A recent study has provided support for an alternative means of tackling the unsustainability of resource-intensive economic growth. Using examples of best practice, it upholds a model of moderate growth in GDP combined with a significant increase in the environmental technology market and greater resource-efficiency across all industries.

Renewable energy plays an important role in economic development, according to a recent study which investigated the relationship between economic growth and energy consumption in Europe.

Two ‘best practice’ case studies of brownfield regeneration in Germany and the UK have been analysed by researchers. Liverpool's and Cologne's two flagship waterfront developments were chosen in order to provide insights for other redevelopment projects. The assessment demonstrates that, if correctly managed, brownfield sites can help stimulate economic development in poor areas.

A recent study highlights the role of the public sector in encouraging private investment in natural and cultural brownfield regeneration projects by analysing four models of financing: public-private partnerships, land value finance mechanisms, urban development funds and impact investment funds. Local governments, it is suggested, are well placed to identify and select the most suitable financing mechanisms for redevelopment projects.

It can take six to seven years before the financial benefits of brownfield regeneration projects are realised, according to a new study which focused on redevelopment in Michigan, USA. The study examines liability issues, regulatory concerns, clean-up standards and funding mechanisms, and introduces a new model that informs debate on brownfield redevelopment policies and funding mechanisms.

A new study from Belgium has gathered community views of brownfield regeneration. Results indicate that the often overlooked aspect of landscape quality, such as green spaces, visually-attractive areas and cultural heritage, is important in people’s opinions of brownfield regeneration schemes.

Public support for pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) waste schemes is significantly higher among those who have actually experienced them, finds new research. The study indicates that there is less resistance to such schemes, which charge householders a fee that varies with the amount of waste collected, once they have been introduced.

We need a better understanding of how the public perceive the risks of population growth, a new discussion paper argues. Research into public perceptions of the environmental and social challenges of population growth could guide behavioural-change communications to help limit growth and manage the difficulties. Specific communication issues include how to convey statistical information and the complex impacts of population growth.

Agri-environment schemes (AES) are widely researched; some important issues, however, remain unstudied. Researchers have investigated some of these issues using a sample of olive growers in southern Spain. Their study reveals the level of monetary incentive needed for farmers to accept an ‘ecological focus area’, and a general unwillingness to participate collectively. These results could help policymakers design more cost-effective AES.

The German Renewable Energy Sources Act was introduced in 2001 to encourage an increase in renewable energy supply. Since then, supply has increased from 7% (in 2001) to 37% (in 2017. Wind energy is an important part of Germany’s renewable energy production — but deploying sufficient turbines to achieve the climate goals requires a large amount of raw materials, many of which are metals in limited supply. This study found copper and dysprosium to be the most critical of these metals, as they could face future bottlenecks and are essential elements in present and future turbine design.

A new study has analysed water shortages around the world over the past two millennia. Population growth has been a significant pressure on supplies and will continue to increase in threat in future. Dealing with water scarcity will therefore increasingly require improved water governance, management and policy measures, which are fully integrated into societal development.

A new study from Spain has explored economic degrowth (the scaling back of economic models based on growth) in the water sector and indicates that rainwater harvesting and reclaimed water use are most aligned to degrowth principles.

Whatever form it takes, urban growth leads to reduced groundwater availability, according to a new study. The paper highlights the fact that urbanisation is not always sustainable and recommends that planners consider no-growth scenarios for economic development.

Population growth of any country is ultimately dependent on that country’s access to freshwater resources, which also determines its capacity to produce food. A new study shows that population growth is expected to decline in countries with low water resources, as water-rich countries reduce food exports in order to feed their own growing populations.

Researchers have proposed a new framework to assess the potential for redeveloping large contaminated brownfield sites. The framework applies a range of spatial assessment methods to analyse remediation costs, economic value and the sustainability of different land-use types, and to recommend suitably mixed land-use options for redevelopment.

Pioneering methods used in the Netherlands combine remediation of brownfield sites with the use of groundwater for heat cold storage (HCS, or ATES: Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage) to achieve both low-cost remediation and sustainable use of energy.

Droughts and floods can significantly damage economic growth, recent research has found. A 1% increase in the area affected by drought can slow a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth by 2.7% per year and a 1% increase in the area experiencing extreme rainfall can reduce GDP growth by 1.8%, according to the study. Investments in water security could help reduce this negative economic impact, say the researchers.

Wetland biodiversity may fall under climate change, a new study suggests. The researchers' experiments indicated that, overall, plant growth in wetlands will be boosted, but a small number of plant species well suited to the warmer conditions will out compete other species. However, climate change's effects on biodiversity may be less severe if plants are able to move to cooler locations, towards the poles.

River flooding costs billions of euros annually in the EU. When one river floods, others nearby often do so at the same time — extending the overall impact beyond the border of an individual drainage basin. With this in mind, this study analysed the spatial extent of flood events across Europe from 1960 to 2010, using data from the European Flood Database (EFD). The research presents key findings for flood forecasting, risk financing and flood-mitigation policy.

The Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In), in a latest advisory, has said while there is "nothing to worry" about such emails, users should update or change their passwords, used to login any of their social media or other online platforms, if they find them compromised.

The Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In), in a latest advisory, has said while there is "nothing to worry" about such emails, users should update or change their passwords, used to login any of their social media or other online platforms, if they find them compromised.

The decline in growth rate is likely because enterprises relook at their buying decisions owing to increased focus on profitability, said IDC's report.

