AG 007 – August 2015 Related Content

New ways to deal with the complexity and dynamics of change in our cities On-going urbanisation makes cities focal points for economies and societies. As its share of resource consumption and emissions grows, economies become knowledge intensive. City life accelerates, its complexity grows exponentially along with various instabilities, challenges, uncertainties...

Daniel Mansfield Head of Policy Engagement at BSI discusses how standards contribute to the UK economy, and focuses on the stand-out sectors  Independent research by Cebr (Centre for Economics and Business Research), commissioned by BSI, the UK’s National Standards Body and funded by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills,...

Dr Andy Slaney, Principal Consultant and Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, BSI explains the benefits to organisations of using the training initiative Lean Six Sigma With its roots in manufacturing, Lean Six Sigma is now being applied across numerous diverse industries, in both the public and private sectors. Irrespective...

A research project in the frame of Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP) – Marie Curie Actions The management of the electricity supply interruptions that can occur unexpectedly is vital for hospitals, telecommunication centers, airports, supermarkets, banks, tunnels or critical production plants. About 20 seconds are needed to start an additional electric...

Lindsay Wright, Policy Engagement Manager at the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), outlines the potential for thermal energy storage in the UK Thermal energy storage uses different technologies to collect heat for future use, whether that’s hours, days, or even months later. This can happen at building, district, town or regional...

Ian Hutchcroft, Head of Local Delivery at the Energy Saving Trust explains how local authorities can retrofit for energy efficiency and deliver benefits for carbon reduction, health, jobs and growth There is no doubt that the drivers for local authority action on housing energy efficiency are strong, and getting stronger. With...

Analogue and numerical modelling Volcanoes are one of the main geological systems hosting economic and energetic reservoirs; i.e. geothermal energy. As soon as magma (i.e. molten rock generated at the Earth interior) enters the crust, for example, as a shallow intrusion beneath a volcano, the normal geothermal gradient of about...

Alexandra Latham, Communications Officer at the European Geothermal Energy Council details how RHC technologies including Geothermal go hand in hand for a sustainable energy supply with stable prices The need to ensure stable and affordable energy prices for consumers thereby elevating fuel poverty and enabling growth, and the need for this...

David Mooney, Director of the Strategic Energy Analysis Center, at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, explains how understanding energy is important to the success of clean energy technologies Moving from today’s energy system to a clean energy system will require a profound transformation. While today’s energy...

There are five major challenges in transitioning to a sustainable energy future. First, scale; the energy system must supply adequate energy to meet the needs of the expected global population growth over the next century. Second, availability; our current energy system is largely dependent on finite, non-renewable energy resources...

Elena Nekhaev, Programmes Director at the World Energy Council, details how energy analysis is important in order to achieve future energy sustainability According to the World Energy Council’s Scenarios, the total primary energy supply (TPES ) will increase by 27-61% by 2050 and despite the continuing strong growth of renewables,...

In Paris, delegates from the 196 UN parties will meet in December 2015 to negotiate a global climate agreement. Countries accounting for roughly a quarter of global emissions met the March deadline to provide targets for curbing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) while at the same time some of the...

Because of the human cycles of production and consumption, our food, energy and environment are intricately linked. According to the projected growth of the world population (9.1 billion people by 2050) and consistent global development, it is increasingly difficult to satisfy our world with sufficient food and energy. BFS blue...

Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) outlines the importance of effective waste management Conserving and protecting the world’s natural resources is vital, and effective waste management is an important step in reducing the amount of waste we produce. The Scottish Government has a vision for the management of waste, where it is...

Tom Sauer joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) as a Research Associate at the National Soil Tilth Laboratory (NSTL) in Ames, Iowa in the fall of 1993. He had just obtained his PhD in environmental biophysics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the direction of...

Dr Thomas J. Sauer, Research Leader at the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture details the importance of agroforestry for the environment Agroforestry is a land-use practice that involves growing perennial woody vegetation (trees, shrubs, or hedges) integrated with forages, crops, fruits, berries and nuts, herbs,...

Miles McEvoy, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program outlines the importance of organic farming for the U.S The organic sector is one of the fastest-growing segments of U.S. agriculture, and consumer demand continues to increase. Today, there are more than 19,000 certified organic farms and...

Gavin Whitmore, Biodiversity Manager at the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) explains the importance of crop protection for sustainable agriculture Pesticides are perhaps one of the most misunderstood technologies used in modern agriculture. There are currently no viable alternatives to chemical crop protection, and in spite of an enormous volume of...

Arthropods are characterised by the presence of an exoskeleton and articulated legs. The phylum Arthropoda includes more than 80% of the known species with many of these being important agricultural pests. Arthropods, such as insects and mites, inflict billions of dollars in damage worldwide every year. Tons of pesticides...

EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan believes rural areas hold many of the solutions for 21st Century challenges, and EU programmes are making this a reality Rural areas cover some 80% of the EU’s territory and are home to about half of our 500 million citizens. The...