decarbonisation tool.

It is estimated that the international shipping sector contributes to 2–3% of global carbon emissions annually and its target to cut carbon by 50% relative to 2008 levels by 2050 falls short of the cuts required in the Paris Climate Agreement, meaning the shipping sector requires urgent global action.

The research, published in the journal , calculated carbon emissions from more than 1000 ship departures setting sail from three main shipping routes. The results found that combining modern sail technology with efficient routing systems could provide greater assurances of carbon savings by using the technique that reduces uncertainty from unpredictable weather patterns.

Dr James Mason, previously a postdoctoral researcher and now a visiting academic at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at The University of Manchester, said: “Current measures to reduce carbon emissions include fitting retrofit technologies, such as wind propulsion technology, where modern sails produce direct energy from the wind to reduce the power consumed by a ship's engine. Weather routing is also used as an efficient routing system to allow a ship to deviate from standard shipping routes to search for new routes with more favourable winds.

“Current academic methods assume a perfect foresight of future weather rather than accounting for unpredictable winds that are happening in real-time. This can detrimentally reduce the carbon savings from weather routing and could present a real challenge for the shipping sector when trying to meet its climate reduction goals.”

Dr Alejandro Gallego Schmid, a Senior Lecturer at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, added: “This research provides an insight into which routes are most sensitive to changing weather forecasts when using wind propulsion and assesses a strategy that could help to mitigate the detrimental impact that unpredictable weather conditions can have.”

The strategy mirrors existing routing methods in the sector by updating weather and wind every 12 hours to allow ships to adjust their routes based on the most accurate weather forecast available.

To test the strategy, the study simulated 1080 ship departures across eastbound and westbound journeys in the North Sea, South Atlantic Ocean and North Atlantic Ocean, which have voyage times of up to 12 days.

The research found that the method successfully reduced the uncertainty from unpredictable weather and showed that sails and efficient routing can provide annual carbon savings of up to 25%.

However, while the method reduces the uncertainty from unpredictable weather, it does not remove it entirely. Wind propulsion and efficient routing can provide maximum carbon savings of up to 29% in ideal conditions and weather uncertainty reduces these savings by 10-20%. Further research is needed to understand how ships can achieve these maximum savings in practice.

Reducing shipping emissions by up to a quarter by using wind propulsion with efficient routing could provide profound benefits to the sector. The research offers a clearer understanding of the potential carbon savings achievable through wind propulsion decarbonisation strategies, without which, objectives in the Paris Climate Agreement may become out of sight.

Observations made by scientists at The University of Manchester found that the primary source of urea – a nitrogen-rich compound, vital for the growth and development of living organisms - comes from the ocean.

The observations reveal an important but unaccounted for source of reduced nitrogen and offer the first-ever observations of gaseous urea in the air.

The research, published in the journal , also reveals that urea can be transported over long distances through the atmosphere to benefit other environments that may be nutrient-deficient.

The results could have far-reaching consequences for marine productivity and climate stability.  

Emily Matthews, Atmospheric Scientist at The University of Manchester, said: “Our observations provide new insights into the complex interactions between the atmosphere, ocean and ecosystems.

“Understanding the behaviour and impact of urea in the atmosphere is vital for advancing our knowledge of how chemicals and substances are transferred through our environment and can help us to inform strategies to address climate change.”

The observations of gas-phase urea in the atmosphere were collected over the North Atlantic Ocean using the , a UK airborne research facility managed by the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) and owned by UK Research and Innovation and the Natural Environmental Research Council.

Measurements made during these flights provide detailed data on the composition and properties of aerosols and gases in the atmosphere. Scientists from The University of Manchester and NCAS have identified unique species important to the marine reduced nitrogen cycle, including the first observations of gas-phase urea in the atmosphere.

The researchers say that the findings have significant implications for our understanding of the nitrogen cycle and calls for a revision of current models.

Emily Matthews added: “The ocean plays an important role in maintaining a stable climate through biological activity occurring near the surface of the water and contributes to oceanic uptake of carbon dioxide.

“We now know that it is also a significant source of urea in the atmosphere throughout most of the year, which means we need to modify the processes and factors involved in the nitrogen cycle to account for the newfound importance of urea.”

The nitrogen cycle is the process during which nitrogen moves through both living organisms and physical environments including the atmosphere, soil, water, plants, animals and bacteria. It is central to the composition of the Earth System and changes of the natural environment through interactions such as aerosol formation, ozone production and as a supply of essential nutrients to living organisms. 

The explanation for the observations of gas phase urea remains a mystery and further research is needed to fully understand biogeochemical coupling of nitrogen between the ocean and atmosphere.

The research findings represent an important pathway for long range transport of nitrogen to fertise nitrogen poor regions of the surface ocean. Revising this knowledge better helps to understand how the ocean biosphere will respond to future changes.

As part of the  campaign, more than 500,000 primary and secondary school pupils will take part in a celebratory event where they will get the chance to ask and explore their own scientific questions, take part in experiments and be inspired into science and engineering.

The national campaign was launched by The University of Manchester to elevate the prominence of science in the classroom.

Now in its eighth year, the campaign has seen exponential growth with over 500,000 primary and secondary school pupils signed up to participate this year. Thousands of schools and STEM organisations across the UK and internationally, will be sharing science on 13 June 2023.

The University of Manchester will host 30 primary and secondary schools from across Greater 91ֱ�� in its newly opened

This year’s theme is Science Around Us – an idea that provides an opportunity to focus on the important role science has to play in addressing the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

The pupils have spent weeks gathering data, analysing, and drawing conclusions about a wide range of questions, including:

• Does the amount of air pollution affect the amount of biodiversity around our school?
• Does the material used for the wing of a glider plane affect the distance it travels?
• Can we identify and classify living things around us?
• Can we stop or slow down the time it takes for the polar ice caps to melt?
• Could reflection of light help tackle climate change?

The event at The University of Manchester will be attended by Councillor Yasmine Dar the Lord Mayor of Manchester, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, Councillor for Baguley Tracey Rawlins, alongside other local business, and education professionals. The guests will be encouraged to listen and question the pupils about their findings as part of this inclusive and non-competitive event. 

Professor Lynne Bianchi, Campaign Director and Director of the Science and Engineering Education Research Innovation Hub at The University of Manchester, said: “We are always encouraged by the way teachers and educators make the Great Science Share for Schools their own – and the engagement figures prove that the campaign continues to make a difference across the UK and internationally. Every scientific question a child is able to ask, investigate and share is a question worth listening to – and each of us has a responsibility to support our younger generations to that.”

 Research states that if children do not develop an identity for STEM before leaving primary school, they are unlikely to be able to do it the older they grow. The events aim to empower children to tell their own scientific stories at a critically influential time - a vital approach to instilling the skills and attitudes towards science from an early age.

The ambitious innovation projects will provide critical insight and research to help inform the future development of a net zero energy system at the same time as delivering significant benefits to consumers. 

National Grid Electricity Transmission has been awarded £396,000 to fund the following projects, in which 91ֱ�� will be playing a vital role: 

• Superconductor OHLs: This project will investigate technology to increase power flow capability on existing overhead lines. Novel high temperature superconductor (HTS) technology could be implemented on existing lines, increasing power flow capability up to ten-fold at the same voltage level.  
• SF6 replacement strategy: Development of a long-term strategy to expedite the efficient rollout of SF6 replacements and remove the gas from the network at minimum cost to the consumer, with new builds and retro filling options considered across different asset profiles.  
• WELLNESS: A project to assess whole energy system resilience and develop a framework suited to the energy transition whilst protecting consumers – ensuring the network is reliable to known and credible threats, but also resilient to less frequent but more extreme disasters.  

Dr Vidyadhar Peesapati at The University of Manchester said: “The SIF programme provides a unique opportunity for us to continue our engagement with National Grid, in evaluating and de-risking a range innovations and solutions that will expedite the transition to net zero.” 

Nicola Todd, Head of Strategy and Innovation at National Grid Electricity Transmission, added: “It’s great to see National Grid leading the way with the sort of ambitious thinking needed to tackle some of the biggest challenges in energy. This funding will help drive progress on a raft of innovative projects, from new technologies to boost network capacity, to how we reduce our dependency on the greenhouse gas SF₆. 

“Work on these initiatives is helping to shape the future of Britain’s energy networks and accelerating the transition to net zero, at lowest cost to consumers.” 

At 91ֱ��, our energy experts are committed to delivering an equitable and prosperous net zero energy future. By matching science and engineering, with social science, economics, politics and arts, the University’s community of 600+ experts address the entire lifecycle of each energy challenge, creating innovative and enduring solutions to make a difference to the lives of people around the globe. This enables the university’s research community to develop pathways to ensure a low carbon energy transition that will also drive jobs, prosperity, resilience and equality. 

Full details of the funding for Ofgem’s SIF scheme, which is managed in partnership with Innovate UK, can be found on its website at:  

The University has therefore hit its target of reducing the weighted average carbon intensity (WACI) by 50% by 2027 ahead of time. The University also ended investment in fossil fuel companies in 2021, as part of its .

Carbon intensity is a measure of carbon efficiency, in which the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions by a company are divided by the level of its activity (as measured in value of sales). The University aims to reach net zero carbon in its investments by 2038 at the latest.

The Endowment Investment Portfolio Climate Change report for the year ended 31 July 2022 has been prepared with support from Mercer, the University’s investment adviser.

As well as updating on progress, the report explains how the University considers climate-related risks in relation to its endowment investment portfolio, how it adopts governance processes and investment strategies, and assesses relevant metrics and targets in order to manage these risks.

Asset owners like the University sit at the top of the investment chain and, therefore, have an important role to play in influencing the organisations through which they invest (such as asset managers) and companies in which they ultimately invest to provide better climate-related financial disclosures.

Professor Nalin Thakkar, Vice-President for Social Responsibility, said: “I’m really pleased with the progress we have made on this, as it brings us much closer to our ultimate ambition of net zero-carbon in our investments. Publishing this report is part of demonstrating our ambition in a transparent way.

“This work, and our efforts to decarbonise our campus operations, helps us make a contribution to tackling the climate crisis, alongside our important teaching, research and social responsibility activity.”

As industrial decarbonisation progresses, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure comes online, the wider role of the regional clusters in delivering net zero will come into sharper focus, including the potential to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

‘Integrated Assessment of BECCS in context: environmental, policy, regulatory and social factors’, a cross disciplinary research project led by from Tyndall 91ֱ�� will look at potential BECCS facilities within the North West industrial cluster. Effective use of BECCS depends on a better understanding of many factors across its complex supply chains. This project will ask: what configurations minimise the emissions associated with transporting biomass, CO2 and energy along the supply chain?; what are the policy gaps and uncertainties associated with deploying, regulating and governing BECCS?; and how do local communities view the development of BECCS in their region?

The research will be conducted through a combination of linked desk-based and empirical methods which will bring together spatial modelling, carbon accounting, policy mapping, interviews with stakeholders and a community workshop.

Dr Clair Gough, Senior Research Fellow at Tyndall 91ֱ��, explained: “This project is all about mapping the non-technical challenges to BECCS deployment. By taking a systems-based approach and looking at environmental, policy, regulatory and social factors, this project will identify obstacles, and help pinpoint the solutions for BECCS to play its part in reaching Net Zero in the UK.”

Prof Benjamin K. Sovacool, Research Co-Director IDRIC, University of Sussex: “If we want to achieve near term BECCS deployment, we need to better understand the variables that will affect successful deployment. We need to assess the key social, economic and policy aspects that will determine its realistic impact and Clair’s team will build on the research from Wave 1, and help us understand BECCS in the round.”

This project is one of 20 that will be supported as part of IDRIC’s Wave 2 £6million funding to accelerate decarbonisation of industry. Designed to aid industrial decarbonisation in Scotland, Northwest England, Teesside, Solent, Black Country, Humber, and South Wales, this second wave will fund 20 projects across 14 institutions covering a wide range of technological, environmental, economic, skills and social aspects of decarbonisation.

�Ѳ��Գ������ٱ��’s , has also been awarded funding by IDRIC’s second wave. Working in collaboration with BGS, Heriot-Watt University and Centrica, she will explore hydrogen storage near industrial clusters using porous rock storage with research in the Humber, Northwest, South Wales and Teesside.

At 91ֱ��, our energy experts are committed to delivering an equitable and prosperous net zero energy future. By matching science and engineering, with social science, economics, politics and arts, the University’s community of 600+ experts address the entire lifecycle of each energy challenge, creating innovative and enduring solutions to make a difference to the lives of people around the globe. This enables the university’s research community to develop pathways to ensure a low carbon energy transition that will also drive jobs, prosperity, resilience and equality.

"I hope the creative resources from this project will inspire teachers, students and community leaders to engage in inclusive conversations about addressing climate change," she added. “It is also essential that teachers working across all subject areas are given more training on how to incorporate this challenging topic into their teaching, and that governments around the world treat this as a priority area for education."

More information about the book and links to purchase it are available . 

SF₆ is a gas commonly used in the power industry to provide electrical insulation and arc interruption. However, SF₆ is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential that is 25,200 times greater than CO₂.

The £1.9m project will see experts at 91ֱ�� help determine how National Grid can develop a retrofill solution to replace SF₆ with an environmentally friendlier alternative without having to replace or otherwise modify the existing equipment.

