“We look forward to a year of events, exhibitions and celebration as we mark the Library’s birthday at the same time as we complete the latest investment by the University; John Rylands Next Chapter will provide new meeting spaces, digital imaging facilities and world-class exhibitions spaces for everyone to enjoy,” Professor Pressler added. “I look forward to welcoming everyone to our great Library in 2025.”

Launching the Rylands’ new special exhibition gallery, The Secret Public examines the importance and influence of LGBTQ performers, artists and activists on mainstream popular culture. Inspired by the recently published book, The Secret Public: how LGBTQ performers shaped popular culture 1955 to 1979 by Jon Savage, the exhibition presents over 100 key pieces from his extensive collection of archive and research materials which form part of the British Pop Archive housed at the Rylands.

The Secret Public foregrounds the artists, public figures, social issues and political discourse from within which a lasting creative explosion happened and which is still felt today. The exhibition extends the date range of the book through to 1985.

Jon Savage, author and Professor of Popular Culture at The University of Manchester said: “These materials have been collected over a 40-year period and represent one of the largest private Queer archives in the country. I am very pleased to announce that they are now held within the British Pop Archive.”

May



The School of Social Sciences launched a new scholarship in May in memory of Politics, Philosophy and Economics graduate Laura Nuttall, who sadly passed away in 2023 after a long battle against cancer. In keeping with Laura’s dedication to helping others, and with the collaboration and support of Laura’s family, the School will award an eligible student from a less privileged background with a physical condition, long term illness or learning difference with a scholarship of £3000 per year for every year of their degree. 

Also in May, the Faculty announced that it had secured £2.73 million to enhance its research and teaching capabilities in the critical areas of AI, trust and society. The funding is being matched by £2 million from the Faculty itself, and the investment will go towards appointing an interdisciplinary team of six senior lecturer or lecturer-level academics, six post-doctoral research associates and six PhD students. 

June



In June, Professor of Physical Geography Jamie Woodward was named as one of the most impactful environmental professionals in the UK in The ENDS Report Power List. The annual report names 100 UK environmental professionals who have made the greatest impact in the past two years, with Professor Woodward one of the 10 academics identified as shaping the science on environmental issues. He was one of the earliest academics to raise awareness about the issue of widespread discharges of untreated sewage into UK rivers and waterways, and he has worked tirelessly to expose this scandal, engaging policymakers across Parliament and local government to ensure water companies are held to account for their illegal practices. 

In the same month Programme Director for MA Screenwriting Jonathan Hourigan won the Grand Jury Award for the International Competition at Sheffield DocFest for his film ‘At the Door of the House Who Will Come Knocking’ - the film follows an elderly man living in isolation in  Bosnia and Herzegovina, weaving together a tapestry of dreamlike visuals as it records the routines of his daily life.

July



July saw Steven Courtney, Professor of Sociology of Education and Director of Research at the 91ֱ�� Institute of Education, being given a major award in recognition of the enormous contribution he has made to educational knowledge, leadership and management throughout his career. Steven was given a Distinguished Service Award - the society’s highest accolade – by BELMAS, the leading global independent voice in education leadership. Winners of the award receive a lifetime membership, and are invited to join the Distinguished Service Award Advisory Board which meets twice a year to provide the society with insight and feedback in relation to their work.

Also this month, the University's Dr Ruth Lamont was appointed as the new Parliamentary Thematic Research Lead for Crime and Justice. She will be joining a cohort of 8 top researchers, selected by The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology and UK Research and Innovation, who will play a crucial role in bringing research and innovation to the forefront of Government decision-making. 

August



There was good news for the Faculty during the summer break, as eleven student teachers from The University of Manchester received the Primary Science Enhancement Award for Initial Teacher Education. Our students made up over 10% of the entire UK's winners, and after receiving the award, they are now able to start their careers with increased competence and confidence when teaching science and are equipped to take up future school leadership positions in science. 

September



The start of the new academic year was marked by the appointment of Professor Cecilia Wong as the new Chair of the UK2070 Commission, an independent inquiry into city and regional inequalities in the United Kingdom - has announced the appointment of Professor Cecilia Wong as its new Chair. Professor Wong - a distinguished academic and a Professor of Spatial Planning and Co-Director of Policy@91ֱ�� - will bring a wealth of expertise and an exceptional track record in urban and regional development to the prestigious role.

The month also saw the launch of several major pieces of research into a range of subjects including shortcuts being taken by architects, teenage social media use and older people not claiming benefits - each of these stories gained widespread media coverage drawing attention to important societal issues.

October



October saw the naming of our 26th Nobel Laureate, as 91ֱ�� alumnus Simon Johnson was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for his groundbreaking research into understanding wealth disparities between different nations. Simon studied Economics at 91ֱ�� in the 1980s, and is now a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Also this month, the University inaugurated the Global Humanities Alliance, an initiative forged by eight international universities to raise the profile of humanities and social sciences across the globe. Academics from partner institutions gathered in person and online to mark the beginning of this collaborative effort at an inaugural meeting.  

November



The University announced a new £8 million research centre in November focused on equitable low-carbon living, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, which aims to address climate change challenges. The Centre for Joined Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) will accelerate the understanding of a just transition by coordinating research into action at all levels of society.

The move of English National Opera to 91ֱ�� was also accompanied this month by the launch of a new partnership with the University which will invite the people of Greater 91ֱ�� to explore the opportunities for the artform, engage with new communities and discuss what it means to have an opera company based in our city region. 

December



The final month of the year saw Professor Claire Alexander being announced as this year’s winner of the Distinguished Service to British Sociology Award, which is given to the outstanding individual who has contributed most to the discipline by leading an extraordinary life as a sociologist.

In December researchers at the Global Development Institute were also awarded with £1.3 million by the Ford Foundation to establish a research observatory studying the role land rights play in a just transition to a decarbonised future. A team of GDI researchers will lead the observatory’s activities alongside co-investigators at the University of Ghana, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and the Federal University of Pará in Brazil.. 

These stories reflect the Faculty's commitment to addressing global challenges through research, education and social responsibility.

GDI’s team will build on a sustained and world-leading record of environment and development research within the Institute. Most notably, the ongoing project that is exploring the effects of reforestation drivers on both forests and rural poverty, while the recently launched project is interrogating the social risks and benefits of increased use of data in conservation. Members of these project teams have already published impactful research, including a recent Nature Ecology and Evolution assessing the ecological and social impacts of Indigenous territories in Brazil.

Taking place over 3.5 years, the observatory team will combine large-scale geospatial and socioeconomic analyses with in-depth qualitative case studies in Mexico, Brazil and Ghana. A separate stream of work will aim to identify evidence gaps, expanding the thematic and geographical remit of the observatory to regions such as Indonesia or South Africa.

The award will also support Ghana-based researchers exploring the relationship between political settlements and the Just Energy Transition in Africa. Project lead Dr Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai, Associate Professor in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Ghana Business School and Honorary Research Fellow at GDI, explains: “The observatory represents a significant opportunity to develop our understanding the contested forests of Ghana, while strengthening ties between GDI and the University of Ghana. Bringing together big data, which will highlight changes in forest cover, land rights and socioeconomic indicators, together with an in-depth political economy analysis of what is driving these changes will help us to identify and champion approaches that benefit both people and the environment.”

Read more about research covering within GDI.

