Powering the World with Knowledge

It is crucial that we learn about CO₂ and its movements to better understand climate change. Using cutting-edge technology like satellites, lasers and drones, a team of institutions, led by the University of Edinburgh are tracking where CO₂ comes from, how it moves and where it may be stored. 

  

Pollutants from smog and fossil fuels such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can have severe impacts on  health and the environment. The University of Manchester are developing pioneering metal-organic frameworks to trap harmful pollutants from the air which can be recycled to form chemically useful products.

Microbes are too tiny to be seen. Small, but mighty, these microorganisms are a key to turning waste into renewable energy through anaerobic digestion. University of York researchers are getting up close and personal with microbes to analyse their DNA so that we can better understand them and maximise their energy-producing efficiency.

Flooding causes global devastation every year, and their exact location is unpredictable. University of Reading scientists using the latest technology helping provide early warnings of flood events, sometimes even before the rain starts to fall. By predicting floods earlier, aid agencies can send essential flood relief where it is most needed and help communities. 

You know nature is in trouble. But did you know that nature may also provide a solution to the climate crisis? Researchers at the University of St Andrews are studying how coastal landscapes, particularly saltmarshes, can play a crucial role in the fight against climate change.

Bees are responsible for sustaining most of our fruit and vegetable supply and contribute around £700million to the UK economy yearly. Biodiversity loss is decreasing our bee population, with a potentially devastating impact. Conservationists are finding out what wildflowers are important for the bee’s survival. Using real time DNA sequencing, they are gaining insight into the plants that bees pollinate and how this changes over time and location.  

Modern life would be unrecognisable without the rare minerals and metals mined from the Earth. From mobile phones to electric cars, we rely on elements like lithium in our devices, and they are key to the green technologies the world must adopt to tackle climate change. But how can these critical minerals be part of the sustainable world they will power – how should they be mined, and can they be recycled?