This solution – to be demonstrated at National Grid’s test facility the – will mean National Grid can avoid the environmental impact and cost of replacing equipment otherwise fit for many more years’ service.

It is not the first time National Grid and The University of Manchester have teamed up on a project exploring SF₆ alternatives – a previous initiative which concluded in 2020 is for ‘Best Innovation in Net Zero and Sustainability’.

In a separate pilot project last year National Grid and Hitachi Energy developed and deployed a world-first solution at Richborough substation in Kent to replace SF₆ with a greener alternative, marking a key step in National Grid’s ambition to reduce its SF₆ emissions by 50% by 2030. The new demonstrator with 91ֱ�� will explore how the retrofill solutions might be applied across more of the network.

This project will bring together the interdisciplinary expertise of �Ѳ��Գ������ٱ��’s and the , led by with .

Together the university and National Grid will create a physical demonstration, complete with an inbuilt condition-based monitoring system, that will focus on the applicability of SF₆ retrofill techniques. It will be developed in �Ѳ��Գ������ٱ��’s High Voltage Research Laboratory, equipped with facilities that can test up to 600 kV DC, 800 kV AC, and 2 MV impulse, and has been the testbed for developing pioneering solutions such as and .

The project builds on Dr Tony Chen’s established expertise in SF₆, and it is anticipated its findings will give asset managers the information required for retrofilling significant quantities of SF₆-filled equipment across the transmission network, bridging the current gap between established feasibility, and long-term, real-world implementation.

Mark Waldron, Technical Lead at National Grid Electricity Transmission, said: “It’s exciting to be following the world-first SF₆ retrofill in Richborough substation with this initiative taking us a step closer to a solution to replace the gas in more of our assets. The potent combination of �Ѳ��Գ������ٱ��’s expertise in this area and the innovation and demonstration capability at our state-of-the-art Deeside facility will deepen our understanding of retrofill solutions, and could boost our progress in the decarbonisation of the grid while achieving a significant cost benefit for consumers.”

Energy is one of The University of �Ѳ��Գ������ٱ��’s five research beacons, examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that are tackling some of the biggest challenges facing the planet. This project reflects the commitment of �Ѳ��Գ������ٱ��’s energy experts in delivering a just and prosperous Net Zero energy future.

By matching science and engineering, with social science, economics, politics and arts, the University’s community of 600+ experts address the entire lifecycle of each energy challenge, creating innovative and enduring solutions to make a difference to the lives of people around the globe. This enables the 91ֱ�� research community to develop pathways to ensure a low carbon energy transition that will also drive jobs, prosperity, resilience, and equality.

National Grid’s Deeside Centre for Innovation in North Wales is the first of its kind in Europe, where electricity network assets can be tested under real life conditions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The facility provides a controlled test and demonstration environment to collect data, including a high voltage substation and overhead line test area simulating real network conditions.

Today’s shortlisting for the Bhattacharyya Award, which celebrates strategic industrial collaborations that benefit society, recognises �Ѳ��Գ������ٱ��’s and National Grid’s long tradition of innovating at pace to ensure the UK has access to reliable, affordable, and environmentally sustainable energy. 

Spanning more than 19 years, the partnership has delivered significant CO₂ reductions, increased productivity, stimulated large investment in new jobs and engineering activity in the UK, and has facilitated the safe transfer of cleaner and affordable energy in a Net Zero future electricity network.  

In overhead line research alone, the knowledge generated has provided approximately £11m in cost savings to the UK energy network and enabled a new design – the T-Pylon – which now delivers power to six million homes.

91ֱ�� and National Grid have been shortlisted alongside: University of Birmingham and Rolls-Royce, University of Cambridge and ARM, Imperial College London and Transport Strategy Centre, Swansea University and Steel Strategic Alliance, and University College London, HR Wallingford and Arup. 

The Bhattacharyya Award and a cash prize of £25,000 will be presented to the team who best demonstrate how industry and universities can work together. The winning partnership will be announced on 29 September 2022.   

Professor Dame Ann Dowling OM DBE FREng FRS, former President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Chair of the judging panel for the Bhattacharyya Award, said: “All six shortlisted partnerships are excellent examples of industry-academia collaboration, with timely and innovative responses to some of the most challenging issues facing society today. It is a privilege to showcase these successful collaborations and we hope that doing so fosters even greater connection between industry and academia in the UK.” 

Margot James, Executive Chair of WMG, University of Warwick, said: “It’s great to see the extremely high quality of industry-academia partnerships shortlisted for the second annual Bhattacharyya Award. As a celebration of Lord Bhattacharyya’s legacy, the Award continues to highlight how building symmetry between academia and industry is so vital for meeting the needs of society, and adapting to global challenges. We look forward to seeing which collaboration is selected as the overall winner.”  

The winner of the Bhattacharyya Award will be announced on Thursday 29 September 2022, at an event showcasing the shortlisted partnerships at the University of Warwick.

Those wishing to attend the Bhattacharyya Award ceremony can .   

Applications for Bhattacharyya Award 2023 are now open until 16 December 2022 and can be submitted via the Academy’s online grant system. 

The project is funded by the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council.

Fig 1: Twenty-year record of maximum daily fire weather index values recorded over England - the top three days with highest values are highlighted. Generated using Copernicus Emergency Management Service historical fire indices dataset.

Now in its seventh year, the campaign has seen exponential growth with over 275,000 primary and secondary school pupils signed up to participate this year. Thousands of schools and STEM organisations across the UK and internationally, will be sharing science on 14 June 2022. The University of Manchester will welcome primary and secondary pupils to their newly-opened Engineering Building for this celebratory event where pupils will demonstrate and discuss their scientific questions and evidence with hundreds of guests.

This year’s theme is Climate Action - a pertinent theme that captures the interest and curiosity of us all. The pupils have spent weeks gathering data, analysing, and drawing conclusions about a wide range of questions, including:

·       What is the best green energy source to power our school?

·       Does location affect the amount of air pollution?

·       How well do natural insulators protect against colder climates?

The event will be attended by the Lord Mayor of Manchester and Councillor Donna Ludford, alongside local business and education professionals. The guests will be encouraged to listen and question the pupils about their findings as part of this inclusive and non-competitive event.  

“We are honoured to have the support of so many STEM organisations, industry and educational partners. Without their support the campaign would not have continued to reach so many children, especially those in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation. I thank each one for their ongoing support and encourage each to consider how to strengthen their partnership with GSSfS in the future.” said Dr Lynne Bianchi, Campaign Director

In commemoration of their involvement in this year’s Great Science Share for Schools, The University of Manchester have partnered with City of Trees to gift every school attending their own tree.  The opportunity to plant a tree in their school grounds or gift their tree to another Greater 91ֱ�� School will be a lasting legacy of their involvement in the Great Science Share for Schools campaign.

“We are confident the children’s experience, in sharing their own scientific questions and investigations, alongside the gift of a tree, will encourage them to continue thinking about science and climate action in years to come. Their participation will set them on course to be future scientists and engineers contributing to solutions that mitigate the impacts of the climate emergency or contribute to a more sustainable way of living.” said Steph Hepworth, Campaign Manager, Great Science Share for Schools

The event will also host ‘Sybil the Whale’, an enormous lantern puppet created for the Littleborough Arts Festival Lantern Parade. Sybil is a life-size blue whale calf created to share narratives around Climate Change and encourage us all to imagine the consequences of sea level rise across the globe.

The GSSfS is unique in its approach to raising the profile of science enquiry in a wide range of schools and educational settings. Teachers explain how the campaign that stimulates more time for science in school, enables pupils to consider issues around Climate Change whilst taking the positive step to improve the sustainability of their school environment, through initiatives like this year’s tree planting.

It proposes different phase-out dates for oil and gas producing countries in line with the Paris Agreement’s goals and commitment to a fair transition. Taking into account countries’ differing levels of wealth, development and economic reliance on fossil fuels, it says the poorest nations should be given until 2050 to end production but will also need significant financial support to transition their economies.

The report, by Professor Kevin Anderson, a leading researcher at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, and Dr Dan Calverley, warns that there is no room for any nation to increase production, with all having to make significant cuts this decade. The richest, which produce over a third of the world’s oil and gas, must cut output by 74% by 2030; the poorest, which supply just one ninth of global demand, must cut back by 14%.

Kevin Anderson, Professor of Energy and Climate Change at The University of Manchester, said: “Responding to the ongoing climate emergency requires a rapid shift away from a fossil fuel economy, but this must be done fairly. There are huge differences in the ability of countries to end oil and gas production, while maintaining vibrant economies and delivering a just transition for their citizens.  We have developed a schedule for phasing out oil and gas production that – with sufficient support for developing countries – meets our very challenging climate commitments and does so in a fair way.

“The research was completed prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Our first thoughts are with the Ukrainian people and indeed with all of those caught up in the war. But the resulting high energy prices also remind us that oil and gas are volatile global commodities, and economies that depend on them will continue to face repeated shocks and disruption. The efficient and sensible use of energy combined with a rapid shift to renewables will increase energy security, build resilient economies, and help avoid the worst impacts of climate change.”

The report, commissioned by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, notes that some poorer nations are so reliant on fossil fuel revenues that rapidly removing this income could threaten their political stability. Countries like South Sudan, Congo-Brazzaville, and Gabon, despite being small producers, have little economic revenue apart from oil and gas production.

By contrast, it observes: “Wealthy nations that are major producers, typically remain wealthy even once the oil and gas revenue is removed.” Oil and gas revenue contribute 8% to US GDP but without it the country’s GDP per head would still be around $60,000 – the second highest globally.

When countries signed the UN Paris Agreement, they agreed that wealthy nations should take bigger and faster steps to decarbonise their economies and also provide financial support to help poorer countries move away from fossil fuels. This principle has been applied to coal power generation, with the UN calling on wealthy OECD countries to phase our coal use by 2030 and the rest of the world by 2040.

The report, , applies similar principles to oil and gas. It quantifies how much future production is consistent with the Paris climate targets and what this implies for the 88 countries responsible for 99.97% of all oil and gas supply. It sets viable phase-out pathways for five different groups of countries based on their differing capacities to make a rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels.

For a 50% chance of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C, it finds that:

• 19 Highest Capacity countries, with average non-oil GDP per person (GDP/capita) of over $50,000, must end production by 2034, with a 74% cut by 2030. This group produces 35% of global oil and gas and includes the USA, UK, Norway, Canada, Australia and the United Arab Emirates.
   
• 14 High Capacity countries, with average non-oil GDP/capita of nearly $28,000, must end production by 2039, with a 43% cut by 2030. They produce 30% of global oil and gas and include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Kazakhstan.
   
• 11 Medium Capacity countries, with average non-oil GDP/capita of $17,000, must end production by 2043, with a 28% cut by 2030. They produce 11% of global oil and gas and include China, Brazil and Mexico.
   
• 19 Low Capacity countries with average non-oil GDP/capita of $10,000, must end production by 2045, with an 18% cut by 2030. They produce 13% of global oil and gas and include Indonesia, Iran and Egypt.
   
• 25 Lowest Capacity countries, with average non-oil GDP/capita of $3,600, must end production by 2050 with a 14% cut by 2030. They produce 11% of global oil and gas and include Iraq, Libya, Angola and South Sudan.

Dr Dan Calverley said: “There is very little room for manoeuvre if we want to limit warming to 1.5°C. Although this schedule gives poorer countries longer to phase out oil and gas production, they will be hit hard by the loss of income. An equitable transition will require substantial levels of financial assistance for poorer producers, so they can meet their development needs while they switch to low-carbon economies and deal with growing climate impacts.”

Commenting on the report, Connie Hedegaard, former European Commissioner for Climate Action and Danish Minister for Climate and Energy, said: “While it is largely understood that there needs to be an urgent phase-out of coal production globally, this report illustrates only too clearly why there also needs to be a phase-out of oil and gas production. And it shows that the pace and end date of the wind-down needs to be rapid. This urgency has only been tragically underscored by recent geopolitical events, which have made it abundantly clear that there are numerous reasons why the world needs to get off its dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to clean energy”.

Saber H. Chowdhury, Member of the Bangladesh Parliament and Honorary President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, said: "The science is conclusive - fossil fuels need to be phased out now and a fossil fuel free future world realised soon. Wealthy nations have the means to transition fastest and have a moral duty to do this. At same time, they have an obligation to support countries in the global south with finance and technology to assist them in transitioning to renewables to secure their energy needs."

The proposed schedules for winding down oil and gas production depend on a rapid global phase-out of coal. The report notes that many poorer countries rely on domestic coal production for their energy needs: nearly three quarters of all the world’s coal is produced and consumed in developing countries. However, to achieve 1.5°C without even tighter reductions on oil and gas, coal production must peak in developing countries by 2022 and end by 2040, while developed countries must phase out all coal production by 2030.

The ECLIF3 study, involving , , German research centre , and SAF producer , marks the first time 100% SAF has been measured simultaneously on both engines of a commercial passenger aircraft – an Airbus A350 aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.

In-flight emissions tests and associated ground testing on the ECLIF3 programme began earlier this year and have recently resumed. The interdisciplinary team, which also includes researchers from the National Research Council of Canada and The University of Manchester, plans to publish its results in academic journals towards the end of next year and in 2023.