In , Dr Yates highlights how letting platforms such as Airbnb have contributed to a shortage of housing - as more homes are used for short-term rentals, fewer are available for people looking for permanent housing. Gig economy platforms including Uber and Deliveroo have also made jobs less secure - most of their workers don’t receive the same benefits or protections as regular employees. 

In particular, the book explores the extensive and controversial ways in which digital platforms have lobbied to avoid regulation and protect their advantages. These have included opaque approaches known as ‘corporate grassroots lobbying’, where platforms mobilise their users and allies against legislative proposals. Dr Yates points out that this type of lobbying is becoming more common, posing a threat to democratic processes.

To address these issues, the book proposes several urgent changes that the government should make: 

Create a Lobbying Register: Platform companies often lobby the government in secret, making it difficult to regulate them properly. Dr Yates calls for a mandatory register of all lobbying, whether conducted in-house or by third parties, to ensure transparency and fair governance.

Protect Housing and Workers’ Rights: He also recommends that the government give local councils the power to prevent more houses from being turned into short-term lets. Additionally, stronger laws are needed to protect workers in the gig economy and ensure their rights are upheld. 

Implement Short-Term Letting Rules: Although the UK government has started looking into regulating short-term lets, Dr Yates stresses that this process must not be delayed. Without stronger rules, more homes will be lost to platforms like Airbnb, making it harder for people to find affordable housing. 

Digital platforms were initially celebrated for their potential benefits, such as creating new income streams and helping communities and the environment. However, Dr Yates’ research shows that these platforms have caused unexpected problems. Policymakers at all levels are struggling to regulate platforms because they often lack reliable data and cooperation from the businesses involved. 

Companies like Airbnb and Uber often start operating in cities without permission, quickly expanding and attracting users. Once the government tries to regulate them, these companies use tactics like lobbying to slow down or change the laws. They even mobilise their users to fight against regulation, making it seem like it’s the public pushing back when it is actually the companies themselves. 

“As the digital economy continues to evolve, it’s crucial that policymakers take the necessary steps to protect the public from the growing negative effects of platform businesses,” said Dr Yates. “The government needs to create more transparent lobbying rules, protect housing, and ensure workers’ rights are not eroded by these rapidly expanding businesses.”

, Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health

In a book I wrote with a colleague on organisational failures () the inability of many of them to confront their failures, except to say a meaningless “we’re sorry”, is legend.

We highlighted the many cases of organisations in the private and public sector apologising profusely for a high-profile failure, but not taking any personal or organisational responsibility for it. We concluded, after looking at hundreds of organisational failures, that the very act of apologising is itself in crisis.

Organisations are confused and gripped by a range of anxieties. They worry about the consequences of apologising, including the humiliation that comes with admitting wrongdoing. And their (unfounded) fear of inviting litigation often prevents them from giving apologies when they’re most needed.

Crisis communication is becoming a costly business and often the conclusion is that it’s easier not to apologise at all. When an apology is forthcoming, it happens too late or in a wording so cautious as to be stripped of all meaning for the victims.

And in a multimedia age, the fear of potential damage to an organisation’s image and brand will encourage them to be less open and transparent about their failure.

In the case of the Church of England, there may be a number of additional obstacles which may have inhibited organisation leaders from confronting the appalling behaviour of John Smyth over the years. The now deceased barrister , many of whom he met via his work with the church.

First, the church is meant to be the “moral” role model of the country. So to admit to itself or to the outside world, that this kind of behaviour exists within its own structures may be difficult to acknowledge or to confront.

Second, the church is a highly hierarchical organisation. People further down the hierarchy might want to cover up their failures to protect their career ambitions or to protect the church’s image and reputation. This may help explain why people did not come forward, despite open concerns about Smyth.

Justin Welby has in the wake of a review that found evidence that Smyth’s crimes had been covered up by the church since the 1980s. Welby said he took responsibility for the “conspiracy of silence” within the church since 2013, when police had been notified about the abuse but the allegations were not properly followed up by the church.

But there are practical questions to ask about who was responsible for managing this process to ensure that proper safeguarding was put in place. In other words, who had delegated responsibility for this particular individual and situation? Welby may be morally responsible but that doesn’t quite answer the question of who failed to act at the time. This shows lack of senior leadership by the church, who have a duty of care for those under the guidance of the church.

As Helen-Ann Hartley, the Bishop of Newcastle, has , there appears to be a lack of willingness among many bishops to confront the top leadership of the Church over their accountability for their lack of leadership on this safeguarding issue. This may come down to their personal career concerns or not wanting to rock the proverbial boat.

These organisational shortcomings were highlighted in the review of the church’s response to the Smyth case. The review warned of excessive deference to senior clergy in leadership roles and failures of leadership and accountability in safeguarding.

This will all require a serious culture change programme in the future. But as Machiavelli wrote in the Prince: “It should be borne in mind that there is nothing more difficult to arrange, more doubtful of success and more dangerous to carry through than initiating change. The innovator makes enemies of all those who prospered under the old order, and only lukewarm support is forthcoming from those who would prosper under the new.”

Change will be needed, nonetheless, and this situation has provided the church the opportunity to seriously explore its leadership and organisational culture – a process that should not stop at the resignation of the archbishop.

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

Launching in February 2025, the JUST Centre will work closely with communities in five regions of the North of England (West Yorkshire, West Cumbria, Merseyside, Greater 91ֱ��, and Tyneside) while also generating comparative research in other regions of the UK.  It will collaborate with partners across local, regional, and national government, business, and civil society to co-produce joined-up solutions to meet climate goals while improving citizens’ quality of life.  

It will use an innovative mix of data science and participatory methods to research and map existing low-carbon living initiatives and generate evidence about what works where, why, and for whom. This will enable researchers to support better government decision-making and demonstrate to all people and communities the real improvements in quality of life that are possible if we link decarbonisation with regeneration.

The Centre brings together a team of interdisciplinary social scientists at the Universities of Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Lancaster and Newcastle. The Institute for Community Studies at the not-for-profit organisation is the core partner.

Additional partners are Citizens UK, the Local Government Associations for England and Wales, the Scottish Sustainability Network, the British Chambers of Commerce, the NHS Confederation, the Runnymede Trust and the Institute for Government.

Commenting on the announcement, JUST Centre Director and Principal Investigator, Professor Sherilyn MacGregor said: “To meet the challenge of the climate crisis and the UK’s net zero targets, we need to decarbonise our economy and do so quickly, but without leaving whole regions or communities behind.  ‘Joined-up’ means bridging the gaps between myriad but presently disconnected, evidence-based interventions and policies focused on sustainability and net zero transitions.  

ESRC Executive Chair Stian Westlake said: “Our centres carry out interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research in the social sciences that seeks to change the world for the better. They allow ESRC to make sustained investments in strategically important areas, giving researchers the freedom to research topics in depth.

“The climate crisis is one of the most serious challenges the world faces. To successfully transition to a zero-carbon economy, we need to make sure no one is left behind. The JUST Centre will show us how to include everyone as we transform our country and economy, finding new opportunities and putting power in the hands of local communities.”

Stephen Aldridge, Director, Analysis and Data at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), adds: “Net zero poses both huge economic, social, and other challenges and offers no less huge opportunities for the UK - nationally and sub-nationally. To tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities, policymakers and others need evidence – especially evidence on what works and what works most cost-effectively.  

“The Centre for Joined-Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) is precisely the institutional innovation we need and one I, my team and my department will work closely with across all policy areas. I look forward immensely to engaging with the Centre.”

