Using big data to tackle the air pollution problem
Data-driven policy has the potential to maximise positive outcomes on the environment, public health and the economy. In this blog, Prof David Topping, Prof James Evans and Dr Thomas Bannan explore the...
View ArticleChild of the North: Pregnancy and early years
Evidence makes it clear that exposure to adversity and stress has vast potential to negatively influence the trajectory of a person’s health and wellbeing throughout their life. In this blog, Professor...
View ArticleThe energy strategy: missed opportunities, false solutions, better ways forward
The government’s ‘British Energy Security Strategy’ released on the 7th April 2022 has raised more questions than answers for those in interested in energy policy. While it claims to offer solutions to...
View ArticleWhat we need to know next about loneliness
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the UK’s mental health, particularly loneliness. Data from spring 2021 found a million more adults were feeling lonely “often” or “always” compared to...
View ArticleHow logistics workers kept the UK going during lockdown: Lessons for the next...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, measures to reduce social contacts were applied in most countries; something that was only viable because the logistics sector continued to deliver. However, in the face...
View ArticleTaking action on hot air: Why agriculture is the key to reducing UK methane...
While much of the global discussion on climate change focusses on cutting CO2 emissions, methane is around 25 times more potent as a greenhouse gas in trapping heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. At COP26,...
View ArticleMaking light work: Recommendations for healthy lighting
Light exposure has important effects on human health and wellbeing, regulating our sleep/wake cycles, and influencing our mental and physical health. Advances in our understanding of the role of light...
View ArticleOnline safety: Child abuse and exploitation in eXtended Reality
In 2020 a team led by Professor Emma Barrett and Professor Steve Pettifer was commissioned by GCHQ to examine how child exploitation and abuse may evolve in light of the latest emerging technology...
View ArticleToo close to the sun: The health benefits and economic case for banning sunbeds
Melanoma skin cancers are the UK’s fifth most common cancer, causing over 2,000 deaths each year. Over 85% of cases are preventable, with excessive exposure to ultraviolet light the most common cause,...
View ArticleEnergy inequality and low carbon futures: geography matters
The UK is heading towards a period of economic uncertainty. The cost-of-living crisis, inflation, and an increase in energy prices have further stressed the finances of households. With a rapid...
View ArticleThe importance of mapping in the shift to net zero
Delivering on net zero energy requires the radical transformation of our whole energy system from supply and distribution to demand. In this blog, Charlotte Brown, Hannah Charles and Rob Bellamy...
View ArticleLGBT+ inequalities in adolescent wellbeing
Improving wellbeing in every area of the UK is the overarching ambition of the Levelling Up White Paper, and government has said it will undertake further work to supplement existing wellbeing data at...
View ArticleRace equality in Greater Manchester: opportunities and challenges of...
In 2021 the report of the Independent Inequalities commission for Greater Manchester emphasised the need to put wellbeing and equality goals at the heart of the Greater Manchester Strategy. They...
View ArticleMaking sustainable business models for green electricity attractive to the...
Scaling up green electricity is key to achieving net zero. While the government has made progress in supporting solar PV and offshore wind, technologies alone will not make for a successful transition...
View ArticleElectrification – Technology and People
The drive to achieve Net Zero is underpinned by the principle that as a society we should ensure that we leave this planet better off, and indeed make it better for the next generation. Smart...
View ArticleThe role of R&D in the levelling up agenda
Innovation drives productivity, and R&D importantly underpins innovation. Places in the south-east of the UK disproportionately hold the highest rates of public and charitable spending on R&D....
View ArticleWith great power: Taking responsibility for integrated care
July 2022 sees the formal establishment of the Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) created by the Health and Care Act 2022. These bodies will integrate health and social care in England, with the aim of...
View ArticleCreativity, industry and devolved responsibility: how local industrial...
Local creative and cultural industries strategies can play a key role in devolution policy, and understanding the differences and nuances of local industrial strategies helps inform policymakers...
View ArticleThe skills gap for long term nuclear future
The world’s climate and energy crises continues to worsen with extreme weather, heatwaves and increasing global energy prices. The IEA’s net zero by 2050 pathway has identified the need for nuclear,...
View ArticleThe case for a guaranteed basic income pilot in Greater Manchester
While the COVID-19 pandemic and current cost of living crisis has exacerbated social inequalities and economic insecurity, it has also opened a window of opportunity to explore new forms of policy...
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