It is unclear today how to draft a patent framework that allows seamless communication between IoT devices manufactured by different companies adhering to different standards

Egham (UK)In 2020, worldwide shipments of Internet of Things (IoT) enterprise drones (defined as flying drones) will total 526,000 units, an increase of 50% from 2019, Gartner Inc. said on Thursday.

Chinese smartphone maker Oppo expects the Covid-19 supply chain disruption to end in a week or two. It is also planning to open a 5G lab in Hyderabad.

The cloud giants have seen a drop-off in new contracts from big clients for server storage and to overhaul tech.

Sujit Bhattacherjee, Group CIO at Amri Hospitals provides insights into how he is leveraging AI and analytics for ensuring better healthcare outcomes.

A new study has explored the effects of climate change on Arctic plants by simulating extreme winter warming events and measuring plant responses. The researchers found that considerable damage occurred to dwarf shrub species, in terms of shoot mortality, leaf and root growth.

‘Biodiversity offset’ schemes, which aim to compensate for the loss of unspoilt habitats to development, could lead to an overall loss in biodiversity, a recent study warns. Furthermore, the researchers highlight the considerable time needed, often hundreds of years, to fully recreate an ecosystem.

The fragmentation of brown trout (Salmo trutta) habitat indirectly affects the threatened freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera), a new study has shown. Dams and weirs, which affect the migration of the fish, also have a knock-on effect on the mussels, because they rely on brown trout during the larval stage of their lives.

The extent of marine litter in the Mediterranean Basin has been revealed by a new study. Researchers reviewed previous studies to show that the northwest Mediterranean Sea is a hotspot for plastic debris. They found that marine litter harmed 134 species in the Mediterranean Sea and call for more to be done to manage the growing problem of debris, especially plastics, littering the Sea.

The impacts of climate changes can force animal- and, over a longer time period, plant species to shift their range. Forests in temperate regions, such as north-western Spain, will be increasingly exposed to drought over the next few decades, which is likely to cause geographical changes in their distribution and make-up1. New patterns of plant occupancy or plant extinction have a bottom-up effect on animal species dependent on them, which can significantly impact on isolated or endangered populations of animals. This study sought to assess the potential impact of climate change on the brown-bear (Ursus arctos) population in the Cantabrian Mountains.

Nanoparticles (NPs) have unique physical and chemical properties, but their increasing use in technological innovations has raised concerns about possible risks to the environment and human health. A new Chinese study has assessed the effects of NPs on plants and ecosystems. The findings indicated that NPs restrict wheat growth and damage soil ecosystems, which may have implications for the environment, agricultural productivity and human health.

Sparrowhawks and their eggs are used to assess environmental concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), chemicals that were used until relatively recently as flame retardants. Recent research may help explain why different studies report different PBDE levels in sparrowhawks for the same countries and time periods. It appears nutrition may play an important role in determining PBDE concentrations in birds.

Brown trout (Salmo trutta) embryos exposed to oestrogen during development hatched earlier, grew more slowly and had a lower heart rate than unexposed individuals, according to a recent Swiss study. These findings may indicate that oestrogen pollution in some European rivers is contributing to the decline of wild populations of such species.

Ocean acidification and eutrophication may affect the growth of microscopic algae - phytoplankton - with knock-on impacts for marine food chains and fisheries, warns a new study. By growing phytoplankton under different scenarios the researchers found that phytoplankton species are affected differently according to the acidity and nutrient content of the water.

Oestrogens are ‘female’ hormones that can enter the aquatic environment after excretion by humans and animals, causing ‘feminisation’ of male fish. This study carried out a risk assessment for oestrogen-like endocrine disruption in the UK in the 2050s, based on likely changes to the human population, river flows and temperature. The authors found that risk is likely to increase under future conditions and recommend further research to assess whether improving sewage treatment could reduce oestrogen pollution.

Researchers have experimented with microwave heating as a way of cleaning soils polluted with fuels, such as diesel and petrol. Soil type and moisture levels, as well as the strength of microwaves used, had a strong bearing on the overall effectiveness of the cleaning. The research shows that, at certain depths and in certain types of soil, microwaves can be a cost-effective way of cleaning polluted soils.

The removal of arsenic from water using a brown seaweed (Sargassum muticum), coated with iron hydroxide, has been tested in a recent study. Under optimal pH conditions, the method removed 100% of the arsenic, indicating the viability of this method for treating contaminated water.

House sparrows have the potential to become indicators of air quality, according to a recent Spanish study. The researchers demonstrated that small blood samples taken from the sparrows varied significantly depending on pollution levels in the birds’ habitat.

Farmers have been thrown a lifeline – but this time it’s to help them cash in on what could be one of their best years.

During the past 20 years or so, there has been a resurgence in downtowns in cities across the United States. Kansas City is no exception. Developments like the Sprint Center, Power and Light District, KC Streetcar and multiple housing structures have changed the fabric of downtown Kansas City, making urban living a more viable lifestyle […]

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will open the new overpass on Mudd Tavern Road tomorrow , Oct. 23  in...

Artists are being encouraged to put their finishing touches to their work, as the second Whitefriars Art Competition is closing next weekend.

A new exhibition will feature the work of a local illustrator.

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Dawid Malan’s imperious unbeaten knock of 91 steered Middlesex to a rare Vitality Blast victory against Gloucestershire at Radlett as they climbed to second place in the South Group.