Professor Paul Monks FRMetS, FRSC, FInstP, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said: “Achieving net zero by 2050 requires a wide-reaching transformation of the UK economy and offers an incredible opportunity for jobs, secure energy and growth all across the country. It will improve our health, our quality of life and our overall prosperity. We must support and empower people to participate in the transition. I welcome the establishment of this research centre and its work to ensure a fair, inclusive pathway to net zero.” 

Chancellor Rachel Reeves presented in 14 years by promising to put an .

British governments typically see budgets as an opportunity to present policies providing short-term gain in terms of public popularity, even if they do little to improve Britain’s long-term economic prospects. Over the past ten years, governments have adopted and then abandoned , and .

The last Conservative government’s budget contained a range of tax cuts, most notably a 2p cut on National Insurance. Little consideration was given to the medium-term . Labour inherited a funding squeeze, alongside the need to balance the books over a five-year period based on the previous .

This kind of short-termism is a within British economic policymaking. A winner-takes-all, majoritarian electoral system encourages governments to over a longer-term economic strategy.

Here’s how Reeves is taking a different approach in her first budget.

1. Long-term strategy

Reeves has underscored Labour’s commitment to long-termism through various institutional reforms. The government had already announced the creation of to drive a new industrial strategy. This will now be accompanied by a new to provide private investment into infrastructure.

The launch of the will scrutinise spending decisions. And the Office for Budget Responsibility’s role in of capital investments, government policies and departmental spending will be enhanced.

2. Investing for growth

Alongside a few surprises such as an uplift to the minimum wage, increased tax on private jets and the continued freeze on fuel duty, the main theme of the budget was investment-led growth for the long-term.

To that end, Reeves has around debt to enable more headroom for investment. She also raised national insurance contributions for employers to fund this investment wave.

These measures will be used to plough such as engineering, biotechnology and medical science. The chancellor committed £1 billion into the aerospace industry, £2 billion into electric vehicle development, and £500 million into life sciences. In total, the public investment will amount to .

3. Infrastructure projects

Reeves also committed to funding a number of high-profile . On transport, the TransPennine Route upgrade, East West Rail, and HS2’s link into central London were all green lit. She also to build 1.5 million new homes in five years. Additionally, £20.4 billion in R&D funding was also protected in the budget.

4. Regional growth

The budget highlighted the importance of , reflecting Labour’s emphasis on continued devolution . Reeves has committed to providing an extra £6.6 billion to the devolved nations through the .

She also revealed that the would receive integrated financial settlements from 2026-27. These moves indicate some ambition and long-term vision around empowering devolved governments to drive regional economic growth.

5. Public services

Another long-term focus of the government has been “fixing the foundations” of Britain’s . Reeves linked low levels of investment to . As such, she committed to significant spending on education and health, alongside £1.3 billion to address the crisis of .

These measures signpost a renewed interest in an to address Britain’s economic weaknesses and drive growth. Both require a focus on the medium and long-term.

Remaining challenges

Collectively, these measure suggest some long-term thinking by Labour, but do they go far enough and will they stick?

Delivering on a long-term industrial strategy requires greater , especially between the Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade. But other departments too, will be key to driving long-term growth and must be brought on board with Labour’s approach .

And while the integrated financial settlements will empower the West Midlands and Greater 91ֱ��, the approach stops short of fully downloading financial independence to the regions. A focus on selective regions also only adds to in the powers regions have. A systematically thought-out approach that covers the whole UK would go further, but remains remote.

Finally, while the government has spent big on education and health, real departmental funding is only set to . Pre-budget, about the effect tight funding settlements might have for non-protected departments, especially when these cuts come to bite .

The spectre this raises for Labour is that a short-term squeeze on day-to-day departmental spending risks undermining the work it has done to secure long-term investment for growth.

, Research Associate; , Professor of Government Practice; , Professor of Public Policy

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An alarming level of microplastic fragments were found to be present throughout the intertidal mudflat sediments within the Medina Estuary, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).  

Microplastics are particles which measure less than five millimetres, and exist in an array of shapes and forms. They cause pollution by entering natural ecosystems from a variety of sources, including run-off from land-based sources and wastewater discharge from Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs).  

Liberty Turrell, who works as a volunteer for the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, collected mudflat sediment from 16 sample sites during low tides for her BA (Hons) Geography dissertation. Analysis of the mud under laboratory conditions discovered three different microplastic shapes: fibres, fragments and beads. Microfibre was the most frequent occurring microplastic shape (99% of all microplastics were microfibres) occurring at all 16 sites.  

Microplastics pollution occurs in estuarine sediments around the world - however, the results from the Isle of Wight are particularly alarming. For comparison, the median value of microplastic concentrations found in the Medina Estuary exceeds the values of estuaries studied in China and India by more than two-fold. 

Jamie Marsh, director of nature recovery (Wilder Wight, Solent & Seas) at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust said: “The estuary’s mudflats are of significant ecological importance. They support a diverse variety of wildlife providing habitats and breeding areas for a huge array of species including wading birds, crustacea, invertebrates and fish, all of which thrive within the Medina’s intertidal mudflats.  

“The discovery of the high level of microplastics, and of microfibres in particular, in this precious environment is truly staggering. Microfibres cause a significant risk to wildlife as they can easily bundle together. The entangled fibres form a clump and pose a great threat to marine species as the bundles act in the same way as larger plastic items by blocking feeding passageways in the gastrointestinal tract. This can obstruct the movement of food, disrupt the digestive process and cause eventual death.” 

The study also reveals that wastewater discharge from two CSOs with high annual spill rates is a major source of microplastic release into the aquatic environment, and are likely responsible for the immense quantities of fibres reported throughout the Medina Estuary. Dodnor Lane and Fairlee CSO’s together discharged wastewater into the upper estuary for 2,932 hours in 2023 (over 225 total spill events) according to Event Duration Monitoring datasets published by the Environment Agency.  

Professor of Physical Geography said: “Research at the University of Manchester has shown that the microplastic contamination of riverbeds is a clear signal that wastewater treatment is not taking place as it should. Effective treatment can remove up to 95% of the microplastic load in wastewater.  

“Microplastic contamination of the Medina Estuary is a concern because it is an area of ecological importance. The Medina Estuary receives high volumes of untreated wastewater from Southern Water assets and the presence of primary microplastic particles provides a clear link to the wastewater system."

"This research helps to resolve a global critical gap in the current studies of microplastics in estuaries," said report author Liberty Turrell. “Unfortunately, the results are shocking. The severe contamination of estuarine environments affected by wastewater discharge takes place across the world and sadly this includes the Isle of Wight. The results clearly show that the prevalence and abundance of microplastics found in the intertidal mudflat sediments highlights a severe contamination issue of the Medina Estuary.”

According to data published by the Environment Agency (2024), there were 464,056 monitored ‘spill’ events into waterways by water companies in England during 2023, a 54% increase from 2022. The 29,494 spills into waterways in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight by Southern Water lasted a total duration of 317,285 hours (Environment Agency, 2024). Spill events are responsible for the release of huge quantities of microplastics into our waterways. 

That’s why Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC) created ‘Key 5’—a new flexible, interactive learning experience designed to equip students with essential entrepreneurial skills for any career path, whether you're interested in starting your own business or excelling within an organisation.

Key 5 delivers valuable, real-world skills in an interactive and flexible format. Even if you don’t yet know the career you want, you’ll gain skills you can use right now - from acing your next interview to leading group projects like a boss. 