Findings from the study will support efforts currently underway at Airbus and Rolls-Royce to ensure the aviation sector is ready for the large-scale use of SAF as part of the wider initiative to decarbonise the industry. Aircraft are currently only allowed to operate on a 50% blend of SAF and conventional jet fuel, but both companies support the drive to certify 100% SAF use.

In April, the A350 flew three flights over the Mediterranean Sea pursued by a DLR Falcon chaser plane to compare in-flight emissions of both kerosene and Neste’s hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) sustainable fuel. The team also carried out compliance tests using 100% SAF and no operational issues were experienced.

In-flight emission tests using 100% SAF and a HEFA/Jet A-1 fuel blend resumed this month, while ground-based emissions testing to quantify the benefits of SAF on local air quality were also performed. The research team found SAF releases fewer particulates than conventional kerosene at all tested engine operating conditions, which points to the potential for reduced climate impact and improvement in air quality around airports.

In addition, SAF has lower density but higher energy content per kilogram of fuel compared to conventional kerosene, which brings some aircraft fuel-efficiency advantages due to lower fuel burn and less fuel mass to board to achieve the same mission. Detailed analysis by the team is on-going.

“Engines and fuel systems can be tested on the ground but the only way to gather the full set of emissions data necessary for this programme to be successful is to fly an aircraft in real conditions,” said Steven Le Moing, New Energy Programme Manager at Airbus. “In-flight testing of the A350 offers the advantage of characterising direct and indirect engine emissions, including particulates from behind an aircraft at high altitude.”

Simon Burr, Rolls-Royce Director of Product Development and Technology, Civil Aerospace, said: “This research adds to tests we’ve already carried out on our engines both on the ground and in the air which have found no engineering obstacle to our engines running on 100% SAF. If we are to truly decarbonise long-haul air travel, then 100% SAF is a critical element and we are committed to supporting its certification for service.”

The DLR Falcon chaser aircraft is equipped with multiple probes to measure emissions at cruise level down to a distance of only 100 metres from the A350 and feed them into scientific instrumentation for analysis.

“SAF has been shown to have a significantly lower carbon footprint over its life cycle compared to conventional jet fuel and now we are seeing it is advantageous in reducing non-CO₂ effects too,” said Markus Fischer, DLR’s Divisional Board Member for Aeronautics. “Tests such as these are continuing to develop our understanding of 100% SAF, its use in flight and its potential positive effects on climate change. We look forward to studying the data from the second series of ECLIF3 flights, which restarted with a first chase flight above the Mediterranean earlier this month."

In 2015, DLR performed the ECLIF1 campaign, investigating alternative fuels with its Falcon and A320 ATRA research aircraft. These investigations continued in 2018 with the ECLIF2 campaign which saw the A320 ATRA flying with a mixture of standard jet fuel and up to 50% HEFA. This research showed the advantageous emission performance of fuel mixtures up to 50% SAF and paved the way for the 100% SAF test flights for ECLIF3.

The research, recently published in journal , identified that a large number of flights over distances of less than 300 miles between city pairs with existing public transport connections are a key contributor of harmful emissions.

In the month before the significant conference which is putting the climate crisis at the forefront of world leaders’ agendas these findings present a clear opportunity to curb unnecessary pollution on the path toward Net Zero carbon targets.

Lead author of the research, Antonino Filippone, said: “Aviation authorities and airlines have an opportunity to review the frequency of these routes, to reduce emissions, optimise networks, reduce congestion and contribute positively to environmental sustainability.”

To create the data models the 91ֱ�� researchers used a rapidly expanding data broadcasting system to track worldwide air traffic. Air traffic data was then integrated with aircraft emission models to produce quantitative estimates of engine exhaust emissions of most aircraft types (fuel burn, CO₂, NO_x, CO, UHC, SO_x, non-volatile particulate matter).

These emissions can be aggregated by aircraft type, city pairs and routes, flight frequency, flight altitude. The team focussed on the estimation of environmental emissions across the European Continent by considering short-haul flights, or flights less than 300 miles (or 500 km).

Short flights between several city pairs were identified within the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland, that operated flights over flat terrain and distances below 200 miles. The most common routes in the data analysed included Copenhagen-Bromma (Stockholm), Gothenburg-Bromma (Sweden); Fiumicino (Rome)-Linate (Milan), Madrid-Oporto (Portugal) and a considerable number of domestic routes in Poland, for example Warsaw-Krakow. There are also flights such as, Brussels-Amsterdam (Schipol) where good non-air travel transport links exists and many short flights in central Europe.

The European traffic network was explored with geographical information and allowed the identification of extremely short flights that were operated across Europe before the COVID-19 pandemic virtually halted air traffic. These flight networks have been integrated with advanced simulation methods that estimate engine exhaust emissions from gate-to-gate. We demonstrate that the actual flight range is the biggest discriminator in aviation emissions. Therefore, we highlight the opportunity to re-evaluate the European network when a legitimate transport alternative exists.

The University of Manchester will have a key presence at COP26 and is just one example of how the University’s 600+ researchers in energy, climate change and sustainability are catalysing climate action. The impact of their ongoing work has been recognised in our number one Times Higher Education University Impact ranking.

COP26, which takes place in Glasgow between 1-12 November 2021, will bring together over 30,000 delegates from 197 countries to unite the world in tackling climate change. It comes at a crucial time, following last week’s UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report which showed that climate change is “widespread, rapid and intensifying”.

The paper, Evaluation of commuter airplane emissions: A European case study, is published in the journal, .

about climate questions and how The University of Manchester is creating innovative solutions to climate challenges.

A team of international experts, led by The University of Manchester, propose a series of strategies to halt the degradation of grasslands globally and promote their restoration to meet sustainable development goals.

The study highlights how the world’s grasslands - which cover about 40% of the Earth’s land surface and some 69% of the world’s agricultural land area - are under severe threat from on-going degradation. Yet grasslands are largely ignored in sustainable development agendas. The authors spell out how this poses a major threat to hundreds of millions of people around the world who rely on grasslands for food, fuel, fibre, medicinal products, as well as their multiple cultural values.

The team, which includes experts from major grassland regions of the world, propose a set of strategies to combat grassland degradation and promote restoration. These strategies include increasing recognition of grasslands in global policy, developing standardized indicators of degradation, using scientific innovation for effective restoration at regional and landscape scales, and enhancing knowledge transfer and data sharing on restoration experiences. They argue that implementing these strategies is even more urgent because of ongoing climate change, which is exacerbating the problem.

Lead author Professor Richard Bardgett of The University of Manchester, said: “Grassland degradation represents a major global challenge that must be addressed if we are to achieve key targets of biodiversity agendas, such as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets of the (CBD), and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, hunger and poverty alleviation, and climate change mitigation.”

Halting and reversing land degradation is one of the biggest challenges to meeting the targets set by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. “Combating degradation is a central to the (2021-2030)” said Bardgett. “Put simply, if grasslands are to be managed sustainably, then both global and regional policy must be revised to recognize the value of grasslands for multiple ecosystem services and establish targets for their protection, restoration and sustainable management.”

The authors propose a standardised approach for assessing grassland degradation and restoration based on shared understanding among stakeholders of potential trade-offs in ecosystem services in degraded and restored grasslands. They illustrate how their approach can be used in different situations, including agricultural grasslands in Europe and natural grasslands in arid and semi-arid regions of Eastern Africa, to identify restoration options that best deliver the needs of different stakeholder groups, including farmers or pastoralists, conservationists and tourists.

Dr Urs Schaffner of the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International ( who specialises in solutions to woody plant invasion in grasslands in East Africa, said: “Whilst we demonstrate how our standardized approach can be applied using specific case studies, future research is needed to test this approach in different contexts and at local and larger scales.

“Research is also needed to better understand different societal perceptions of grasslands and the reasons why they have been neglected in sustainability policy, to develop and test promising new ways of assessing grassland degradation and restoration, and to harness ecological knowledge for restoration success.”

Professor James Bullock of the said: “In the UK and much of western Europe, much of our grassland is intensively farmed for livestock. This intensive grassland provides little in the way of environmental benefits. 

“Our few remaining species-rich grasslands support many rare animals and plants, as well as sequestering carbon and holding flood waters, but they are under threat from building schemes, intensive agriculture, pollution and even inappropriate tree-planting.”

As highlighted by Dr Giselda Durigan, one of the co-authors from Brazil, whose work seeks to improve the management, conservation and restoration of the Cerrado grasslands, “the study also demonstrates some trade-offs between ecosystem services, exemplified by the high risk posed by misguided tree planting in natural grasslands to sequester carbon at the expense of water provisioning and biodiversity."

The authors argue that giving due attention to grassland and the benefits they provide in sustainability policy should be ‘on a par’ with forests. They hope that their paper recommendations with help with grasslands getting fairer treatment at the upcoming COP15 conference of the Convention on Biodiversity, and guide future research and policy needs for halting grassland degradation and achieving restoration success.

Professor Bardgett said, “We hope that our study raises awareness of the plight of global grasslands and the need for urgent action to halt grassland degradation and enhance restoration success, thereby conserving the many benefits that grasslands provide.”

Paper:

Bardgett, R.D., Bullock. J.M., Lavorel, S, Manning, P., Schaffner, U., Ostle, N., Chomel, M., Durigan, G., Fry, E., Johnson, D., Lavallee, J., Le Provost, G., Lou, S., Png, K., Sankaran, M., Hou, X., Zhou, H., Li, M., Ren, W., Li, X., Ding, Y., Li, Y and Shi, H. (2021) . Nature Reviews Earth and Environment.

A full summary of the Tyndall Centre key recommendations is .

As an immediate response to this exploration, Massive Attack have designed 6 major emissions reduction modules for their 2022 tour, to trial implementation and carry out modelling on interactive practicalities, and to then bring all project learning together in a major UK testbed live show to proliferate change.

The band are also excited to be working with industrialist Dale Vince and to design bespoke partnerships with a wide variety of music arenas and venues – so we can create far greater renewable energy capacity for the UK grid, help train event staff to run and generate sustainable operations, and to introduce vegan food options in front and back of house set ups.

Robert del Naja (3D), Massive Attack said: “We’re grateful to Tyndall Centre analysts for providing our industry with a comprehensive, independent, scientifically produced formula to facilitate industry compatibility with the Paris/1.5 degrees climate targets – but what matters now is implementation. The major promotors simply must do more - it can’t be left to artists to continually make these public appeals. But our sector is operating in a government void. Nine weeks out of COP26, where is the industrial plan, or any plan at all, for the scale of transformation that’s required for the UK economy and society? 

"Fossil fuel companies seem to have no problem at all getting huge subsidies from government, but where is the plan for investment in clean battery technology, clean infrastructure or decarbonized food supply for a live music sector that generates £4.6 billion for the economy every year & employs more than 200k dedicated people? It simply doesn’t exist."

Massive Attack now plan to help contribute rapid answers to a range of questions posed by this report:

For indoor shows, which venues can provide “plug and play” options to remove the constant and unnecessary movement of touring production freight? How easily can venues switch their power supplies to genuinely renewable sources that materially increase new solar and wind capacity for the UK grid overall?

For the festival sector - facing the inevitability of increased environmental measures within the licensing framework and the urgent replacement of diesel power- what increased role can central and local government now play in the provision & viability of clean battery technology for festival events? Where can new local & national partnerships be built that plug events into the power grid and create localised supply chains, including catering, services and equipment?

And for both: how can we incentivise & enhance audience travel via rail; what role can smart to train ticket packages play? And ultimately for major events, who will be the first to embrace the use of individual chartered trains? Who are the partners to collaborate on the smart-routing tours, adapting transportation possibilities to the lowest carbon emitting option, and test electric freight options & the viability of rail freight networking?

Massive Attack are committed, with immediate effect, to working with all stakeholders who are focused on actioning these points.

Too often carbon reduction targets can seem overwhelming or unattainable, but we know from our own experience of band travel via rail (achieving an instant 31% reduction overall in the most carbon intensive band activity) and the availability, now, of biogas HGV technology that offers 90-95% GHG emissions reductions - that immediate action is possible. And our own discussions with renewable power providers and transport operators demonstrate more existing opportunities for positive change.

The band would also want to see these transitions carried out fairly and equitably, in order that smaller independent venues and festivals who have suffered so badly during the COVID 19 pandemic don’t suffer further – and are financially supported in their own adaptations, by both the government and the sector overall.

Professor Carly McLachlan (Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research) said: “We hope that this roadmap can help to catalyse change by outlining the scale of action required and how this maps across the different elements of a tour. To reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change, touring practices need to be reassembled differently as the industry emerges from the significant challenges that the pandemic has created.

"This starts from the very inception of a tour and requires the creativity and innovation of artists, managers, promoters, designers and agents to be unleashed to establish new ways of planning and delivering live music tours.” 

Dale Vince OBE said: "We're happy to be working with Massive Attack to facilitate rapid change in the live music world. Every section of society has to make positive changes, and gigs are no exception. The partnership we've designed will allow venues and arenas to create and contribute more renewable energy to the grid every time they switch on their lights, or power an amp. The staff training element can hard wire sustainability into every area of operations, and the vegan food option for back and front of house can make an immediate difference to our carbon impact.”

They will ensure that 91ֱ�� plays a role in driving a successful COP26, by supporting attending governments, businesses and civil bodies and providing them with the academic insight to guide decisive action.

