Blog

According to National Infrastructure Chair, Sir John Armitt, the UK can have a low carbon and resilient economy with infrastructure that supports economic growth and protects the natural environment. If this is true, why hasn’t this happened? 

A year ago Associate Maxine Frerk published a report “It’s a Lottery” setting out how Ofgem’s price cap was failing to protect the 3 million or so customers on Economy 7 tariffs. In this blog, she explains why regulator Ofgem still needs urgently to carry out a full review of this part of the market; Ofgem also need to respond to the findings in the report. 

SF6 is a highly potent greenhouse gas, widely used by the electricity networks in their equipment. New legislation at EU level makes finding alternatives a priority. However, alternatives that have been piloted typically use “forever chemicals” (PFAS). This raises questions about how networks should balance these concerns given the significant network growth needed to meet net zero. 

This blog, written by Associate Martin Hurst, first appeared in Green Alliance in October 2023

The first toilets in the UK were on Orkney, dating to 3000BC. Though the Romans and Henry VIII had a go, the subsequent history of our sewage treatment isn’t a happy one. As recently as 1850 people were catching cholera from water contaminated with human waste.

The word engagement is increasingly bandied around by companies. But what does this mean in practice? As we shift to clean energy, it is vital that this process is fair. This is why Sustainability First has been working with National Grid on their Fair Transition project, engaging with and listening to stakeholders and citizens in a series of workshops. 

Multi-disciplinary artist Isabella Martin raises questions about the fundamental role of movement and time, in her final days of her North Sea residency, and asks what it means when an entire town appears to be in flux

As the North Sea residency comes to a close, Alison Cooke shares some of her thoughts on the challenge of making work with unpredictable material from a rapidly changing coastline, and the process of engaging communities through art.

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