What is ‘Key 5’?

Key 5 is an innovative microlearning suite - five bite-sized modules you can finish in just 10-15 minutes each:

• Effective and Powerful Communication: Learn how to express ideas clearly and persuasively.
• Networking: Discover how to build connections that can open doors to new opportunities.
• Market Awareness: Understand the environment you’re operating in and how to respond to it.
• Opportunity Recognition: Develop the ability to spot potential and act on it.
• Building Confidence: Strengthen your ability to lead, present, and excel in group settings.

What Makes It Fun?

What sets Key 5 apart is its scenario-based learning design. You'll engage in dynamic, interactive challenges - negotiating with aliens, slaying dragons, and inventing world-changing products in a futuristic multiverse – all while boosting your skills.

Learn in Your Own Time, No Pressure

You can do it all on your own schedule, wherever you are. Do you have 15 minutes between lectures? Perhaps you’re waiting for the bus? You can access Key 5 anywhere, anytime, on any device. And it’s risk-free – no need to worry about assessments or grades, learn without pressure.

Who Should Try It?

Whether you are new to entrepreneurship or a seasoned pro, Key 5 will help you sharpen your skills, but we expect first- and second-year undergraduates will benefit most.

See what it's like! Find out more about Key 5 with our short video:

Ready to Start? 

Are you ready to start your journey? Jump into Key 5 and start building the skills that will make you stand out in any career.

Let us know what you think! Leaving feedback at the end of each module helps us know what works for you so we can design future learning experiences.

Find out more about the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC) .

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 Scholarship is aimed at first-year undergraduate students nominated by participating universities for the Scheme, and seeks to address the disproportionate under-representation of Black men from less socially mobile backgrounds in large commercial law firms and other careers in the City of London.

It is provided by global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and was launched in 2013 with support from Doreen Lawrence, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, OBE.

Benefits include a 15-month development programme, mentorship, commercial familiarisation though work-shadowing and £5,000 towards study-related costs. For those who wish it, there is an alternative pathway to an interview for a trainee associate programme at the firm.

Annette Byron, Freshfields’ Partner for Social Mobility, commented: “I am delighted to welcome the new cohort to the twelfth year of the Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship Scheme. This year, we had the honour of considering 78 outstanding candidates, all showing exceptional potential. We look forward to support our 12 new scholars as they begin their professional paths and continue to contribute to the enduring impact of the Scheme."

Arthur, who is looking forward to starting the development programme, said: “Being selected for the Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship is an honour. I’m excited to learn and grow alongside such a talented group of scholars, and I hope this experience will not only advance my own ambitions but also inspire others to pursue their goals.”

"I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of all our candidates who participated in the assessment centres in London," Emma added. “Each of them demonstrated exceptional skill and professionalism, representing both themselves and the University with great distinction throughout the process.”

This - made possible by the collaboration of experts including Dr Joanna Taylor from The University of Manchester and the work of thousands of volunteers - highlights Davy's immense contributions to science, and even reveals that two common chemical elements could have had different names.

The platform, funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council, allows the public to explore Davy's notebooks and gain insight into his groundbreaking discoveries, such as the isolation of potassium and sodium – which his notes reveal were almost labelled "potarchium" and "sodarchium."

In addition to scientific insights, the platform includes fascinating details of Davy’s experiments with nitrous oxide, including his personal experience as the first person to inhale the gas and recognise its pain-relieving properties. The notebooks also reveal Davy's frustrations over the lack of recognition for his inventions, such as his miner’s safety lamp which saved tens of thousands of lives.

Led by Professor Sharon Ruston of Lancaster University, the project is the result of a major international effort involving , the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, University College London, and .

The platform, which launches officially on Saturday 19 October, was made possible through the work of 3,841 volunteers who transcribed more than 13,000 pages of Davy’s notes, creating a valuable resource for researchers and the general public alike. The collection is now publicly available on Lancaster University Library’s digital platform.

Dr Taylor’s expertise in understanding how Davy’s scientific work intertwined with his personal reflections on nature and poetry was pivotal in interpreting the notebooks in a way that reveals Davy’s deep intellectual engagement with the world around him.

“The publication of these notebooks, images of the pages, their transcription and explicatory notes is a beginning rather than the end of a project,” said Professor Ruston. “Now everyone can read what Davy wrote 200 years ago and, I hope, will make full use of this new resource.”

Simon Johnson - who studied Economics at 91ֱ�� in the 1980s, and is now a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - won the prize alongside Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson in recognition of their work to analyse how institutions and the rule of law shape national prosperity.

Professor Johnson was born in Sheffield, and completed his undergraduate studies at Oxford University, before doing a master's degree at 91ֱ�� and a doctorate at MIT.

His career has included prominent roles at the Washington-based Peterson Institute and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where he served as chief economist from 2007 to 2008 during the global financial crisis. He eventually returned to MIT as a professor, focusing on global economic inequality and policy.

Through their research, Professor Johnson and his colleagues have shaped global debates by demonstrating that democracies, which hold to the rule of law and provide individual rights, have spurred greater economic activity over the last 500 years. Their insights - derived from studying colonialism’s enduring effects on global development - have broad implications for economic strategies today.

Professor Johnson’s academic achievements have established him as a leading voice on global economic policy, which has now been further cemented by this honour. He becomes the 26^th Nobel laureate associated with The University of Manchester, either as staff or alumni.

“It is a surprise and a delight to win the Nobel Prize in Economics,” said Professor Johnson. “Getting my master’s degree at 91ֱ�� helped launch my professional career – and I will always be grateful to my teachers and fellow students in those years. Their guidance and inspiration (and many late-night conversations) helped push me down the road towards careful empirical work, bringing history to bear, and understanding the importance of building institutions that support inclusive prosperity.”

“This year’s laureates have pioneered new approaches, both empirical and theoretical, that have significantly advanced our understanding of global inequality,” said Nobel committee member Jakob Svensson. “Reducing the huge differences in income between countries is one of our times’ greatest challenges, and their insights show that democracies are - on average - better for promoting growth in the long run.”

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 Manchester’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 Manchester’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 Manchester’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.”

Published this week by , the volume investigates the lives and public work of Henry and Emily Simon, and Ernest and Shena Simon, a family shaped by their German ancestry and 91ֱ��’s mercantile class.

The book is written by , Senior Lecture in Geography, , Doctoral Researcher in History, Dr Diana Leitch MBE, former Deputy University Librarian of the John Rylands Library, , Professor of Intellectual History, and , Professor Emerita in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures.

Although many in 91ֱ�� are familiar with the Simon name – through the University’s Simon Building, Simonsway in Wythenshawe and the 91ֱ�� College’s Shena Simon Campus – the family themselves are often overlooked in favour of other prolific local individuals. This volume aims to boost their profile by illuminating their deep contributions to public life, both locally and nationally. 

The book aims to study the family collectively, by highlighting the marriages of Henry and Emily and of Ernest and Shena as strong partnerships in which the women played important roles not just as mothers and housewives but also as philanthropists, activists and public figures.

Dr Diana Leitch said: “Emily Simon was one of the first women to be awarded an OBE in 1920, shortly before she died aged 60, for her tireless work at the Red Cross Hospital she ran in her home in very tragic personal circumstances. It was a tribute to her courage and resilience through the First World War.”