They will also use the negotiations to inform their own research, ensuring 91ֱ�� continues to play a leading role in the development of real-world solutions.

91ֱ�� is one of only a number of UK universities awarded Blue Zone passes to COP26, a result of its long-standing The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) observer status.

The researchers who will attend over the course of the two-week Summit are:

• Professor Kevin Anderson, Professor of Energy and Climate Change
• Dr Jenna C. Ashton, Lecturer in Heritage Studies in the Institute for Cultural Practices
• Dr Christopher Jones, Knowledge Exchange Fellow at Tyndall 91ֱ��
• Professor Alice Larkin, Professor of Climate Science and Energy Policy and Head of School of Engineering
• Dr Sarah Mander, Co-Director for Research at Tyndall 91ֱ��
• Professor Carly McLachlan, Professor of Climate and Energy Policy, Director of Tyndall 91ֱ�� and University Academic Lead for Carbon
• Professor Matthew Paterson, Professor of International Politics in the School of Social Sciences
• Dr Joe Ravetz, Planning & Environmental Manager at the 91ֱ�� Urban Institute
• Dr Stephanie Sodero, Lecturer in Responses to Climate Crises in the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute.

The diverse expertise of this delegation, spanning social science and engineering, reflects the unique depth and breadth of our world-leading research. This expertise is drawn together in Sustainable Futures, which brings together 91ֱ��’s innovative, interdisciplinary approach to environmental research.

Colette Fagan, FAcSS, Vice-President for Research explained: “I am delighted that our University will be represented at this important event by this strong delegation of researchers, selected from the many disciplines and research groups that are committed to helping solve the climate crisis and influencing the COP26 agenda.”

This attendance at COP26 is just one example of how the University 600+ researchers in energy, climate change and sustainability are catalysing climate action. The impact of their ongoing work has been recognised in our number one Times Higher Education University Impact ranking; while other key activities include:

• Sustainable Futures, which will launch to external partners on 20 October 2021. This launch will bring together researchers from across the University of Manchester and key external stakeholders to discuss activity underway in Sustainable Futures. Contact Lauren.Mullan@manchester.ac.uk for further information and to get involved.
• Participation in the University’s Climate Questions communications campaign, including the four-day 91ֱ�� Festival of Climate Action, designed to share our insight, in order to help catalyse the decisive action so desperately needed. Contact joanne.d’angelo@manchester.ac.uk for further information and to get involved.
• Participation in COP26 Universities Network, a growing group of over 80 UK-based universities and research centres working together to raise ambition for tangible outcomes from the . 

COP26, which takes place in Glasgow between 1-12 November 2021, will bring together over 30,000 delegates from 197 countries to unite the world in tackling climate change. It comes at a crucial time, following last week’s UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report which showed that climate change is “widespread, rapid and intensifying”.

The new programme will see The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change and Ricardo as partners to explore how the UK can be resilient to the risks posed by climate change, such as flooding, heat waves, and extreme storms. By providing high-quality scientific research and analysis, today’s new climate research programme will help government decision makers ensure the UK is more resilient to the impacts a warming planet will have on our nation’s infrastructure. 

Titled “Climate Services for a Net Zero Resilient World (CS-N0W)”, the 4-year scheme will produce transformative advice, digital data, and technology, providing critical evidence and expertise to inform the government’s action plan for delivering a thriving, low-carbon, greener future. 

These include reducing exposure to climate impacts such as the overheating of homes and extreme weather damage to energy infrastructure, engaging with local authorities on local climate action plans, and developing international climate strategies for global decarbonisation.  

UK Climate and Energy Minister and International Adaption and Resilience COP26 Champion, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, said: “From soaring temperatures in our homes, to flooding in our streets, climate change poses a threat to both our way of life and the safety of our nation. The climate decisions taken by the government now, and over these crucial next few years, are therefore of vital importance to protect our homes, our wellbeing, and our country’s future. 

“The CS-N0W programme will be essential in informing these decisions, providing the right tools and most up-to-date information needed to ensure the best possible choices are made for the UK to achieve our net zero emissions targets, become more climate-resilient, and build back greener.” 

Professor Carly McLachlan, The University of Manchester said: “Tyndall 91ֱ�� is delighted to be part of this exciting and impactful collaboration to enhance the evidence base upon which policy-making activities are based. Major activities for the Tyndall 91ֱ�� team relate to emissions from shipping and the resilience of the electricity supply network in the UK, as well as bespoke reviews of key climate-related assessments.”

The CS-N0W programme is a 4-year research programme that will harness cutting-edge scientific knowledge to inform cross-government climate policy, helping policy makers make informed, evidence-based decisions to improve the UK’s resilience to climate change, by enhancing scientific understanding of climate impacts, decarbonisation and climate action, and improving accessibility of climate data.  

CS-N0W will be carried out by a consortium of internationally renowned universities and research institutes, led by Ricardo, a global environmental consultancy. The consortium will provide world-class scientific and research leadership, with a deep understanding of both the state of scientific knowledge of climate change and how to advance it, as well as the steps required to bridge science and facilitate evidence-based policy-making.  

Today’s new climate research programme builds on the UK Government’s efforts to tackle climate change and build back greener from the COVID-19 pandemic. As called for in the recent climate risk report from the independent Climate Change Committee, the UK government is showing international leadership by increasing domestic climate resilience efforts, ahead of the COP26 UN Climate Summit in November.  

and are partnering with The University of Manchester and  in a £9m project that aims to convert CO2, waste and sustainable biomass into clean and sustainable fuels and products.

The partnership between two leading British universities, together with bp and Johnson Matthey, has been launched to explore transforming carbon dioxide, waste products and sustainable biomass into fuels and products that can be used across the energy and transportation sectors. The project is one of eight business-led Prosperity Partnerships announced today in support of the government’s ambitious new Innovation Strategy.

Cardiff University, an internationally-leading centre for catalysis research, is leading the project, and The University of Manchester will provide expertise in materials science, characterisation methods and catalysis. They are joined by bp, which is transitioning from an international oil company to an integrated energy company, and Johnson Matthey, a global leader in sustainable technologies. The partnership will devote the next five years to exploring new catalyst technology to help the world get to net zero.

Catalysts are involved in helping to manufacture an estimated 80% of materials required in modern life, so are integral in manufacturing processes. As a result, up to 35% of the world’s GDP relies on catalysis. To reach net zero, it will be critical to develop new sustainable catalysts and processes, which will be the main objective for the partnership to explore.

Professor Martin Schröder, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at The University of Manchester, commented: ”Net zero is too big a problem for a single institution to tackle on its own and it is critical that industry and academia work together to solve this challenge. Our University is committed to addressing this issue as part of the social responsibility agenda together with our partners. We value these interactions strongly, as shown by our commitment and success in the EPSRC Prosperity Partnership scheme. This collaborative programme builds on a platform of long-term partnership between The University of Manchester and bp through the .”

Professor Duncan Wass, Director of the Cardiff Catalysis Institute, said: “The catalysts we use today have been honed over decades to work with specific, fossil fuel resources. As we move to a low carbon, more sustainable, net zero future, we need catalysts that will convert biomass, waste and carbon dioxide into valuable products such as fuels and lubricants.

Working in this partnership, we will bring together a wide range of catalysis expertise to uncover new science and contribute towards achieving net zero - perhaps the most pressing objective for us all.”

Dr. Kirsty Salmon, bp vice-president for advanced bio and physical sciences for low carbon energy, said: “We are excited to be working with our longstanding partners Johnson Matthey, Cardiff Catalysis Institute and The University of Manchester in this Prosperity Partnership. It is a great team, which builds on our successful bp International Centre of Advanced Materials (bp-ICAM) partnership, and I am looking forward to seeing them work across scientific disciplines to innovate new low carbon technologies to help the world get to net zero.”

Dr. Elizabeth Rowsell, Corporate R&D Director, Johnson Matthey, added: “We are delighted to be part of the EPSRC-funded Prosperity Partnership which will help to deliver sustainable materials leading to increased circularity in industrial processes. This project will be critical in developing the next generation of enabling catalyst technologies that will be needed in a Net Zero world, so it is entirely aligned with the net zero commitments of both industrial partners.”

The Sustainable Catalysis for Clean Growth project has been co-funded with £2.68m from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, and £5.65m from the companies and University partners. Commencing in October 2021, the work brings together industry experts from bp and JM with academics from Cardiff University and The University of Manchester in this interdisciplinary team.

This is the call from academics and experts at The University of Manchester in a new publication, . The report is published today to coincide , which aims to bring together communities, businesses, schools and the health sector to improve public understanding of air pollution and build awareness of how air pollution affects our health.

Since the great smog of 1952 killed 4000 people in London, “We’ve known for a long time that air pollution is bad for our health and for the environment” says Mary Creagh in the foreword for the publication. Mary is the Chief Executive of Living Streets, the charity for everyday walking, and former Member of Parliament for Wakefield, and chair of the House of Commons Environmental Audit select Committee.

“Now research tells us about the harmful effects of exposure to particulate matter from tyres and stoves. Each time, knowledge has ultimately informed the policy and legislation needed to take appropriate action. This is why we welcome this timely publication.”

On Air Quality, published by Policy@91ֱ��, The University of Manchester’s policy engagement unit, is released ahead of the UK Government’s next-stage consideration of the which is due to be discussed at Committee Stage in the House of Lords on June 21. The bill is aimed at cleaning the country’s air, restoring natural habitats and increasing biodiversity, but is the bill in its current form enough?

Writing in On Air Quality Professor Hugh Coe says: “Addressing poor air is central to meeting many sustainable development goals and should be embedded in future urban planning and public healthcare policy.”

Currently the UK has an opportunity to lead on tackling a global problem. The Global Burden of Disease project estimated in 2017 that 3.4 million premature deaths globally could be attributed to outdoor air pollution and in 2019, 2.31 million global deaths could be attributed to household, or indoor air pollution.

“Whilst there are major challenges to be faced post-pandemic and post-Brexit, the UK would do well not to lose its leadership in solving global problems such as air pollution. Continuing to facilitate the co-development of partnerships to address the global air quality challenge through the development of regionally targeted solutions will convey numerous benefits to the UK.” Says Professor Coe.

The report also highlights the particular dangers to children’s health with an urgent need to review and improve the which has recently been linked to increasing cognitive health impairments including ADHD, depression and dementia.

In the new report Professor Martie Van Tongeren claims it is a critical time to prevent cognitive decline in children and prevent childhood neurodegenerative disease. “Pollutants can transfer to the bloodstream in the lungs and travel to other parts of the body including the brain or may travel directly to the brain from the nose through the olfactory nerve.

“The effects of air pollution exposure on brain health have been observed at different life stages. Children and the elderly face a considerably higher risk of neurological impacts resulting from air pollutants. There is an urgent need to review and increase the methods available to us for reducing air pollution exposure for the most vulnerable.”

The University of Manchester has previously pioneered a first of its kind ‘clean air for schools’ programme in Greater 91ֱ�� in 2019 to determine how varying levels of air quality affects school children.

“There are a range of interventions that can and must be made to protect children in their critical developmental years.” According to Professor Van Tongeren. “Local authorities and schools must work closely to minimise air pollution exposure, protecting the physical health and cognitive functioning of children and preventing significant impacts on society and the NHS from neurodegenerative diseases further down the line.”

There are many key areas which need greater scrutiny to create sensible polices and address the environment challenges of today and the future. On Air Quality highlights some of the key pressing topics ranging from improving localised air-quality, to a coordinated approach to tackling greenhouse emissions and air pollutants, to the negative impact pollution has on our economy.

Read On Air Quality .

In a world-first for the sector, the team has laid the floor slab of a new gym in Amesbury, Wiltshire with graphene-enhanced 'Concretene', removing 30% of material and all steel reinforcement. Depending on the size of onward projects, Nationwide Engineering estimates a 10-20% saving to its customers.

What's concrete's problem?

Production of cement for concrete in the building industry is one of the leading causes of global carbon dioxide emissions. Remarkably, if concrete were a country, it would be the third largest emitter in the world behind only China and the US, producing around 8% of global CO₂ emissions.

The addition of tiny amounts of graphene - a so-called ‘2D material’ made of a single layer of carbon atoms - strengthens Concretene by around 30% compared to standard RC30 concrete, meaning significantly less is needed to achieve the equivalent structural performance.

“We are thrilled to have developed and constructed this game-changing, graphene-enhanced concrete on a real project,” said Alex McDermott, co-founder and managing director of Nationwide Engineering, who is also a civil engineering graduate from 91ֱ��. “Together with our partners at The University of Manchester’s and structural engineers , we are rapidly evolving our knowledge and experience and are positioned for wider industry deployment through our construction frameworks, becoming the go-to company for graphene-enhanced concrete.”

What could this mean for the building industry?

Nationwide Engineering has three existing five-year construction frameworks with Network Rail and two seven-year Government Crown commercial building frameworks. With Network Rail committing to an 11% reduction in CO₂ emissions over the next four years, graphene-enhanced concrete shows significant potential to help meet this target.

For example, the HS2 high-speed rail project is expected to use 19.7 million tonnes of concrete, creating around 5 million tonnes of CO₂ (around 1.4% of UK annual CO₂ emissions). And that’s just in concrete production, before you add in the hundreds of thousands of train and lorry journeys needed to transport the material to site.

