Author: Grantham Institute

Climate change and environment institute at Imperial College London, one of the world's leading research universities.
A nurse leans over a small baby, being held by a man, in a small rural hospital
Energy, Health

Energy for life – The underestimated component for good healthcare provision

Muriel Hauser, visiting research postgraduate at the Grantham Institute, considers why electricity is so important for healthcare, and how improving access to energy can improve access to healthcare for all people.  Have you ever worried that a blackout might occur when you’re in hospital? That an operation could be interrupted because of a power outage, or that it could be impossible to get an X-ray … Continue reading Energy for life – The underestimated component for good healthcare provision

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Front view of Cyclists, cars and buses riding on london street
Health, Impacts & adaptation, Individual action on climate, Mitigation

London’s air crisis: How can we bring about change?

Following massive public concern about the quality of the air we breathe, the Grantham Institute hosted a discussion that explored the challenges of cleaning up air in London and ways to bring about meaningful change. Abbie Stone, Media, Events and Outreach Officer, shares some of the key discussion points: London’s air pollution has been described as a ‘crisis’ by its own residents, and despite efforts … Continue reading London’s air crisis: How can we bring about change?

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Cartoon depicting a climate summit, with a speaker talking the benefits of climate action, and an audience member dismissing action
Communicating climate change, IPCC

6 things we learned from the authors of the 1.5°C Report

Following the Europe-wide launch of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C at Imperial, chapter lead-authors Professor Myles Allen from the University of Oxford and Imperial’s Dr Joeri Rogelj, gave their personal take on the report at a joint event between Grantham Institute and the Royal Meteorological Society. So, what did we take away from this conversation about how to avoid the worst … Continue reading 6 things we learned from the authors of the 1.5°C Report

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Concept image showing a row of glass bottles with increasing amounts of coins in them, and a bigger plant growing out of each
Individual action on climate, Mitigation

Pensions: Invest in our future, not the past

Dr Neil Jennings, Partnership Development Manager at the Grantham Institute, takes a look at the USS pensions scheme and considers how you can take more control of your pension investments. [Updated 10/09/2018] If you could choose where your pension was invested what would you go for? Tobacco companies maybe? I suspect not. But, if you have a USS pension (or potentially any other pension), that … Continue reading Pensions: Invest in our future, not the past

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Dam spans deep river valley, with water gushing out and green-sided hills to either side
Energy, Student blogs, Water

The pitfalls of hydroelectric power in drought-prone Africa

Alvaro Lara, former student on the MSc Climate Change, Management & Finance programme, considers Africa’s reliance on hydroelectric power, the impact of climate change on the water cycle and why current plans to invest in more hydroelectric projects may not be a route to energy security. For much of 2017, one of the world’s least-developed countries, Malawi in south-east Africa, experienced intermittent blackouts as a result of … Continue reading The pitfalls of hydroelectric power in drought-prone Africa

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Women and boy standing in front of the carbon calculator table, which is laid with different cards.
Individual action on climate, Student blogs

8 ways to cut your carbon footprint

Liam Flanagan, Research Postgraduate on the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP (SSCP DTP), lists his top 8 ways to cut your carbon footprint. Which has a bigger carbon footprint – the United States or Australia[1]? Eggs or cheese[2]? Drying your hands using paper towels or a Dyson Airblade dryer[3]? These are just the sorts of questions that make up the carbon footprint … Continue reading 8 ways to cut your carbon footprint

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Picture of a flat roof in london, with a skylight, that has moss growing on top
Impacts & adaptation

Excessive heat, droughts and floods – how can ‘blue-green infrastructure’ help?

Kathryn Brown, Grantham Research Fellow and Head of Adaptation at the UK Committee on Climate Change, blogs on why we need to prepare for climate change impacts, and how bringing the natural world into our urban landscape can help us to do just this. The last few months have been fairly unprecedented in terms of weather across the UK. While some people have enjoyed basking … Continue reading Excessive heat, droughts and floods – how can ‘blue-green infrastructure’ help?

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Hyde Park, with parched ground and people sunbathing
Extreme weather

Summer temperatures 2018 – the ‘new normal’?

There can be no doubt that the summer of 2018 has been remarkable both in the UK and across the world. Following an appearance on BBC Newsnight, in which the presenter Emily Maitlis asked if current temperatures can be considered the ‘new normal’, Professor Stephen Belcher, Chief Scientist at the Met Office, and Professor Sir Brian Hoskins, Chair of the Grantham Institute, give their perspective … Continue reading Summer temperatures 2018 – the ‘new normal’?

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Labourer taking an afternoon nap
Extreme weather, Health, Impacts & adaptation, Student blogs

Feeling the heat? So is our economy!

Tarek Cheaib, former student on the Grantham Institute and Imperial College Business School MSc in Climate Change, Management and Finance, considers the impact of heatwaves on the workplace, and why they will have a big impact on the global economy.  It’s easy to see the economic impact of extreme weather events or natural disasters like wildfires or floods. In 2012, for example, Hurricane Sandy forced … Continue reading Feeling the heat? So is our economy!

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Photo showing destroyed village - lots of debris, cables and collapsed houses
Impacts & adaptation, Mitigation, Student blogs

The future of power in Japan: Connecting life-saving disaster resilience with a low-carbon energy system

Hamish Beath, Research Postgraduate on the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP, undertook a research placement at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. In this blog, he considers the future of Japan’s power sector, and why disaster resilience and low-carbon energy go hand in hand. At 2.46pm, on 11 March 2011, the biggest earthquake ever to hit Japan struck 80 miles off the … Continue reading The future of power in Japan: Connecting life-saving disaster resilience with a low-carbon energy system

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