The first section of the volume, ‘Cosmopolitan 91ֱ�� and the Simons’, focuses on the four Simons as individuals; the four biographical chapters are framed by a study of Manchester’s German community. The second part, ‘The Simons’ contribution to society’, emphasises the family as a unit and spotlights their economic, social and political endeavours in 91ֱ��. 

In a later chapter, ‘Burghers and citizens: The Simons and the University of Manchester’ Professor Stuart Jones and Dr Professor Chris Godden examine the relationship between the University and the Simon family. Ernest and Shena were at the heart of the University for many decades, and the family have a long connection with the institution and its precursors. 

In 1898, as a leading benefactor, Henry Simon was asked to lay the foundation stone for the new Physics Laboratories for Owens College, later integrated in 1903 into The University of Manchester. It was in these same laboratories that Ernest Rutherford, Hans Geiger and their colleagues first split the atom. 

Ernest Simon’s substantial personal investment in social science research - notably through the Simon fellowship scheme - was conceived as a contribution to the cause of citizenship education, to which he devoted much of his public work from the 1930s onwards.

Professor Stuart Jones comments: “As a senior lay officer at the University for a quarter of a century, as a leading benefactor, and as a practically-minded thinker, Ernest Simon did more than anyone in his time to sustain a vision of what it meant to be a civic university: a university for the city.”

The family greatly enriched 91ֱ��’s cultural and civic institutions, worked to improve the lives of its citizens and helped to spearhead profound national reforms in healthcare, women’s rights, housing, civic planning and education. 

• Read the full text of The Simons of Manchester .

Mining has a very bad reputation. It is often assumed to be one of the worse land uses – destroying and polluting the environment and creating barren, moon-like landscapes. Where mining occurs in areas of high biodiversity, it is considered a serious threat.

But in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar, over 10,000 people mining for sapphires didn’t cause more damage to the forest than farmers clearing land for agriculture, which remains the most important driver of deforestation in this area.

focuses on quantifying the effects of sapphire mining on the forests of Madagascar. My discoveries challenge some of the preconceptions about the impacts of small-scale mining. I show that, despite being attention-grabbing, some forms of mining can be surprisingly low-impact and less damaging than other land uses.

In October 2016, a valuable deposit of sapphires was discovered by people searching for gold within the protected rainforests of the Ankeniheny-Zahamena corridor in eastern Madagascar. These rainforests are really important for biodiversity as they are home to many unique species , including lemurs such as the indri and black and white ruffed lemur. Word of the sapphire discovery quickly spread. Within weeks from across the island were illegally mining in the Bemainty valley deep within the forest.

Miners used shovels to dig pits between 1m and 3m deep in the valley floor to extract river sediments. They used handmade sieves and water from the stream to sieve the sediment and search for gems. The work was hard, living conditions in the hastily constructed settlements were poor, and the rewards were uncertain.

Unlucky miners left the site poorer than they arrived. Some struck it rich, while others made enough money to survive and perhaps save a little extra to invest in education, land or businesses. This type of mining, termed artisanal and small-scale mining, is not unique to Madagascar. It is widespread, supporting an estimated people around the world.

The mining rush at Bemainty attracted international media attention due to fears over its environmental impacts, with it was causing substantial deforestation and threatening endangered lemur populations. This caused amongst conservationists.

aimed to evaluate the deforestation claims. To properly assess the impact of something, an essential step is to estimate what would have happened without it: the counterfactual. To roughly calculate how much deforestation would have happened at Bemainty without mining, my colleagues and I used the average area of deforestation within a set of control forest areas, chosen to be as similar as possible to Bemainty but crucially, without mining. We then compared deforestation at Bemainty to this counterfactual.

We found that mining at Bemainty did not cause more deforestation than we estimate would have happened anyway from other causes. In this area, the biggest driver of deforestation is shifting agriculture, where people cut and burn patches of forest on slopes to grow rice for a few years in a rotational cycle. We showed that more than 10,000 people mining in the area did not cause more deforestation than several hundred people clearing forest for farming. The impacts of the artisanal gem rush need to be considered within this broader context.

Limited negative effects of mining on deforestation at Bemainty could be for several reasons. First, the sapphires were found within river sediments, confining mining to the valley floor.

Second, much of this area had been cleared for farming decades before when the first settlers arrived. Third, the miners did not use heavy machinery, and sapphire mining does not use toxic chemicals (like the ).

The variability of small-scale mining

More broadly, these results highlight that the environmental impacts of artisanal mining are very variable. They depend on the scale, methods, machinery and chemicals used, and the environmental impact of alternative land uses that people might be doing otherwise, like farming or cutting down trees to make charcoal. Although in some places artisanal and small-scale mining is causing major environmental problems, where mining is small-scale and doesn’t use heavy machinery or chemicals, environmental effects may be similarly limited.

However, in many countries this variability is not considered in policies towards artisanal mining. Policies tend to or otherwise stopping artisanal mining, but often have . I believe that these one-size-fits-all policies are strongly influenced by negative preconceptions about mining and the worst case scenarios, and not necessarily specific evidence, which is lacking for many countries.

Treating all mining as the same needs to stop. Artisanal mining provides income for millions of poor people around the world who, despite the challenges, decide it is their best – and perhaps only – option. Given its importance, policymakers need to rethink their preconceptions. Where mining has a low environmental impact, more open-minded, flexible policies are needed to regulate it in a way which balances the needs of poor communities with biodiversity conservation.

, Postdoctoral Researcher in Sustainable Land Use,
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of the English language and its many forms around the world.

Emerging Englishes: China English in Academic Writing can be purchased at the following link:  

In the Legal Advice Centre our students - supervised by University staff and volunteer lawyers - offer free advice to the general public. Student Alicia Smith was able to meet the Attorney General as part of the visit. “It was a surreal experience, and I felt very fortunate to be able to discuss my views with the Attorney General,” she said. 

“It was a real honour for the Attorney General to attend the Justice Hub and take an interest in the pro bono activities our students are involved with,” said Phil Drake, Director of the Justice Hub. “The Attorney General particularly engaged with our students to understand their perspective and experiences, which I know has galvanised and inspired them to continue with their passion for access to justice.”

“It was a pleasure to host the Attorney General at the Justice Hub,” said Claire McGourlay, Academic Director of the 91ֱ�� Innocence Project. “Two of our students Roan Goulden and Alicia Smith talked through the work that they do to help the most disadvantaged in our society. We invited the Attorney General to give a lecture in the future, so watch this space.”

To mark World Alzheimer’s Day, Saturday 21 September, Professor Douglas Field is announcing the release of a new book, Walking in the dark: James Baldwin, my father and me, a moving literary exploration of the disease.

Douglas Field was introduced to Baldwin's essays and novels by his father, who witnessed the writer's debate with William F. Buckley Jr. at Cambridge University in 1965. Professor Field rediscovered Baldwin’s works when his father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and turning to Baldwin for answers about his father’s condition inspired Field to write his book.  

Set for publication by in November 2024, Walking in the dark blends biography with memoir. By interweaving his personal experiences with Baldwin’s iconic works, Field demonstrates the power of literature to inspire and illuminate new understandings of both our personal experiences, and the universal mysteries of everyday life.

Douglas Field is a writer, academic and Professor of American Literature. He has published two books on James Baldwin, the most recent of which is All Those Strangers: The Art and Lives of James Baldwin (2015). His work has been published in Beat Scene, The Big Issue, the Guardian and the Times Literary Supplement, where he has been a regular contributor for twenty years. He is a founding editor of James Baldwin Review.