While there is still distance to travel between a low-risk floor slab and the performance requirements of high-speed rail, a 30% reduction in material across a range of engineering applications would make a significant difference to environmental impact and costs in the construction industry.

Rolled out across the global building industry supply chain, the technology has the potential to shave 2% off worldwide emissions.

How does graphene-enhanced concrete work?

Liquid concrete sets into its solid form through chemical reactions known as hydration and gelation, where the water and cement in the mixture react to form a paste that dries and hardens over time.

Graphene makes a difference by acting as a mechanical support and as a catalyst surface for the initial hydration reaction, leading to better bonding at microscopic scale and giving the finished product improved strength, durability and corrosion resistance.

Crucially, Concretene can be used just like standard concrete, meaning no new equipment or training is needed in the batching or laying process, and cost-savings can be passed directly to the client.

Graphene@91ֱ�� team on-site in Amesbury (l-r): Craig Dawson, Happiness Ijije, Lisa Scullion

Dr Craig Dawson, Application Manager at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, explained further: “We have produced a graphene-based additive mixture that is non-disruptive at the point of use. That means we can dose our additive directly at the batching plant where the concrete is being produced as part of their existing system, so there’s no change to production or to the construction guys laying the floor.

“We have been able to do this via thorough investigation - alongside our University colleagues from the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering - of the materials we are using and we can tailor this approach to use any supplier’s graphene, so we are not beholden to a single supplier,” he added. “This makes Concretene a more viable proposition as there is increased security of supply.”

At Amesbury, an initial pour of 234m² of Concretene was conducted on site on 6 May, with a further 495m² laid on Tuesday 25 May to complete the concrete floor slab. The graphene used for the pour on 25 May was supplied by .

Nationwide Engineering will manage and monitor the site during its fit-out and onward operation, effectively making the Southern Quarter gym - itself a carbon-neutral proposition - a ‘living laboratory’ to measure and evaluate the performance of the material.

The project has been funded by Nationwide Engineering, Innovate UK and the European Regional Development Fund’s Bridging the Gap programme as a joint venture with The University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) and Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering (MACE).

Advanced materials is one of The University of Manchester’s research beacons - examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that are tackling some of the biggest questions facing the planet. #ResearchBeacons
 

The University topped the table of more than 1,200 universities from around the world on action taken towards the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The UN's 17 SDGs are the world's call to action on the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing humanity and the natural world.

With a record number of universities from 98 countries taking part in this year’s rankings, 91ֱ�� topped the overall table as well as achieving first place for its work towards the SDGs of Sustainable Cities and Communities and Responsible Consumption and Production as well as a second place for work in relation to Life Below Water. The University’s research work in these specific SDGs includes mobilising urban living labs to create sustainable infrastructure; setting the standard for cleaner skies; and removing harmful pollutants from industrial wastewater with .  

But it isn’t just the University’s research in these areas that helped it top the rankings. As the UK’s only university to have social responsibility as a core goal, 91ֱ�� plays a leading role in tackling the SDGs in four ways: research impact, learning and students, public engagement activity and responsible campus operations. These are realised in the pioneering civic engagement work of our cultural institutions, how students are engaged with the SDGs, our commitment to a zero-carbon future, paying staff a living wage, and the quality of reporting of progress on each of the 17 SDGs.  

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell said: “We’re absolutely delighted to top the world in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings in 2021, but more importantly we’re pleased to be part of a growing community of universities committed to measuring and sharing their societal impact. 

“We’ve taken part in the University Impact Rankings since their inception because we value the feedback they provide about our performance on each of the global goals. They cover every aspect of a university’s impact: our research, our teaching and learning, our engagement with the public and how we operate as sizeable organisations in our cities and regions.” 

UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UNAIDS, Dr Winnie Byanyima – who is also an alumna of the University and honorary doctorate recipient – said: “I will always be proud to be part of The University of Manchester family and its alumni community. 

“This deserved recognition for its enormous social, environmental and economic impact is even more reason for everyone associated with the institution to be immensely pleased. I offer them my sincerest congratulations.” 

Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer, Times Higher Education, said: “It is wonderful to see from this unique Times Higher Education data analysis that UK universities are making a major impact to global society across a whole range of individual Sustainable Development Goals.  

“In a year that has seen record levels of participation in the impact rankings, with 1,240 universities from 98 countries and regions included across the 18 ranking tables, and the clear strength of institutions in every corner of the world when it comes to helping achieve these shared goals, the success of The University of Manchester and many British peers is testament to the vital role universities across the home nations are playing in helping to ensure a sustainable future.” 

For more information visit The University of Manchester SDG webpages  

, German research centre , , SAF producer  and The University of Manchester, have teamed up to start the pioneering ‘Emission and Climate Impact of Alternative Fuels’ (ECLIF3) project looking into the effects of 100% SAF on aircraft emissions and performance.

Findings from the study - to be carried out on the ground and in the air using an Airbus A350-900 aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines - will support efforts currently underway at Airbus and Rolls-Royce to ensure the aviation sector is ready for the large-scale use of SAF as part of the wider initiative to decarbonise the industry.

Fuel-clearance engine tests, including a first flight to check operational compatibility of using 100% SAF with the aircraft’s systems, started at Airbus’ facilities in Toulouse, France, this week. These will be followed by the ground-breaking flight-emissions tests due to start in April and resuming in the Autumn, using DLR’s Falcon 20-E ‘chase plane’ to carry out measurements to investigate the emissions impact of using SAF. Meanwhile, further ground tests measuring particulate-matter emissions are set to indicate the environmental impact of SAF-use on airport operations.

The University of Manchester has been heavily involved in the development of the newly introduced regulations of non-volatile Particulate Matter (nvPM) from aircraft engines and has vast experience in measuring the currently unregulated volatile particulate emissions. Whilst the main focus of the work will be to determine the impacts of SAF on the regulated nvPM, the University will look to measure and understand the impacts of SAF on the volatile fraction. This is a key area of research as aviation regulators are examining whether the volatile PM should be subject to regulation.

Dr Paul Williams, Senior Research Fellow, The University in 91ֱ�� is working on the ground-based emissions study as part of the project: “This is an exciting opportunity to get a glimpse of the future emissions from aviation. SAF is going to be an important component of the aviator sector in the future, and being involved in ECLIF3 allows the University to assess the impacts, and hopefully the benefits.” he said.

Both the flight and the ground tests will compare emissions from the use of 100% SAF produced with HEFA (hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids) technology against those from fossil kerosene and low-sulphur fossil kerosene.

The SAF will be provided by Neste, a leading worldwide supplier of sustainable aviation fuel. Additional measurement and analysis for the characterisation of the particulate-matter emissions during the ground testing will be delivered by the UK’s University of Manchester and the National Research Council of Canada.

“SAF is a vital part of Airbus' ambition to decarbonise the aviation industry and we are working closely with a number of partners to ensure a sustainable future for air travel,” said Steven Le Moing, New Energy Programme Manager, Airbus. “Aircraft can currently only operate using a maximum 50% blend of SAF and fossil kerosene; this exciting collaboration will not only provide insight into how gas-turbine engines function using 100% SAF with a view to certification, but identify the potential emissions reductions and environmental benefits of using such fuels in flight on a commercial aircraft too."

Dr Patrick Le Clercq, ECLIF Project Manager at DLR, said: “By investigating 100% SAF, we are taking our research on fuel design and aviation climate impact to a new level. In previous research campaigns, we were already able to demonstrate the soot-reduction potential of between 30 and 50% blends of alternative fuels, and we hope this new campaign will show that this potential is now even greater.

“DLR has already conducted extensive research on analytics and modelling as well as performing ground and flight tests using alternative fuels with the Airbus A320 ATRA research aircraft in 2015 and in 2018 together with NASA.”

Simon Burr, Director Product Development and Technology, Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace, added: “In our post-COVID-19 world, people will want to connect again but do so sustainably. For long-distance travel, we know this will involve the use of gas turbines for decades to come. SAF is essential to the decarbonisation of that travel and we actively support the ramp-up of its availability to the aviation industry. This research is essential to support our commitment to understanding and enabling the use of 100% SAF as a low-emissions solution.”

Jonathan Wood, Neste’s Vice President Europe, Renewable Aviation, added: “We’re delighted to contribute to this project to measure the extensive benefits of SAF compared with fossil jet fuel and provide the data to support the use of SAF at higher concentrations than 50%. Independently verified analysis has shown 100% Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel delivering up to 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil jet fuel use when all life-cycle emissions are taken into account; this study will clarify the additional benefits from the use of SAF."

Energy is one of The University of Manchester’s research beacons - examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that are tackling some of the biggest questions facing the planet. #ResearchBeacons

This new study, from The University of Manchester’s and the (CAST), analysed publicly available policies of 66 UK universities to identify strategies related to long-distance business travel and catering. For each university, documents including Carbon Management Plans and Annual Reports, Travel Plans and Sustainable Food Policies were downloaded, catalogued and reviewed.

Long-distance business travel and catering (particularly meat-based meals) are substantial contributors to the carbon footprint of universities (and many other organisations), but are typically under-accounted for in carbon management planning. The collaborative research team set-out to understand the extent to which university plans and actions in these areas are commensurate with climate emergency declarations, and make recommendations to support setting sufficiently ambitious targets and actions.

The research, published today in , demonstrates that action on climate change in universities is extending beyond the familiar focus on energy related emissions to engage in more complex workplace practices, including long-distance business travel and catering. However, increasing sector-wide effort is unavoidable if universities are to fulfil their climate emergency declarations and align emissions reduction strategies with the UK Government’s net zero ambitions.

Lead author on the research paper, Presidential Research Fellow, Claire Hoolohan, The University of Manchester said: “Many universities omit, or only partially account for, business travel and food within their carbon management reporting. However, the importance of emissions in these areas is widely recognised and there is evidence of pioneer institutions setting targets and taking action to reduce emissions in these areas.

“Across the sector more action is required to reduce emissions. To support sector-wide action, this briefing note focusses on targets and actions that should be implemented to rapidly and substantially reduce emissions in these two areas, and contribute towards a low-carbon workplace culture.”

The UK’s Committee on Climate Change recognises aviation and agriculture as sectors where it is very challenging to reduce emissions. Mobility scholars have shown that aeromobility is deeply embedded in the institutional culture of Higher Education, with individual career progression and institutional standing linked to international mobility.

Similarly, for meat-eating, coordinated developments across production-consumption systems sustain meat-heavy diets, and this is no less true in workplace cafeterias and catering. Subsequently, reducing emissions requires the reconfiguration of professional practices and institutional policies to enable low-carbon transformation.

The research finds many universities planning to reduce emissions in these areas, but few have robust targets to support decarbonisation. Further it is action, not plans or targets, that reduce emissions and few universities have actions in place to reduce emissions across both areas. That said, there were examples of good practice in both areas, and future action could focus on the following:

Positive actions on flying and food for Universities:

• Review and define ‘essential travel’ to support staff in avoiding travel as much as possible.
• Maximise the number of engagements per trip, reduce the distance and frequency.
• Make train travel the default for journeys within a specified distance, with additional time and funding for long distance rail travel
• Focus on reducing trips of frequent fliers and recognise the differentiated travel needs of staff with children, care commitments and medical needs.
• Review University policies for contradictions that encourage flying
• Reduce meat, and replace with plant-based alternatives
• Make plant-based event catering the default to spark conversation and enable staff to try new meals.
• Experiment at sub-organisation level, then share learning and scale up

Professor Alice Larkin, Head of at The University of Manchester, said: “Higher education’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that rapid, deep and widespread changes are possible. The shifts in our academic activities that we've all experienced, as well as changes to how we've started to operate in new ways, present significant opportunities to establish alternative, more sustainable, practices.”

New research, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, has demonstrated that vitally important microbial communities within Alpine soils are under threat as a direct result of increasing global temperatures caused by ongoing climate change. These belowground microbes critically support aboveground life because they recycle the key nutrients upon which all animals and plants depend, including humans. They also control how much carbon is stored safely in the soil, where it cannot cause further global warming.

In winter, Alpine soil microbes depend on snow to act as an insulating blanket, allowing them to continue to work throughout the cold alpine winter. However, it is estimated that the annual Alpine winter snowpack will begin melting over 100 days sooner than currently by the end of this century. Scientists from The University of Manchester, in collaboration with the University of Innsbruck, Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, demonstrate how this will affect soil microbes, and the critical functions they perform, by using in-the-field experiments and publishing their findings in .

For scientists, understanding how soil microbes respond to climate change and how this influences biogeochemical cycles, remains a major challenge. This is especially pertinent in Alpine regions where climate change is taking place at double the rate of the global average.

Dr Arthur Broadbent from The University of Manchester is a lead author on the new research paper, he said: “Our paper reveals alarming climate change impacts on soil microbial communities, and the biogeochemical cycles that they regulate in mountain ecosystems. Using a high-alpine experiment in the Austrian Alps, we discovered that spring snowmelt triggers an abrupt seasonal transition in soil microbial communities, which is closely linked to rapid shifts in carbon and nitrogen cycling.”

“Snowmelt is predicted to occur 50-130 days earlier in alpine regions due to climate change by the end of the century. Using experimental manipulations, we demonstrated that earlier snowmelt, of even just 10 days, leads to an earlier seasonal transition in microbial communities and biogeochemical cycling.”

