Category: Comment

  • Melting glacier symphonies

    Melting glacier symphonies

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    What is the role of art in achieving a sustainable economy? I always make time in November for the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. With a genuinely world-class selection of new music performances on my doorstep, it’d be rude not to.  For the third year, the festival spent a day considering ‘The Current Climate’, with free…

  • NESO’s roads to 2030

    NESO’s roads to 2030

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    NESO’s claim that the UK can achieve clean power by 2030 is undoubtedly bold, but it is feasible – in as much as it’s technically possible, but highly prone to political and management failures.  The newly established National Energy System Operator (NESO) has the wickedly challenging task of steering the UK’s energy providers and infrastructure…

  • Nudging towards sustainability

    Nudging towards sustainability

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    Can behavioural nudges help drive climate resilience? That was the topic for an Interesting morning at the University of Huddersfield, based on research by Dr Jialin (Snow) Wu of the Centre for Sustainability, Responsibility, Governance and Ethics. Dr Wu studies how organisations can effectively promote environmentally-friendly behaviours by staff and customers, whether that’s encouraging workers…

  • Emissions still rising

    Emissions still rising

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    The World Meteorological Organization has confirmed that global greenhouse gas emissions reached a record high last year. That shouldn’t really be a surprise to anyone, but it does underline the urgency of action.  Average carbon dioxide concentration reached 420ppm in 2023 – an increase of more than half from pre-industrial levels. Along with rises in…