Led by , World Alzheimer’s Day takes place on 21 September, during World Alzheimer’s Month. The 2024 campaign and World Alzheimer Report, which will be launched on 20 September, will centre on challenging why people still wrongly believe that dementia is a part of normal ageing.

Leading up to 21 September, Alzheimer’s organisations and individuals affected by the condition share stories to raise awareness and address the stigma that exists around Alzheimer’s and dementia. Public awareness campaigns, like World Alzheimer's Day, are of great importance for changing perceptions and increasing existing public knowledge around Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

This year’s campaign will centre around the tagline: ‘Time to act on dementia, Time to act on Alzheimer’s’, focusing on changing attitudes towards the condition, while highlighting the positive steps being undertaken by organisations and governments globally to develop a more dementia friendly society.

Professor Douglas Field is holding a free public book launch for Walking in the dark, taking place at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation and hosted by Professor David Olusoga OBE. 

• Details of the book launch are available .
• For more information about Walking in the dark, visit 91ֱ�� University Press .
• Find out more about World Alzheimer’s day .

The researchers are now developing a new framework that will help architects assess their design choices more thoroughly. They plan to test this framework by working with architects to see how it can improve their decision-making in future.

The Commission says it looks forward to the strategic direction and innovative approaches that Professor Wong will bring to the role, building on its existing work and expanding its impact.

Everyone who attends the launch event will have the opportunity to buy a physical copy of the anthology, which will also be made available in Blackwell’s 91ֱ�� bookshop and online as a PDF.

To learn more, visit .

Cathy Bolton and Sarah-Jane Roberts, Co-Directors of Manchester Literature Festival said: “Over the last 200 years, The University of Manchester has shown itself to be one of the most innovative and groundbreaking universities in the UK and we are delighted to have the Centre for New Writing and Creative 91ֱ�� as our Higher Education Partner once again. New perspectives and reimagining are at the heart of this year’s 91ֱ�� Literature Festival. Caroline Lucas asks us to reimagine a greener, more inclusive England. George Monbiot encourages us to reimagine the end of neoliberalism. Thomas Heatherwick invites us to reimagine our cities without soulless, boring buildings. David Peace reimagines the grief, heartbreak and resurrection of Manchester United after the 1958 Munich air disaster. We also welcome a multitude of brilliant novelists, poets and artists to the city, and invite you to join us to revisit familiar narratives from a place of freshness, curiosity and hope.”

Find out more about 91ֱ�� Literature Festival and view the full programme by visiting .

He will record his experiences during all four events using a GoPro camera, and plans to compile a video towards the end of the summer. 

To support Jonathan in his series of challenges, visit .

The UK’s new Labour government has made a bold decision. The new minister for local government, Angela Rayner, has announced that the government would for a new coal mine near Whitehaven in Cumbria, which had been approved two years ago by the then Conservative government.

Rayner’s intervention follows a recent making it harder for new sites of fossil fuel extraction to be approved. Pointing to the implications of the court’s decision, she argued that there had been an “error in law” when Michael Gove, the minister at the time, had given the coal mine the go ahead in 2022.

The mine’s developers still want to go ahead, and a legal challenge by environmental campaigners is being , with a ruling expected later this summer. But, with its decision to withdraw its defence, the government has confirmed that it understands the need to decisively turn away from new fossil fuel extraction. This is good news.

But to rise to the challenge, the government must do much more. It must now show it understands what it means to decisively put the UK on a path towards clean energy while still recognising the importance of economic and social justice.

One of Keir Starmer’s pledges prior to becoming prime minister was to reform planning. He used eye-catching language, promising to the existing planning system to take out (those who say: “not in my back yard”) ostensibly standing in the way of progress.

In Cumbria, the nimbys have a point

But there is an unfortunate irony in how Starmer’s position relates to the Cumbria mine. In Cumbria the ostensible were environmental campaigners pointing out that the mine would add into the atmosphere a year if it got the go ahead. They rightly argued that this would be indefensible in the middle of a climate crisis caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Without their intervention, the mine might already be in operation.

The planning system doesn’t need destroying, as Starmer’s language would suggest. As one of us (Gareth Fearn) , the challenge centres instead on revitalising planning as a public service, such that a new lease of life can be breathed into it.

In recent years, the UK’s planning system has been hollowed out due to austerity. Funding for local government fell by and planning departments shrunk as their work was to private-sector consultants. Meanwhile, the amount of work these departments have been expected to do has, if anything, increased.

This is an untenable situation. To achieve a rapid, just transition the planning system needs to be properly supported so that it can proactively steer the net zero transition, and communities can have a real say on development in their areas.

The alternative is that local areas are left at the mercy of speculative developers who will invest in what is most profitable, rather than what most effectively meets public needs. In a context where green industry often offers less return on capital than or high-end real estate, a deregulatory approach risks forcing local areas to choose between high-carbon speculative development or no development at all, as had happened in Cumbria.

Green policies, resources and community power

We want to see Labour take three steps to get the country on the right path. First, the new government must draw a much clearer connection between decarbonisation and planning policy when it this summer. This would remove ambiguities about new fossil fuel extraction and would mean putting in place strong policies for new, green industries like the government has already done with .

Second, Labour desperately needs to provide more resources to local government so councils and regional mayors can use in house planning expertise, rather than relying on expensive, private-sector consultants. This is at odds with chancellor Rachel Reeves’ approach, which seems to covertly embrace and is reliant on the finance and preferences of the assembled to deliver infrastructure with little public control or ownership.

Third, and most importantly, communities need to be empowered to make genuine choices between alternatives. This is especially important for areas like Cumbria, with its long history of coal mining, or Aberdeen with its offshore oil, where green alternatives are as not as culturally embedded as carbon-intensive industries.

Coal in Cumbria has more than economic value. As one of us (Pancho Lewis) argued in , coal is folded into the area’s history and continues to signal a desirable future for many people. This isn’t because people aren’t concerned about climate change. They are. It’s because coal is a familiar industry which delivered “proper”, reliable jobs in the past and, in the context of proposals for a new mine, promised to continue to do so in the years ahead.

The government must respond by working hand in glove with communities to shape a net zero future that is meaningful to them. This is about delivering reliable jobs that people need and rolling out industry which can provide continuity with the past. Doing this requires forward planning and creative thinking, so that the net zero transition .

The new Labour government’s decision to oppose the mine is good news. But for the energy transition to be successful there need to be opportunities in new industries around the country. This requires a public planning system which is back on its feet and for the public to have meaningful stakes in new projects from local to national government. Labour must rise to the moment.

, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, and , Researcher, Lancaster Environment Centre,

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

Other appointments include:

• AI and Digital – Dr Varuna De Silva, Loughborough University (New position)
• Arts and Humanities – Dr Helen McCabe, University of Nottingham (New position)
• Business, Economics and Trade – Dr Jane Parry, University of Southampton (New position)
• Climate and Environment – Dr Andrew Russell, Queen Mary University London
• Health – David Strain, Dr University of Exeter (New position)
• International Affairs and National Security – Dr Leslie-Anne Duvic-Paoli, King's College London
• Transport – Dr Louise Reardon, University of Birmingham (New position)

For those interested in learning more about Ruth’s research, you can visit her , or alternatively read about her work with colleagues at Essex on the role of Commissioners for the Victims' Commissioner: 

, and ,

Desert regions in and the have been well studied by archaeologists as the and as routes of along “”. The archaeology of southern Africa’s west coast desert belt has not received the same attention.

