Energy and Environment

• Riding Sunbeams: Powering our trains with solar PV
  In 2019 Riding Sunbeams demonstrated that it is possible to connect solar photovoltaic panels directly into the electrified rail network to power trains. Direct supply of solar power to railway traction systems has never been done before, anywhere in the world. The market and decarbonisation potential for railways and mobility in general is huge.
• Work and workers should be central in the UK national food strategy
  The conversations around the future of food, the Agricultural Bill and the UK national food strategy tend to focus exclusively on people as eaters, forgetting the role that women and men have in farming, harvesting, processing, selling, distributing and disposing of food.
• A UK right to food law could tackle food poverty and environmental degradation
  Around 8.4 million people in the UK struggle to get enough to eat. At the same time, small-scale farmers and local grocery shops are disappearing, the country is increasingly dependent on food imports and healthy food is too often unavailable or unaffordable. Enshrining a right to food in law can end this situation.
• Mapping the ‘soft properties’ of cities for effective policy interventions
  The impressions that people have of a city are often driven by what we call soft properties, its spirit or vibe. But the vast majority of interventions made by policymakers are on the hard properties of a city, such as physical infrastructure and traffic management.
• Sustainable fisheries, food security: lessons from tilapia fish in Tanzania
  Fish production is increasing to meet the protein demands of a growing human population. However, cross-breeding large-bodied native species with small-bodied non-native species can reduce yields and lead to loss of unique biodiversity, with negative consequences for food security.
• Reaping the rewards from UK leadership in farm animal welfare: time for a national strategy
  Research led by the University of Bristol and partners provides the evidence to show that current support for improved animal welfare policy is sustainable and achievable.
• The future of farming policy in the UK: giving farmers a voice in development and delivery
  In a range of UK and international projects, the University of Bristol has been exploring how facilitated farmer-led approaches can tackle societal challenges, husbandry issues and market opportunities.
• Poo Patrol: Community-led science and action to reduce dog fouling and improve child health
  Fouling of public areas by dog faeces has serious public health impacts, not least by discouraging healthy outdoor play. This research engaged schools and communities to support and monitor their efforts to stimulate behaviour change among dog owners.
• Fear of Fracking: earthquakes linked to shale gas exploration cause house prices to fall
  This research examines the change in house prices following the release of drilling licenses in 2008.
• Biofuels and sustainable development: can sustainability standards stop ‘land grabbing’?
  This research focuses on the extent to which global sustainability standards and certification schemes can prevent ‘land grabs’.
• Policies that reduce greenhouse gases can improve human wellbeing
  This research assesses the impact of urban policies on human wellbeing.
• One size won’t fit all: Buildings have diverse effects on health and the environment across Europe and China
  This particular sub-study of URGENCHE examines environment and health implications of the heat and electricity required by the buildings in: Kuopio, Finland; Basle, Switzerland; Stuttgart, Germany; Thessaloniki, Greece; and Suzhou and Xi’an in China.
• Living near the next Fukushima: public perception of risk affects property value
  This research analyses the changes in nuclear-risk perception in England and Wales subsequent to the Fukushima nuclear accident.
• Fresh approach needed towards regulation and support of ‘green’ social enterprises in the emerging new economy
  This research focuses on social enterprises responding to climate change and the regulatory barriers and facilitators they encounter.
• Energy planning in cities requires holistic assessment of both environmental and health impacts
  This research has developed a model for analysing energy related policies and their effects both in the city and beyond.
• Stakeholders’ participation: a fundamental prerequisite for equitable and functional Marine Protected Areas
  This academic research on MPAs in Europe emphasises the importance of participatory processes in the establishment and management of MPAs.