Sunday Brunch: stronger for longer, not strongest for shortest
Offshoring has retraced recently driven by cost, nationalism and ESG. But is complete retrenchment the right move?
Hemp as a transition material?
Regular readers will know that we see the built environment as one of the key areas to focus on for transitioning to a more sustainable world. It is an integral part of societal existence and a major resource consumption problem (40% of global raw materials) and decarbonisation problem (as much
'Rioting' farmers and the importance of engagement
A Vox article caught our eye this week titled 'How rioting farmers unraveled Europe's ambitious climate plan.' The article discusses the ongoing conflict between farmers in the European Union (EU) and the EU's efforts to implement environmental regulations through initiatives like the Green Deal
The refinery of the future
Refineries are important parts of the current industrial complex as they process crude oil into useful products such as fuels and feedstocks for various important chemical processes. Of course we know that burning fossil fuels is a major contributor to man-made greenhouse gas emissions so cutting down our use of
What caught our eye - three key stories (week 19, 2024)
Here are three stories that we found particularly interesting this week and why. We also give our lateral thought on each one. Read in full by clicking on the link below. 'What caught our eye' like all of our blogs are free to read. You just need to
Sunday Brunch: Does Europe want cheaper green steel?
What if green steel could be produced cheaply outside of Europe? If that meant putting domestic industry jobs at risk, would governments be keen?
The global burden of disease due to infection
John Rex in his excellent AMR Solutions newsletter highlighted an excellent analysis of the global burden of disease due to infection by Naghavi et al published in The Lancet. The 'burden' measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) that are lost due to the disease both from death or incapacitation
Deforestation and zoonotic diseases
Forests are a significant ecological and economic resource that sequester carbon and provide habitat for wildlife and livelihoods for communities. A number of activities cause deforestation including the clearing of forests for commercial crop cultivation (e.g. soybean, palm oil, and wheat) and for livestock grazing especially in tropical regions
China to end new coal power additions before 2030?
Are we near peak coal in China? We frequently hear that 'it's pointless trying to cut carbon emissions in the West, when other countries continue to build new coal fired power stations'. And the country that gets the most attention is China. But what if this
What caught our eye - three key stories (week 18, 2024)
Are we near peak coal in China? Deforestation brings new disease risks. And we need to think more about bacterial infections.
Sunday Brunch: tales of the unexpected
The transition to a more sustainable world is a complex process. Even with the best intentions, there could be some unintended consequences.
Where we end up with battery technology matters.
does battery technology matter, and are we worrying about the wrong raw material issues?