The Namib Sand Sea, part of the Namib Desert, is on the west coast of Namibia. It is a hyperarid landscape of towering dunes, occupying about 34,000km² between the towns of Lüderitz in the south and Walvis Bay in the north. However, there are clues that this environment was not always so dry and inhospitable, suggesting that there is more to be learnt about ancient human life here.

We are part of an interdisciplinary research team of physical geographers, archaeologists and geospatial scientists, interested in the long-term history of deserts and human-environmental interactions.

Our provides a timeframe for the presence of a small freshwater lake that once existed in the Namib Sand Sea. This lake was fed by an ancient river and is surrounded by a rich record of stone tools from the (made between about 300,000 years ago and 20,000 years ago), indicating that people ventured into this landscape and used this occasional water source.

Dating the former lake site, Narabeb, makes it clearer when ancient humans would have been able to live here. It draws attention to the Namib Sand Sea as a place archaeologists should study to learn more about far-reaching and deep human connections across southern Africa.

An ancient lake and shifting sand dunes

Today, Narabeb is a landscape dominated by long sand dunes that tower more than 100 metres high over the former lake site. There is no standing water here and the landscape receives little to no rain most years. However, that’s probably not what our ancient ancestors would have seen here. Away from the lake, they might have seen a relatively flat plain, seasonally covered by grasses, beside a river.

The clue is in sediments at the site: mud layers that were laid down by water. To find out how long ago the lake was at Narabeb, we needed to date these layers.

We used a technique called – basically, making sand glow to tell the time. Sand grains release a trapped signal that builds up when sand is buried underground, and is reset when sand is exposed to sunlight. Using this technique, we can date when different layers were last on the surface before they got buried. We dated the sand beneath and above layers of mud that were deposited by water. Our results show that the lake was present at Narabeb at some point between 231,000 ± 20,000 and 223,000 ± 19,000 years ago and again about 135,000 ± 11,000 years ago.

Another clue is the shape of the landscape east of Narabeb. It is dune free, reminding us that ancient humans were not the only things migrating in the Namib Sand Sea. Have the dunes been on the move? For how long? And how quickly?

Drilling to the centre of these dunes to work that out remains logistically impossible. Instead, we used .

The modelling suggests that it would have taken around 210,000 years to accumulate the amount of sand around Narabeb (those 110m high dunes). This number is remarkably close to the oldest age for the lake. This suggests that the dunes may only just have been starting to form and that a river was supplying the lake with fresh water, supporting animals and attracting people. The sediments at Narabeb also clearly tell us that a river once flowed where there are now dunes.

The winds have pushed dunes from the south and west to north and east, creating barriers for the river and hindering movement of people and animals along the water course.

Ancient human presence

At we have found tools from an earlier species of the Homo genus. This is part of a growing body of evidence, adding to research in the Kalahari desert in the centre of southern Africa, that suggests to the story of human evolution and technological innovation than has been supposed.

The artefacts from Narabeb fit into the Middle Stone Age type of stone tool technology. Narabeb is a particularly rich site for stone tools, suggesting people made tools here for a long time and perhaps visited the site over many generations.

This research illustrates the need for a comprehensive study of areas that have not been on the map of the major routes of human and animal migration. These might reveal exciting records of diffusion, innovation and adaptation to marginal and changing environments.

Our results also make us think about the dynamic nature of environmental conditions in one of Earth’s oldest desert regions. It has long been thought that the Namib has been consistently very and not a place capable of containing “green corridors” at the times of interest for archaeologists. Now we can challenge that idea.

Future steps

Recent funding from the will allow us to extend our fieldwork, documenting archaeological sites and dating these “green corridors” across more of this landscape. along the ancient river course has revealed an expansive artefact-littered landscape. We also need to know more about where ancient populations found the materials they used to make stone tools.

This will allow us to piece together a network of archaeological sites and show where human migration might have been possible in this part of southern Africa. Up to now, it’s been a gap in the archaeological map.

More work is also needed to understand the shifts in climate that allowed the rivers to flow into the Namib. This Southern Hemisphere, west coast desert has a very different setting to north Africa and Arabia, which have for understanding their periodic “green corridors”. Ongoing work with the wider scientific community, including climate modellers, may create a clearer picture of the Namib’s “green corridors”.

, Reader in Physical Geography, and , Professor of Archaeology,

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

“We’ve been working to restore the moorlands of the Peak District and South Pennines for the last 21 years,” said Tom Spencer, Senior Research and Monitoring Officer at Moors for the Future Partnership. “This restoration work is based on scientific evidence and the research with The University of Manchester and the University of Newcastle shows the natural flood management benefits of planting sphagnum and the opportunities for upscaling to extend these benefits, especially considering the increased risk of extreme weather events.”

"This study is exciting because it shows that small changes over large areas really can stack up to make a big difference,” said Newcastle University’s Dave Milledge, who also worked on the study. “It also demonstrates that it is possible to make changes that are good for carbon storage, for ecosystems and for people downstream, as well as showing that changes in the hills can make a difference further downstream. But we need to remember that different places and different interventions will behave differently - not all peatland restoration will deliver flood risk benefit, nor should it be expected to."

“These findings are very promising in terms of the potential flood risk reductions that can be achieved by using upstream Natural Flood Management interventions in the peatland headwaters of the catchment,” said David Brown from the Environment Agency. “Utilising detailed plot-scale observations and upscaling using the modelling approach has demonstrated what could be possible - the trick now is to continue with the upland restoration.”

• Developing and publishing criteria to support the decision about when the ABPEs will replace the MYEs, in consultation with key stakeholders such as the Welsh Government; 
• Strengthening the governance structure and decision-making responsibilities for the production and development of the ABPE, and managing any risks associated with funding, capability and prioritisation; 
• Publishing a plan for addressing the recommendations and suggestions in .  
• Understanding and quantifying the quality and uncertainty of the data inputs to the DPM, especially the Statistical Population Dataset (SPD) and the migration data, and implementing regular assumption checking and validation; 
• Publishing more information on the quality and methodology of the ABPEs, including the strengths and limitations of the data sources, the coverage of special population groups, and the impact of data and methods changes over time; 
• Improving its quality assurance process; 
• Implementing and publishing a revisions policy for the ABPEs, based on user feedback and analysis of the scale and frequency of revisions; 
• Creating and implementing technical and expert user groups to provide independent and external challenge and assurance on the methods used in the DPM; 
• Developing and implementing a user engagement strategy specific to the ABPEs, to understand and meet user needs, communicate plans and updates, and manage user expectations; 
• Being open to scrutiny from key stakeholders and users and responding appropriately to their feedback and queries; and 
• Improving and tailoring the communication of the methods and quality of the ABPEs, considering the differing technical expertise of population statistics users. 

These recommendations build on the positive progress ONS has made in publishing a suite of information related to these statistics today. Taking the actions outlined in the recommendations will ensure that users have more confidence in the new method, and therefore the ABPEs themselves. 

“We welcome the work of the Office for Statistics Regulation which, along with input from our users, helps inform our development of these important statistics," said Mary Gregory, Interim Director of Population Statistics for ONS. “We welcome the work of the Office for Statistics Regulation which, along with input from our users, helps inform our development of these important statistics. Today, we’ve provided an update on our progress towards admin-based population estimates (ABPEs). We’ve sharing these new data to help users understand the new approach, share their feedback with us, and take time to consider what it means for them before we move to the ABPEs as our official estimates of the population.