As a consequence, winter ecosystem functioning will be reduced in seasonally snow-covered ecosystems under future climate change, which threatens carbon retention and plant productivity. This would negatively affect agricultural production and disrupt natural ecosystems. It will also alter annual carbon fluxes in these ecosystems with the potential to cause further climate warming.

Newly published research from The University of Manchester shows that some ships in the open ocean were emitting large amounts of sulphates from traces of sulphur in the fuel, with a strong potential to alter clouds’ behaviour and pollute coastal areas. When results were compared with ships measured in the English Channel (where emissions are controlled through regulation), the amounts of particulates were very significantly reduced compared to the open ocean.

The main concerns are particulates, made of a mixture of soot and sulphates, which have long been known to alter the behaviour of clouds in the open ocean, creating lines of brighter clouds behind ships that can been seen from space (“ship tracks”), akin to the contrails often seen behind aeroplanes.

The brighter clouds are partly caused by exhaust plumes containing pollutants from burning fossil fuels to power the ships. Scientists and shipping organisations are now studying the impact of increased regulations on the environmental cost of global shipping.

Starting in 2020, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has placed new controls on emissions of all ships around the globe and the -funded ACRUISE (Atmospheric Composition and Radiative forcing changes due to UN International Ship Emissions regulations) project is designed to study the change this has, both on emissions and its impact on the environment.

The project is a collaboration between a number of several UK institutions, also including the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) and the Universities of York, Leeds and Oxford and was designed to run in two phases, to deliver a ‘before and after’ picture.

The results just published by The University of Manchester in the journal represent the ‘before’ measurements of the particulates from ocean-going cargo ships. While work has been published previously on ship emissions, these have tended to be in laboratory test rigs, which may not represent ‘real’ emissions, or in territorial waters or ports, where controls are already established.

The 91ֱ�� scientists used the UK Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurement (FAAM) Bae-146 large research aircraft to fly directly through the exhaust plumes of cargo ships in the busy Atlantic shipping lanes off the Portuguese coast in 2019, before the new controls were enacted.

Chenjie Yu, who authored this paper as part of his PhD studies at The University of Manchester, said: “It is a great experience to be on-board the FAAM research aircraft and performing this airborne measurement. The results from the ACRUISE project are crucial for the future policymaking and climate research.”

Dr James Allan, a Reader in the and Chenjie’s academic supervisor, said: “These results are quite remarkable. Traditionally, ship fuel has been one of the dirtiest forms of fossil fuels in use, but these results give an insight into what kind of a change the new regulations can have. It will be very interesting to see what differences we will find in the second phase of the experiment.”

The ACRUISE project is currently ongoing, and in 2021, the team will return to repeat the measurements, to assess how much of an impact the new controls have made. These will be combined with satellite data and atmospheric models to determine how much of a change this has made to air quality and climate.

The member universities span all populated continents, representing one-third of the 100 highest performing climate research universities and a quarter of the top 100 environmental research universities worldwide.

The coalition will bring together 37 international member universities as signatories, including, The University of Manchester, along with nine other UK institutions.

The University of Manchester is home to the renowned , which undertakes world-class research to deliver agenda-setting insights on energy and climate change.  is one of The University of Manchester’s - examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that are tackling some of the biggest questions facing the planet.

The Declaration implores world leaders to use the post-COVID recovery to implement measures to counteract climate change, warning that failure to do so will lock in catastrophic consequences for generations to come. Regional media events will be held with a panel of speakers from Asia Pacific and UK university members.

Professor Ian Jacobs, President and Vice-Chancellor of UNSW Sydney in Australia, a founding member of the Alliance, said he and his colleagues recognised the need for experts with diverse voices to speak out about the climate crisis.

“Many challenges lie ahead of us in combatting the existential crisis in which the world finds itself. The International Universities Climate Alliance is a rich resource upon which governments, business, industry and the wider community can rely for evidence-based expert advice.”

The UK member universities are hosting a joint regional media event to support the initiative with a live Q&A panel of university representatives at 10.00am GMT on Wednesday 18^th November 2020.

UK climate experts have a long history of supporting national and international decision-makers with the evidence-base for climate action including contributions to United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, UK Climate Change Risk Assessments, UK carbon budgets and regional climate assemblies.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Leeds, Professor Nick Plant, who will be delivering a speech during the UK media event, said, “Universities are uniquely positioned to provide evidence-based knowledge to support urgent global climate action and a green recovery.”

The Climate Alliance is unprecedented in scale and scope and will support world leaders, policy makers and industry in planning for, and responding to, climate change. The advent of the Climate Alliance comes at a time when momentum is building for countries to decarbonise their economies. In recent months there have been moves by various nations to fortify incremental efforts with policies and actions equal to the urgency of the situation.

The Alliance will provide a central hub for universities to share the latest climate research and enable greater collaboration between leading research teams.

Operations at the Preston New Road shale gas site led to a venting of around 4.2 tonnes of methane gas to atmosphere that was detected at a nearby monitoring station installed by researchers from The University of Manchester. The research team was led by Prof Grant Allen, and reported in the

Elevated methane (CH₄) concentrations in the air were measured at an atmospheric monitoring station near the Preston New Road (PNR) shale gas site over a one-week period in January 2019. Analysis showed this to be a result of the release of non-combusted methane from the flare stack at the shale gas site following operations to clean out the 2.3 km deep shale gas well. During the emission event, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) were deployed to map the vertical and horizontal extent of the methane plume.

Professor Grant Allen, Professor of Atmospheric Physics and leader of the project at The University of Manchester, said: “Our work shows that atmospheric monitoring of shale gas activity is crucial to meaningfully assess any role that the industry may have in the UK’s future energy mix and whether it can (or cannot) be consistent with the UK’s stated aim of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2015.

“This work informs that debate and provides new data on emissions from well-clearing activities that must be captured in industry life cycle assessments, and should be used to inform regulatory oversight and industrial practices surrounding venting activities such as the event quantified here. Such emissions should be avoided wherever possible.”

Identification of the methane emissions from the site was made by comparing the data with two years of baseline measurements, taking into account variability due to season and wind direction. The baseline monitoring was carried out by The University of Manchester as part of a -led environmental monitoring project and supported by the (BEIS).

Three different methods were used to estimate the methane release rate. Peak release rate was estimated to be approximately 70 g s^-1, with an average over the whole week of 16 g s^-1. The estimated total mass of methane emitted during the event was 4.2 (± 1.4) tonnes. In terms of greenhouse warming potential, this is equivalent to 143 tonnes CO₂ using the default 100-year time horizon conversion factor (GWP100), the annual electricity demand of 166 UK homes, or 142 London-New York flights.

Dr Jacob Shaw, Research Associate from The University of Manchester and lead author of the paper says: “The dangerous consequences of global warming are now beginning to become evident. Routine monitoring and scrutiny of the fossil fuel industry is crucial if we are to curb impacts, and also if we are to meet the UK Government’s Net Zero targets.”

The research found that independent estimates of methane emissions during the early stages of hydrocarbon development are not routinely made, nor are they generally understood for well development, well-unloading and well-stimulation activities. This may mean that greenhouse gas emissions are currently under-represented in lifecycle analysis of the overall carbon footprint of unconventional gas as an energy source. It will be important to include such processes in future greenhouse gas evaluations.

Professor Rob Ward, Policy Director at British Geological Survey said: “This study demonstrates the importance of establishing effective monitoring at oil and gas sites to establish the baseline and then enable detection and quantification of any emissions that might arise. Not only is this important for managing what might be a hazardous situation, it is also important for properly assessing greenhouse gas emissions.”

is one of The University of Manchester’s - examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that are tackling some of the biggest questions facing the planet. #ResearchBeacons

The proposal to form the unique new local agency was announced today at the Greater 91ֱ�� Green Summit. The University of Manchester, and will apply their energy and environmental research expertise working with the (GMCA) and to ensure 91ֱ�� continues to lead on ambitious regional environmental innovation and action.

Professor Colette Fagan, Vice-President for Research, The University of Manchester said: “The establishment of the Greater 91ֱ�� Energy Innovation Agency is a great example of collaboration between our universities, local government and industry partners to lead through commitment, innovation and action for the benefit of society and our environment.

“Linking the decarbonisation agenda to economic growth through innovation is key to achieving net zero carbon. Bringing together Greater 91ֱ��’s environmental research expertise in this new agency with the encouragement of GMCA is a significant and exciting step toward achieving a greener future.”

The vision for the Energy Innovation Agency is to lead the transition to zero carbon society and economy by bridging the innovation gap, leading to an acceleration of emissions reductions, increased implementation of technological innovations and enhanced, forward-thinking policy agenda setting.

Professor Helen Marshall, Vice Chancellor, The University of Salford said: “We are proud to be part of the new Greater 91ֱ�� Energy Innovation Agency, which represents a new step forward in the Greater 91ֱ�� universities, industry and Combined Authority all working together towards solving a critical problem for the city-region; achieving zero carbon by 2038.

“Combining our own research excellence in energy and buildings, such as our major investment in Energy House 2.0, with the other Greater 91ֱ�� universities research excellence in the field of energy, we can lead the way in the decarbonisation agenda and create the clean, high value jobs and businesses that this agenda has the potential to bring.”

The new agency will act as an intermediary between the region’s world class environmental research output, industry innovators, the energy supply pipeline and stakeholders in Greater 91ֱ��, to close the current innovation gap to zero carbon – delivering a transformation of our energy system.

Professor Steve Decent, Deputy Vice Chancellor, 91ֱ�� Metropolitan University said: “Our priority is to help Greater 91ֱ�� improve energy access and security of energy supply in socially, technically and economically convenient conditions. The University fully supports the Energy Innovation Agency vision in that it will create conditions incorporating clean energy resources and innovative technologies.

“Strengthened collaboration and research between academic institutions and industry will move us towards an energy transition that is completely focused on investing in a future that will support commitments of the region to become carbon neutral by 2038”

While the UK Government set a binding target of 2050 to achieve net zero carbon, Greater 91ֱ�� set its own more ambitious 2038 deadline to decarbonise its energy system. The EIA will be a significant contributing factor in aiming to reach the aspirational target in the hope the area can be a pace-setter for the rest of the country.

Councillor Andrew Western, GMCA Lead for the Green City-Region, said: “Tackling the transition to a zero carbon society is going to take a group effort. The combined insight of Greater 91ֱ��’s universities, industry partners and GMCA will enable us to work together to achieve this goal.“We’re already making good progress towards the goals of our Five-Year Environment Plan, which alongside achieving decarbonisation, also includes improving air quality, protecting the natural environment and building resilience to climate change. By establishing partnerships such as the GM Energy Innovation Agency we are in a much better position to support our commitment to become carbon neutral by 2038, creating a greener city-region for years to come.”

Stephen Stead, Director of Strategy and Digital Services, SSE Enterprise said: “The North West is one of the fastest growth areas in Europe with significant investment planned and world class environmental research output. SSE Enterprise are very excited to be part of this prestigious project which will see GMCA, its 10 local authorities and its world class universities lead the way in large scale decarbonisation. SSE brings vast experience in developing localised energy systems, innovative technology solutions and a ‘whole system thinking’ approach to support GMCA drive for cleaner and more affordable energy, high value jobs and a clear focus on net zero carbon by 2038.”

The announcement was made as part of the third annual , taking place virtually this year between 21 – 24 September. The Summit reviews the 6 environmental themes outlined in the Greater 91ֱ�� five-year environment plan (March 2019). Each day of the summit will highlight one of the plan’s themes and features workshops delivered by the Youth Combined Authority.

Energy

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A leading group of University of Manchester academics are imploring policy makers to use the UK’s post-pandemic recovery as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead a positive green revolution.

The UK is slowly easing COVID-19 restrictions and has recently announced financial aid to stimulate economic recovery including a £3bn plan to cut emissions. Now a collaborative group of leading scientists are imploring governments the world over to use this moment in history to turn towards a vastly more sustainable, green future.

In a new publication, , recommendations ranging from; emissions reductions, economic incentives and new technologies have been put forward. The report brings together some of the country’s leading energy, policy, and climate change experts to offer their opinions and solutions for the UK’s most pressing energy issues, including new data as a result of global lockdown restrictions.

Lord Deben, Chairman of the , who wrote the foreword for On Net Zero commented: "We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to address these urgent challenges together; it’s there for the taking. The steps that the UK takes to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic can accelerate the transition to a successful and low-carbon economy and improve our climate resilience. Choices that lock in emissions or climate risks are unacceptable.”

Professor Carly McLachlan is the Director of , one of the founding partners of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research: “Analysis of the impact on emissions of various lockdown orders across the world has demonstrated an average global reduction of 17%.

“The analysis estimates that even if some restrictions remain in place to the end of 2020, the overall reduction in emissions for the year will only be 3-13%. While this does tell us that we can do things differently and that it does have an impact, it also indicates how deeply embedded the use of fossil fuels is in our lives. Even when our lives ‘feel’ very different – they are still powered by fossil fuels.

“Our recovery must support structural change that addresses the way we power our lives – all levels from the individual, to business, to the energy system, to government policy must be aligned to deliver the significant reductions we need.”

On Net Zero key takeaways:

• At a national level we need to be clear that substantial emissions reductions are expected from the vast majority of sectors and that the limited removals we can deliver within the UK are likely to be needed for specific sectors.
• Clear policies are needed to support Greenhouse Gas removal. The extent to which we rely on this should reflect our confidence in the existence of proven technologies, robust monitoring approaches and sustainable supply chains.

