Environment news

Loughborough ranked first in UK and 15th globally for advancing affordable and clean energy

The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings have placed Loughborough University first in the UK and 15th globally for advancing Affordable and Clean Energy – the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7.
A collage of various small medical devices

Creating a safe circular economy for small medical devices

A collaboration between Loughborough University and the University of Leeds – is developing a circular economy (CE) approach to reducing the staggering amount of small medical device (SMD) waste generated each year.

Price growth for homes in high flood risk zones up to 50% lower than those in unexposed areas

Properties exposed to flooding experience up to 50% slower price growth compared to unexposed properties.

Photo of trees with a blue sky in the background

Fruit Routes announces new coordinator and Spring Walk

Fruit Routes has announced Leicestershire based artist, Mita Solanky as its new Artist Coordinator.

£9m sustainable SportPark expansion on Science and Enterprise Park achieves Passivhaus accreditation

A major expansion to house the highest concentration of sports organisations on Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park has achieved Passivhaus Classic accreditation, widely regarded as the most challenging energy efficiency and comfort standards in the world.

UK waters are too polluted to swim in – but European countries offer answers

Almost all of the UK’s waterways are polluted. In 2022, a House of Commons Committee report on the state of UK rivers concluded that no river in England was free from chemical contamination. Only 14% of UK rivers had a “good” ecological status.

Ice sheets can collapse faster than previously thought possible

Ice sheets can retreat up to 600 metres a day during periods of climate warming, 20 times faster than the highest rate of retreat previously measured, according to a new paper.
Photo of flowers in Burleigh Wood

Loughborough University named one of the UK's most wildlife-friendly universities

The University has been recognised as one of the UK’s leading higher education institutions for looking after wildlife on campus and in the wider community.

Climate risk assessment and resilience strategies are critical for the future of universities

Higher Education Institutions should develop strategies to evaluate and adapt to potential climate risks such as flooding, droughts, and heatwaves, according to a new report.
Image shows diffusion of an element at a solar cell interface. It was captured using a scanning electron microscope with cathodoluminescence capabilities.

Loughborough awarded £2.6m to open national facility that will allow unique nanoscale imaging of solar cells

Loughborough University has been awarded £2.6m to open a new national facility that will increase our understanding of how solar cells and other electronic devices that interact with light work.

Photo of representatives from each of the signatories to the Pact sitting and standing around a table and smiling at the camera

Loughborough University signs up to new regional pact to help tackle climate change

The University is one of the leading organisations to partner with Leicestershire County Council on a commitment to tackle climate change and nature decline through an ambitious set of principles.

Loughborough achieves Bronze in this year’s Hedgehog Friendly Campus initiative

Loughborough University is taking part in the Hedgehog Friendly Campus initiative, a nationwide project set up by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. This year (2022-23), we earned the Bronze award, currently aiming towards the Silver accreditation in the near future.
a lizard

Who reigns supreme in the sporting animal kingdom?

For thousands of years, humans have pushed their physical abilities to the limits in the name of sporting success.

An illustration of an EV vehicle charing from a house.

Study to explore if electric vehicles can power homes and help meet the UK’s energy demands while plugged in

Loughborough University is part of a new collaborative project exploring if electric vehicles (EV) could be used to power drivers’ homes and help meet UK energy demands while on charge.
Man picking litter on the beach

Exploring how beach litter has changed over the past 50 years using drones and phone apps

Loughborough University researchers will assess how coastal litter from the ocean has changed over the past half-century in a unique project that brings together local heritage, drones, and mobile phone apps.

Photograph of Jonathan Wagner in the lab

Loughborough University awarded funding to support UK green growth and net zero ambitions

Loughborough University is among 14 research institutions to receive funding from the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre to support innovative work to reduce carbon emissions.

Loughborough commits to reverse biodiversity decline through worldwide Nature Positive Universities Alliance

Loughborough University is proud to be a founding member of the Nature Positive Universities Alliance, launched today (Thursday 8 December) at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15).

Recycling technology leader Plastic Energy celebrates opening of new research and development labs at Loughborough University

Plastic Energy, a global leader in chemical recycling technology, has announced the opening of its new research and development labs at Loughborough University.
Photograph of OWLC colleagues (from left) Jonathan Proctor, Matt Bleasdale, Giles Clayton-Jones and Nathan Snowden-Merrills

OWLC joins Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park’s Energy and Low Carbon cluster

The University is delighted to welcome OWLC (Offshore Wind Logistics and Construction) to the Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP). The company, founded in London in 2014, relocated its headquarters to the Advanced Technology Innovation Centre (ATIC) earlier this month.
doha's skyline

World Cup 2022: Qatar is accused of ‘sportswashing’ but do the fans really care?

Fifa’s choice of Qatar as host of the 2022 men’s football World Cup has been controversial since day one. Questions continue to be raised about the nation’s attitude to human rights, and its treatment of migrant workers.

A group of school children talking to one of the PhD researchers at the SlowCat exhibition stand

Loughborough’s researchers inspire the next generation of scientists at London Schools’ Climate Kick-Start Event

A Loughborough team of scientists and engineers who are designing and preparing catalysts for a greener future took part in a London-wide schools programme to empower young people to help tackle climate change.

African students share their hopes for COP27

With COP27 taking place in Africa, the conference is shining a spotlight on the impact climate change is having on the continent.
A glass globe showing Africa against a forest back drop

Hydrogen in Africa: New research maps out how clean energy can be generated without creating a dirty business

Global leaders at COP27 are discussing how best to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and maintain global warming below 2°C to avoid catastrophic climate change.

a woman kayaks a river

Global review shows the substantial impacts of sport emissions on climate

Researchers from Loughborough University have led a global review of the climate impact of sport emissions.

A field showing before and after climate change, on the left it is green and luscious, on the right it is dry and cracked.

Infographic: What difference can the COP27 climate change negotiations make?

A new infographic created by a Loughborough University physical geographer explores how negotiations made at the Conference of the Parties (COP) may impact weather and temperatures in the East Midlands.