"Although these ABPEs are at a research and development stage, our intention is for them to become our official measure of the population in 2025, dependent on meeting the acceptance criteria we will publish later this year. We will take into account the feedback we receive following engagement, and will only transition to the new approach once we are confident they are of the high standards that our users need. We will be working closely with the Office for Statistics Regulation as we seek accreditation of the ABPEs, and our long-term international migration estimates.”

Professor Arkadiusz Wiśniowski said: "The OSR’s report evaluates the progress the Office for National Statistics made with developing new population estimates that are based on administrative data sources. Population estimates are crucial for making decisions about our lives, such as funding of the A&Es, number of GPs per areas, new schools or infrastructures. They also underlie most of the economic, health and other indicators, including those used to measure progress towards Sustainable Development Goals. The new admin-based population estimates are meant to replace the current estimates that suffer from various issues, as well as potentially replace future censuses.

"My role was to assess a sophisticated statistical model (Dynamic Population Model) that is developed by the ONS and how it is used to produce those population estimates. I was happy to be involved because, firstly, the development of such models is my main area of research and, secondly, I believe the ONS’ work is ground-breaking and highly innovative globally. I think it is essential that all assumptions made in the DPM are appropriately described and tested, which will ensure that the population estimates are of highest possible quality. This, in turn, will ensure user trust and confidence in population statistics.”

Recent scholarship asserts that ITs can prevent deforestation and other ecologically destructive practices. However, as lead author Dr Bowy den Braber explains: “Carefully weighing up the benefits and drawbacks of different land use options can help policymakers maximise progress towards both conservation and development goals.”

Co-author Dr Marina Schmoeller, who recently completed her PhD at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, said: “We highlight the importance of indigenous territories for protecting biodiversity, which is timely considering the ongoing debates in the Brazilian Supreme Court that could potentially limit Indigenous people’s claim for lands not only in the Amazon, but in the whole of the country."

Dr Karl Evans, University of Sheffield, remarked that: “Protected areas and Indigenous Territories are highly effective at reducing deforestation in the Amazon. Protecting forests does more to support local people’s livelihoods and well-being than opening them up to large agri-business and mining, while also addressing the climate and biodiversity emergencies.”

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“We strongly endorse Professor Courtney’s nomination on the basis of his academic standing within the community and his unwavering commitment to the development of professional colleagues, early career researchers and students within our field,” said Dr Paul Armstrong, on behalf of the Critical Educational Leadership and Policy research group. “His influence on our group - and through this, the wider field of educational leadership, management and administration - cannot be overstated.”

“I unreservedly endorse Professor Courtney for this award - his steadfast dedication, active involvement and exemplary contributions have significantly enriched the BELMAS community, making him an outstanding candidate for this prestigious honour,” said Dr Ruth McGinity from University College London. “He has been a dedicated member of BELMAS for many years, and has made a profound and sustained commitment to the society's mission to enhance knowledge and scholarship in the field of Educational Leadership, Management and Administration and to create a space for research and practice to meet.”

“Professor Courtney is an exemplary colleague, an inspiration to many of us, and a go-to source for knowledge, support and wise advice - I recommend him without reservation for the BELMAS Distinguished Service Award,” said Professor Steven Jones from The University of Manchester. “As well as being an excellent mentor to his students, his experience and insight is often in demand from junior colleagues, and his feedback is sought for all kinds of scholarly writing. Unlike some eminent professors, he is approachable and thoughtful, providing guidance that is robust but always fair.”

“Steven deserves this award due to his commitment and passion for BELMAS and educational leadership – he is a true leader in every sense,” said Dr Victoria Showunmi from University College London. “His contribution to social justice and leadership is something that also must be celebrated - being a high-profile male leader who is from the LGBTQ+ community makes him a great role model for others entering the field.”

Professor Claire McGourlay, founder of the 91ֱ�� Innocence Project, added: “I’m really looking forward to the release of our next episodes, we have talked to so many inspiring people - listening to the conversations reminds me why I do this work. Have a listen - it will be the best thing you do today!” 

Listen to the Innocence Podcast at . 

It’s not controversial to say that contemporary affluent societies do a rather poor job of taking the interests of younger generations into account. This is not only because children can’t vote and the elderly tend to numbers. It’s also because many societies have ageing populations, making them demographically stacked against the youngest.

In Italy, for example, . While the numbers aren’t quite that high in the UK, the phenomenon is still – with pensioners .

The neglect of children and young people in UK politics is evident. . and understaffed, and young people are saddled with high university fees. They also face a difficult and cannot look forward to a decent, safe pension. It’s also much harder for them to , compared with previous generations.

And that’s all without even considering issues related to the climate crisis or how dramatically shrank children’s lives and social circles. What is clear is that children are directly affected by political decisions and policies. But they don’t have a say in elections.

In some places, the voting age for some elections has already been lowered to 16. Research shows that young people are more likely to if they start at 16. Labour now proposes this for .

Many want the voting age to be lowered further, or . But any age higher than 0 leaves millions of child citizens without representation of their interests. That problem can be solved by giving children proxy votes from birth, to be cast by their primary carers. We can combine this with any voting age we deem right.

Proxy voting is when a person delegates their voting rights to another person to vote on their behalf. It is . It could work roughly in the same way with children and their parents or caregivers. Instead of delegation, we would use our registers of who is a child’s primary carer, authorising parents or legal guardians to vote on their behalf, if they are not yet old enough to vote themselves.

Giving children’s interests a voice

The idea of proxy voting for children has been and discussed by politicians for decades, but hasn’t been tried yet.

For some, the idea may be concerning, with fears that primary carers will use the votes in their own interests rather than the children’s. Of course their interests are not exactly identical. But they largely overlap on the policies that matter most – from high quality childcare and schooling to generally improving the life prospects for the young.

For example, if prospects are bad, the young remain economically .

And even if a few carers use proxy votes badly, this is still better than not having children’s interests represented at all. Furthermore, we could restrict the number of possible extra votes per primary carer, so that people with more children did not have more votes.

Perhaps some would still feel that carers getting to exercise more votes somehow shows that society values families more than the childless. But this is a misunderstanding of proxy voting. It is needed simply to give children’s interests appropriate weight in our politics, given our demographics.

According to philosophers, there are two main reasons for giving people . The first is simply that the vote is a mark of respect for people as free and equal moral agents capable of forming and expressing their own and the common good of their society.

The second relates to the good consequences of voting: giving people the vote avoids many and raises the chances that nobody’s important interests will be overlooked.

Having proxy voting in place would likely make it easier to teach children about politics more effectively from an earlier age, and help them to become active citizens. But the main argument for it is simply that it gives weight to their interests in the electoral process. With millions more potential votes to be gained, we can expect that political parties would compete for these votes by committing to policies that are fairer towards the young.

When faced with the disproportionate political influence of the elderly, some philosophers have toyed with the idea of at least (as the Romans ). But many people think this would be a terrible idea: it would be a form of exclusion from politics. Adding proxy votes for children does not exclude anybody.

In lieu of a proxy voting system, if you’re a parent, this election is a good opportunity to start about the democratic process, the issues you are concerned about and why you vote. You may even want to take them to the ballot box with you. that talking to young people about politics can help them trust in their own ability to effect change.

, Senior Lecturer in Political Theory
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