• Far from being ‘difficult to decarbonise’, the shipping sector has significant room to manoeuvre, even over the short time horizon dictated by the Paris Agreement.

The impact of COVID-19 on energy use around the world has been stark, with the current background showing a reduction in energy demand tied with a decrease in economic activity and increased home working. The report also tackles the issue of energy poverty linked to vulnerable households, income reductions, job losses and lack of access to existing infrastructure.

Stefan Bouzarovski is Professor of Human Geography at The University of Manchester, where he leads the People and Energy Programme: “We often hear the phrase ‘no one must be left behind’ in the movement towards a climate friendly future. Low-carbon initiatives, including net zero policies, should take into account existing social and economic inequalities, while ensuring that disadvantaged people are adequately represented and supported.

“Climate policies, however, require deep reconfigurations of socio-economic patterns of energy supply and demand. Not only can climate policies transform existing inequalities, but they may also create new ones as they unfold. Recent international research argues that energy transitions may adversely affect the social, economic and political vulnerability of actors involved in and affected by the process; from individual households to entire states. Thus vulnerability to domestic energy deprivation cannot be considered as a household issue, but rather a phenomenon that is distributed throughout the ‘energy chain’.”

Energy is one of The University of Manchester’s research beacons - examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that are tackling some of the biggest questions facing the planet. #ResearchBeacons

Policy@91ֱ�� is The University of Manchester’s sector-leading policy engagement unit. Policy@91ֱ�� connects researchers with policymakers and influencers, nurtures long-term policy engagement relationships, and seeks to enhance stakeholder understanding of pressing policy challenges.

New research focusing on the UK and Sweden, demonstrates just how far even ‘climate progressive’ nations are from meeting our international commitments to avoid dangerous climate change.

The researchers concluded that despite the UK and Sweden claiming to have world leading climate legislation, their planned reductions in emissions will still lead to total emissions two to three times greater than is their fair share of a -compliant global carbon budget.

The annual rate that emissions are expected to be cut is less than half of that required, with the scientists suggesting a minimum for the UK of 10% each year, starting in 2020. Similarly, the date of achieving a fully zero-carbon energy system should be around 2035, rather than the UK’s current ‘net-zero’ by 2050 legislation.

The study led by Professor Kevin Anderson from The University of Manchester, is published in the journal . The team of climate scientists asked how close these countries are to meeting the UN’s climate commitments if the ‘safe’ quantity of emissions, the global carbon budget, is shared fairly between ‘developing’ and ‘developed’ countries.

Professor Kevin Anderson, draws a damning conclusion from the research: “Academics have done an excellent job in understanding and communicating climate science, but the same cannot be said in relation to reducing emissions. Here we have collectively denied the necessary scale of mitigation, running scared of calling for fundamental changes to both our energy system and the lifestyles of high-energy users. Our paper brings this failure into sharp focus.”

The Paris Agreement establishes an international covenant to reduce emissions in line with holding the increase in temperature to ‘well below 2°C and to pursue 1.5°C.’ Global modelling studies have repeatedly concluded that such commitments can be delivered through respective national government adjustments to contemporary society, principally price mechanisms driving technical change. However, as emissions have continued to rise, these models have come to increasingly rely on the extensive deployment of highly speculative negative emissions technologies (NETs).

John Broderick, an author from the UK’s , commented: “This work makes clear just how important issues of fairness are when dividing the global carbon budget between wealthier and poorer nations. It also draws attention to how a belief in the delivery of untested technologies has undermined the depth of mitigation required today.”

Isak Stoddard, the Swedish author on the paper said: “Our conservative analysis demonstrates just how far removed the rhetoric on climate change is from our Paris-compliant carbon budgets. For almost two decades we have deluded ourselves that ongoing small adjustments to business as usual will deliver a timely zero-carbon future for our children.”

Key insights from the paper, nations fall far short of Paris-compliant pathways’ by Kevin Anderson, John F. Broderick and Isak Stoddard:

• Without a belief in the successful deployment of planetary scale negative emissions technologies, double-digit annual mitigation rates are required of developed countries, from 2020, if they are to align their policies with the Paris Agreement’s temperature commitments and principles of equity.

• Paris-compliant carbon budgets for developed countries imply full decarbonization of energy by 2035-40, necessitating a scale of change in physical infrastructure reminiscent of the post-Second World War Marshall Plan. This brings issues of values, measures of prosperity and socio-economic inequality to the fore.

• The stringency of Paris-compliant pathways severely limits the opportunity for inter-sectoral emissions trading. Consequently aviation, as with all sectors, will need to identify policies to reduce emissions to zero, directly or through the use of zero carbon fuels.

• The UK and Swedish governments’ emissions pathways imply a carbon budget of at least a factor of two greater than their fair contribution to delivering on the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-2°C commitment.

 is one of The University of Manchester’s - examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that are tackling some of the biggest questions facing the planet. #ResearchBeacons

New climate research has stated that urgent action on emissions from existing ships is the key to tackling shipping’s impact on climate change.

The shipping sector ‘can’t wait’ for new, low-carbon ships to enter its fleet if it is to cut CO₂ emissions in line with Paris Agreement targets, according to a University of Manchester study published today in the new journal .

Measures to cut shipping’s pollution tend to focus on new ships, but this new research shows that CO₂ emissions from existing ships will dominate the sector’s impact on the climate, and could even swallow up shipping’s entire safe carbon budget.

The researchers’ findings suggest that existing ships could use up the industry’s carbon budget before new ships are taken into account. Policies to cut shipping CO₂ must focus attention on decarbonising and retrofitting existing ships, rather than just rely on new, more efficient ships to achieve the necessary carbon reductions.

As ships are so long-lived, the “committed emissions” from journeys travelled during the rest of their lifespan, are higher than for other modes of transport. Without action, existing ships are expected to emit well over 100% of a Paris-compatible carbon budget.

There is room for optimism however. The research highlights the multiple ways that ships can cut their committed emissions, such as travelling at slower speeds, fitting new renewable rotor technologies, connecting to grid electricity while in port, and retrofitting other energy saving measures. Innovative projects, such as the 2018 retrofit installation of two 30-metre-tall Norsepower Flettner rotor sails on the Maersk Pelican ship, can help to cut these committed emissions.

But scientists now say time is of the essence; if implemented quickly and at scale, the shipping sector could still fairly contribute to the Paris climate agreement goals, but if not, other sectors will need to cut their emissions deeper and faster to compensate.

Professor Alice Larkin, Head of , The University of Manchester said: “The shipping industry continues to play a hugely important role in international trade and especially for our island nation, but this research highlights that the International Maritime Organisation’s current targets need to be substantially tightened to align with Paris goals.”

The new research was led by climate scientists at the Tyndall Centre, Researcher James Mason said: “This research highlights the key role existing ships play in tackling the climate crisis. We must push for quick action for these ships, whether through speed reductions or other innovative solutions such as wind propulsion.”

To date, committed emissions studies have focussed predominantly on the power sector, or on global analyses in which shipping is a small element, with assumptions of asset lifetimes extrapolated from other transport modes. This study analysed; new CO2, ship age and scrappage datasets covering the 11,000 ships included in the European Union’s new emissions monitoring scheme (EU MRV), to deliver original insights on the speed at which new and existing shipping infrastructure must be decarbonised.

Climate Change Lecturer at The University of Manchester, Dr John Broderick said: “Unlike in aviation, there are many different ways to decarbonise the shipping sector, but there must be much greater attention paid to retrofitting the existing fleet, before it’s too late to deliver on the net-zero target.”

Tyndall Centre researcher Simon Bullock said: “Shipping is generally a greener way to transport freight than roads or planes, but its impact is still very large. This research shows there is hope – shipping’s overall emissions could be dramatically reduced, if policy-makers act to cut the emissions from the existing fleet”.

Bullock, S., Mason, J., Broderick, J., Larkin, A. Shipping and the Paris climate agreement:a focus on committed emissions. 2, 5 (2020). 

Can you fit 6 kilograms into your school bag and lift it up? That’s the equivalent weight of greenhouse gas emissions caused by producing the food each person eats in one day, on average. 

A group of University-based researchers are sharing free online content for children to learn about how food contributes to climate change. Each week day in June they are putting out new materials aimed at 7 to 14 year olds, including videos, activity worksheets and interviews with experts. They will also be answering questions and showcasing the work sent in by children.

The team won a place at the Summer Science Exhibition 2019, and since then they have been spreading fun facts around the world, from Brazil to India. The programme is encouraging scientific creativity from home during a time when many pupils are unable to attend their schools due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The worksheets are available one week in advance, so schools can include them in their “learning from home” content, and at 12 noon Monday to Friday each day of June families can make and eat their lunch while chewing on some food for thought from the Take a Bite out of Climate Change team.

The video from the first day kicked off asking questions about how food compares with other contributions to climate change. It raised awareness that food contributes a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions and this can be reduced by eating more vegetables and beans as well as less meat and dairy.

Professor Sarah Bridle, The University of Manchester, is the Take a Bite out of Climate Change team lead and part of the partnership. “With COVID-19, we’re all thinking about food more than ever before, and we’re more aware than ever before about how dependent we humans are on the natural world” said Bridle. 

“We’ve had such fun over the past year talking with school students and other members of the public about the impact of food on climate change, and we wanted to bring something online, that people can easily do at home.

“These resources come at an ideal time for schools,” says Zoe Woffenden, a primary school teacher in Stockport, who has been advising on the project. “The children are asking lots of questions about climate change and what they can do about it, and it’s great to be able to connect them with experts from universities across the UK to consider how different foods contribute.”

Each week launches with a 3 minute video introducing members of the team and the theme for the week. The team has recorded videos talking through the worksheets, which will be available each Tuesday. Kids can learn from interviews with experts on Wednesdays. On Thursdays, the team will be answering questions sent in via Twitter, Instagram and email, and Fridays will be a showcase of what people came up with at home.

“In this first week, we’re putting the climate impact of food in the context of other emissions and comparing them to driving a petrol car,” says Bridle. “Before heading over to the farm to learn about emissions from animals and fertilizer in the second week. Then in week 3, we’ll talk about transporting food by ship and air, as well as packaging. Finally, we’ll focus on decisions we make at home about what to eat, and food waste, in the last week of June.” 

Throughout the month you’ll hear from a range of different scientists who are passionate about the potential for making the world a better place through learning and sharing information on food and climate change. “I changed my career direction from astrophysics to this topic because, when we stop burning fossil fuels, food will be the biggest contributor to climate change” says Bridle. “I love talking with people about it because it’s such a lightbulb moment, when people realise there’s so much they can do to make a difference. This period of home-learning is a fantastic opportunity to engage with children, who are the future of our planet, and hopefully stimulate them to discuss with their families how to make a better future for everyone.”

“Changing our diets is important from so many perspectives.’’ says Prof Tim Benton, who is Research Director for emerging risks at The Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House in London. “In 2019, the School Strikes for Climate had a major role in raising the priority of climate change with world leaders, meanwhile COVID-19 has created a huge shock, but is an example of the sort of problem climate change will throw at us increasingly in the years ahead. As we invest in recovering from COVID-19 we must introduce measures to cut emissions and incentivise climate-friendly behaviours, including around food choices. To achieve that, we need the public demanding changes from politicians, which is where projects like this one are so important.”

Find out more and sign up to the Take a Bite out of Climate Change mailing list here:  

Take a Bite out of Climate Change has been funded and supported by The University of Manchester, N8 AgriFood, the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) Food Network+, and a Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund award. The team works in partnership with N8 AgriFood, LEAP, the LSHTM Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health.

An international research project has revealed the highest levels of microplastic ever recorded on the seafloor, with up to 1.9 million pieces in a thin layer covering just one square metre.

Over 10 million tons of plastic waste enters the oceans each year. Floating plastic waste at sea has caught the public’s interest thanks to the ‘Blue Planet Effect’ seeing moves to discourage the use of plastic drinking straws and carrier bags. Yet such accumulations account for less than 1% of the plastic that enters the world’s oceans.

The missing 99% is instead thought to occur in the deep ocean, but until now it has been unclear where it actually ended up. Published this week in the journal , the research conducted by; The University of Manchester, National Oceanography Centre (UK), University of Bremen (Germany), IFREMER (France) and Durham University (UK) showed how deep-sea currents act as conveyor belts, transporting tiny plastic fragments and fibres across the seafloor.

These currents can concentrate microplastics within huge sediment accumulations, which they termed ‘microplastic hotspots’. These hotspots appear to be the deep-sea equivalents of the so-called ‘garbage patches’ formed by currents on the ocean surface.

The lead author of the study, Dr Ian Kane of The University of Manchester said: “Almost everybody has heard of the infamous ocean ‘garbage patches’ of floating plastic, but we were shocked at the high concentrations of microplastics we found in the deep-seafloor.

“We discovered that microplastics are not uniformly distributed across the study area; instead they are distributed by powerful seafloor currents which concentrate them in certain areas.”

Microplastics on the seafloor are mainly comprised of fibres from textiles and clothing. These are not effectively filtered out in domestic waste water treatment plants, and easily enter rivers and oceans.

