Environment news

Global electric cooking initiative to be launched at COP28

Loughborough is due to launch a global electric cooking initiative at the COP28 climate change conference in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

An aerial shot of Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park, featuring a number of buildings

Universities to receive first East Midlands Freeport funding to accelerate green hydrogen adoption for a net zero future

Loughborough University, in collaboration with the University of Nottingham, has been selected to receive a significant funding boost from East Midlands Freeport.
the latest experts in sport podcast graphic that shows a tennis player

Experts in Sport: Climate change and sport: The current situation and changes needed for a better future

With COP28 commencing on 30 November, discussions around the impact of climate change upon sport have once again become prevalent. Conversations around the sustainability of sport and the issues facing the industry are now fundamental in the planning and execution of events.
oil extraction with lovely sunset

COP28 UAE explained by Dr Richard Hodgkins

The 2023 United Nations climate change conference begins in the United Arab Emirates this week – here is all you need to know.

coastal sand dune with stream running through into the sea

Geographer embarks on prestigious Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship

Dr Jonathan Millett, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, has recently started a prestigious Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship.

Doing laundry by hand sheds just as many microfibres as machine washing – new research

Between 6,500 and 87,000 tonnes of microfibres are shed during domestic laundering every year in the UK. Many of these minuscule fibres end up in rivers and oceans, with devastating consequences for aquatic animals and environments.

Loughborough collaborates with Perkins on demonstration of leading-edge hydrogen hybrid power solutions

Perkins is collaborating with Loughborough University and Equipmake to develop and produce an advanced multi-fuel ‘drop-in’ hybrid integrated power unit.

Paving the way for reintroducing beavers into England – new report

Returning beavers to England has as much to do with preparing the rural ecosystem as it does with priming the animals themselves.
People serving themselves from a buffet in a tent outdoors

Don’t miss this autumn’s Fruit Routes

This year’s Fruits Routes harvest festival, ‘Jarvest Harvest’, will be running on Friday 13 October and Saturday 14 October.
Previsico co-founders, Dr Avi Baruch and Professor Dapeng Yu, reviewing a flood data map

ClimateTech spinout Previsico raises further funding to accelerate growth in Europe and enable US expansion

Previsico, the live flood alert ClimateTech, today announced that it is delighted to have completed its latest funding round, at a significantly higher valuation than the previous one in August 2021.
Ed Brown, Research Director of the Modern Energy Cooking Services programme

Loughborough researcher shares expertise ahead of UN SDG Summit

A Loughborough University researcher has shared his expertise at a high-profile United Nations event in New York.

A woman cooking outside with a variety of pots

More than 1.1 billion African people unlikely to have access to clean cooking fuels and technologies by 2050, new study predicts

A new Loughborough University study on clean energy accessibility in Africa forecasts that 1.1 billion people will be without eco-friendly cooking fuels or technologies by 2050.
Woman in a kitchen standing next to an electric cooker

New coalition seeks to accelerate access to clean electric cooking

Replacing traditional biomass-burning cookstoves with electricity could stop hundreds of preventable deaths and significantly benefit the climate, according to a new coalition involving Loughborough University advocating for a significant scale-up of access to clean energy across the world.
a marathon runner running through mountains

Researchers discover evolutionary evidence in ultra marathon runners

The brains of ultra marathon runners taking part in gruelling long-distance races may hold clues about our evolutionary past, a new study has found.

Fieldwork in Bhutan – Professor Liang (centre) with colleagues

Loughborough’s Professor Qiuhua Liang appointed as UNESCO Chair

Loughborough University will establish the UNESCO Chair in Informatics and Multi-hazard Risk Reduction, with Professor Qiuhua Liang as the Chair holder.

World first: Researchers create CO2 measurement tool to calculate emissions caused by digital data

A unique carbon footprint tool has been created to allow businesses to measure the CO2 output of their digital data.

Loughborough hosts UK’s first World Bank Energy Storage Partnership Stakeholder Forum

Sustainable energy experts from across the globe have arrived at Loughborough University for the World Bank Energy Storage Partnership (ESP) Stakeholder Forum – the first time the event has ever been held in the UK.

UK’s AI ‘twin’ will use big data to show the way to net zero

A new research project will develop a digital ‘twin’ of the UK that harnesses artificial intelligence and big data to meet its net zero target.

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.