In the ocean they either settle out slowly, or can be transported rapidly by episodic turbidity currents – powerful underwater avalanches – that travel down submarine canyons to the deep seafloor (see the group’s earlier research in ).

Once in the deep sea, microplastics are readily picked up and carried by continuously flowing seafloor currents (‘bottom currents’) that can preferentially concentrate fibres and fragments within large drifts of sediment.

These deep ocean currents also carry oxygenated water and nutrients, meaning that seafloor microplastic hotspots can also house important ecosystems that can consume or absorb the microplastics. This study provides the first direct link between the behaviour of these currents and the concentrations of seafloor microplastics and the findings will help to predict the locations of other deep-sea microplastic hotspots and direct research into the impact of microplastics on marine life.

The team collected sediment samples from the seafloor of the Tyrrhenian Sea (part of the Mediterranean Sea) and combined these with calibrated models of deep ocean currents and detailed mapping of the seafloor. In the laboratory, the microplastics were separated from sediment, counted under the microscope, and further analysed using infra-red spectroscopy to determine the plastic types. Using this information the team were able to show how ocean currents controlled the distribution of microplastics on the seafloor.

Dr Mike Clare of the , who was a co-lead on the research, stated: “Our study has shown how detailed studies of seafloor currents can help us to connect microplastic transport pathways in the deep-sea and find the ‘missing’ microplastics. The results highlight the need for policy interventions to limit the future flow of plastics into natural environments and minimise impacts on ocean ecosystems.”

Dr Florian Pohl, Department of Earth Sciences, , said: “It’s unfortunate, but plastic has become a new type of sediment particle, which is distributed across the seafloor together with sand, mud and nutrients. Thus, sediment-transport processes such as seafloor currents will concentrate plastic particles in certain locations on the seafloor, as demonstrated by our research.”

The paper is published in , via First Release, (the article will appear in print at a later date). Citation: Kane et al. (2020) Seafloor microplastic hotspots controlled by deep-sea circulation.

New research has shown that crops facing drought conditions can become more resilient to climate change by understanding what is happening in the soil below.

Humans rely on crops to feed the world, a world where climate change is making drought an increasing problem. How crop plants respond to drought doesn’t just depend on the plants themselves, it depends on the microbes that live around their roots.

In the new issue of an international team of biologists, led by Franciska de Vries of The University of Manchester, urges the scientific community to spend more time researching the interaction of food crops with their root microbiome. They argue that this knowledge is essential for the protection of crops form the effects of droughts, and thus for making them more resilient to climate change.

The present climate crisis poses a number of challenges for crop farmers. In some parts of the world, farmers face increasing periods of drought. Solving this by increasing irrigation is not always an option. Fortunately, there may be other solutions.

Professor Franciska de Vries, who is now working at ’s Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics is first author of the new paper. She explains: “It is well-known that the bacteria and fungi living on plant roots influence the plant’s health. It is comparable to the microbiome in our own guts.

“Beneficial bacteria living there are essential for our health, and the impact our microbiome has on our body depends on the types of bacteria present, their activity and their numbers.”

Dr Chris Knight, Senior Lecturer at The University of Manchester and co-author on the paper said: “The question is, how much do we really understand about how these microbes help or hinder plants ability to resist drought in the first place and recover from it once it’s happened? And where we do understand the ways the plants and microbes affect each other, can we use that understanding to come up with ways to make crops of the future resist drought better?

“The answer is that we do have some understanding, but to use it effectively, we need more research testing microbes directly on crop plants. We have identified ways in which we can better understand the particular characteristics of the microbes and the plants in their responses to drought. These will help scientists focus future research in ways that help in producing crops that are resilient to the changes in global climate currently under-way.”

In the new paper, the biologists highlight a number of promising directions of research. The relationship between plants and the micro-organisms associated with them is often complex. For instance, indirect effects of drought mediated by the plants can have a larger effect on the microbial community than the direct effects of the drought itself. One of the ways plants influence their microbiome is through so-called root exudate, the carbon-rich fluid excreted by plant roots on which micro-organisms feed.

“My own research has shown that grasses can change the composition of their root exudate under the influence of drought, thereby increasing the activity of their microbiome,” says De Vries. “There are indications that this nudges the micro-organisms into releasing more essential nutrients from the soil, which in turn helps the grasses recover from the drought.”

Franciska T. de Vries, Rob I. Griffiths, Christopher G. Knight, Oceane Nicolitch, Alex Williams; , in: Science, 17 April 2020.

Urgent fundamental changes to ‘fast fashion’ clothing items which are treated by many as disposable is needed to stem a devastating impact upon the environment according to scientists.

The fashion industry has been heavily criticised for the devastating environmental pollution caused by its global operations. Despite the widely publicised environmental impacts, however, the industry continues to grow, in part due to the rise of fast fashion, which relies on cheap mass-manufacturing, frequent consumption and short-lived garment use.

A new research paper published in reviews state-of-the-art research to examine the environmental impacts at critical points in the textile and fashion value chain from production to consumption, focusing on water use, chemical pollution, carbon emissions and textile waste.

Impacts from the fashion industry include, over 92 million tonnes of waste produced per year and 1.5 trillion litres of water consumed, alongside chemical pollution and high levels of CO2 emissions.

LISTEN: Podcast with Dr Patsy Perry and Dr Amy Benstead - Fast Fashion: The dark side of modern fashion

Dr Patsy Perry from The University of Manchester said: “We highlight the need for urgent and fundamental changes in the fashion business model to minimise and mitigate the detrimental environmental impacts.”

“A transition away from fast fashion towards slow fashion requires a slowdown in manufacturing volumes, the introduction of sustainable practices throughout the supply chain and a shift in consumer behaviour to reduce the amount of new clothing being purchased and increase garment lifetimes. Such systemic changes could improve the long-term sustainability of the fashion supply chain.”

A solution to the negative environment cost would require substantial changes in the industry. A move towards ‘slow fashion’ would encourage the industry to focus on more sustainable practices, including the deceleration of manufacturing and an emphasis on better-quality materials which last longer.

Kirsi Niinimäki, co-author of the paper and Associate Professor at Aalto University said: “Slow fashion is the future, but we need a new system-wide understanding of how to transition towards this model, requiring creativity and collaboration between designers and manufacturers, various stakeholders, and end consumers.”

As well as industry required to be open to adopting large-scale changes in practice, consumers also have a crucial role and must change their consumption habits.

The paper 'The environmental price of fast fashion' by Niinimäki, Perry, et al is published in 

Bristol-based band Massive Attack are partnering with climate scientists at The University of Manchester’s to jointly examine the key impact areas of the music industry on the environment.

The scientists and band will collaborate on a new project to obtain and analyse data from the Massive Attack touring schedule with an aim to providing information and guidance to the wider music industry to reduce negative environmental impact in the midst of the increasing climate emergency.

Today Massive Attack released a collective which said: “For some time, despite taking consistent steps to reduce the environmental impact associated with an internationally touring music group, we’ve been concerned and preoccupied with the carbon footprint of our schedules and the wider impact of our sector overall. This concern has deepened with from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the universal acceptance of the climate & biodiversity emergency.

“Any unilateral statement or protest we make alone as one band will not make a meaningful difference. In pursuing systemic change, there is no substitute for collective action. In contribution to this action, we’re announcing the commission of the renowned Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at The University of Manchester – a body that brings together scientists, economists, engineers and social scientists to research options to mitigate Global Warming – to map thoroughly the carbon footprint of band tour cycles, and to present options that can be implemented quickly to begin a meaningful reduction of impact.”

Dr Chris Jones, Research Fellow at Tyndall 91ֱ��, said: “We will be working with Massive Attack to look at sources of carbon emissions from a band’s touring schedule. Every industry has varying degrees of carbon impact to address and we need partnerships like this one to look at reducing carbon emissions across the board.

“It's more effective to have a sustained process of emissions reductions across the sector than for individual artists quit live performances. It will likely mean a major shift in how things are done now, involving not just the band but the rest of the business and the audience.”

The collaboration will produce a framework based on gathered data over Massive Attack’s forthcoming tour based on; band travel and production, audience transportation and venue impact. Following Glastonbury Festival’s commitment to going single use plastic free in 2019 a wider conversation is growing within the industry. It is hoped this academic-led cohesive approach will yield further step change in addressing the current climate and biodiversity crisis.

• Programme involves the installation of air purifiers in inner city schools to clean toxic indoor air, combined with classroom activities on how communities can cut both indoor and outdoor air pollution
• Live monitoring of air quality in schools alongside analysis of how cleaner air affects pupil health, educational attainment and improved knowledge and change behaviour around air quality
• This unique collaboration of industry, charity, public sector and academia will clean the air children breathe in schools to a level that meets World Health Organisation standards
• The results of first of its kind research will be published in Spring 2020, which will provide a blueprint for the programme to replicated across other regions in the UK

Greater 91ֱ�� schools are set to trial clean air monitoring systems across Greater 91ֱ�� Schools to determine how varying levels of air quality affects school children. The University of Manchester has partnered with  and (GAP) to launch the ‘Clean Air for Schools programme’.

The programme is the largest of its kind to be launched in the UK, with 20 participating schools and 6000 students to be included in the 10-month study. The programme aims to support schools to improve air quality as well as understand for the first time the impact of air pollution in schools by studying the varying levels of air quality in classrooms and how this affects school children.

Through tailor-made teaching resources for schools that support the national curriculum and the installation of air purifiers in classes, the Philips Foundation and GAP will work with The University of Manchester as part of a concurrent research project to monitor the changes in air quality from purification and education. This is whilst purifying the air of the classrooms to remove toxins, viruses and pollutants.

The programme will investigate changes in children’s health and academic performance. The findings of the research will inform a groundbreaking framework designed to help schools across the UK create clean air plans to reduce pollution and protect students.

The University of Manchester will provide air monitoring equipment and analysis to help independently understand the state of air pollution in schools, analysing the levels of pollutants in including PM 2.5, PM 10, CO2, NOx and Ozone. The team will also track for any improvements that arise from behaviour change amongst the children, teachers and parents following the use of educational activities about reducing air pollution.

According to analysis carried out by the Greater 91ֱ�� Combined Authority, nitrogen dioxide can be linked to . Air pollution causes heart and lung diseases and can be linked to low birth weight and impedes children’s lung development – making the issue of air pollution a pressing one for the city.

The launch of the programme took place this morning, 18 October 2019, at Russell Scott Primary School in Denton, one of the 20 participating schools. The launch saw the Philips Foundation, GAP, and representatives from The University of Manchester address students, teachers and members of the Greater 91ֱ�� Combined Authority to explain how students will be involved.

Dr Julian Skyrme, Director of Social Responsibility at The University of Manchester said at the launch fo the programme: “We’re proud today to be launching the ‘Clean Air for Schools’ programme here in Greater 91ֱ��. Drawing on research through our new air quality supersite and 91ֱ�� Urban Observatory, we’re excited to be a part of a truly cross-sector collaboration that brings together the skillsets of the private sector, charity, local public sector and our University right here in our city.

“The programme will add to the growing body of research into air quality and its impacts on communities – and through this collaboration we will be able to make a practical difference to what schools and communities across the UK can do to tackle air quality.”

Researchers are using the latest climate science to help local authorities calculate their carbon budget and cut down on emissions in the midst of the current climate crisis.

Scientists from The University of Manchester and the have developed an online tool which is now being used by local authorities including 91ֱ�� to understand their role in meeting the climate change objectives set by the UN.

The unique new tool, announced today, allows users to calculate a carbon budget for any UK administrative area larger than local authority scale, and set climate change targets which meet the objectives of the .

The tool is based on latest synthesis report from the  (IPCC) on how quantities of carbon dioxide emissions from human activities relate to global warming.

Dr Chris Jones from The University of Manchester who helped develop the tool said: “Our approach applies principles from the Paris Agreement to scale this global carbon budget down to the UK and a set of clearly stated allocation principles to share the carbon budget between local areas.

“This is a practical and straightforward way for local and devolved governments in the UK to translate the implications of the Paris Agreement into carbon reduction commitments based on the latest science.”

The Tyndall carbon budget tool is a particularly relevant resource for local authorities who have declared a climate emergency. By using the tool authorities can better understand the scale of the challenge when addressing climate change through local action.

27 local authorities including; 91ֱ��, Sheffield, and Leeds, have already piloted and are now actively using the online tool to set science drive climate goals based on research. The method and data behind the tool was also used by the Greater 91ֱ�� Council to set targets at the recent held in the city.

Michael Keenlyside, Environmental Sustainability Officer at North Tyneside Council said: “The Tyndall Centre team have worked closely with the Authority in the application and interpretation of the on-line carbon budget tool. This is the first time we have seen a visual representation of the scale of challenge to tackle our fair contribution of carbon emissions reduction as per the Paris Agreement. It’s important to us that the on-line tool uses the latest science on climate change and the most robust data to provide us with clear science based projections.

“Having seen the carbon budgets, the important thing now is to work with all of our stakeholders in a concentrated effort to develop and undertake action to move us forward.”

The tool calculates a maximum carbon budget for the selected area, as well as projected emissions reduction pathway, interim carbon budgets and average emissions reduction rate. The tool provides a downloadable PDF covering the method, results and recommendations for the carbon budget. The tool is free to use and is compatible with the   and .

The approach is based on a carbon budget setting approach for local authority areas developed through the funded (SCATTER) project.