{"id":179414,"date":"2021-02-15T12:00:51","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T12:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=179414"},"modified":"2021-02-15T08:03:33","modified_gmt":"2021-02-15T08:03:33","slug":"what-went-right-this-week-the-plan-to-turn-hills-into-batteries-plus-more-positive-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2021\/02\/what-went-right-this-week-the-plan-to-turn-hills-into-batteries-plus-more-positive-news\/","title":{"rendered":"What Went Right This Week: The Plan to Turn Hills into \u2018Batteries\u2019, Plus More Positive News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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11 Feb 2021 – Engineers hatched a plan to turn UK hills into \u2018batteries\u2019, a new drug offered hope in tackling obesity and the welcome side effects of climate action were revealed, plus the week\u2019s other positive news.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Ian Kelsall<\/p><\/div>\n

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Plan to turn UK hills into batteries revealed <\/span><\/h3>\n

The UK\u2019s hills and mountains could soon be the high point of green energy innovation after engineers revealed plans to turn them into \u2018batteries\u2019 to store renewable electricity.<\/p>\n

Borrowing technology from traditional hydropower plants, the project would use excess green energy to pump water uphill via underground pipes. The water would then be released and flow downhill over generating turbines, when demand for electricity was higher.<\/p>\n

According to the Guardian<\/a>, the company behind the project \u2013 RheEnergise \u2013 said its plan could see around 700 sites across the country host subterranean hydro projects without spoiling the scenery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A study revealed the health benefits of climate action <\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Millions of lives lost annually to air pollution, physical inactivity and unhealthy diets could be saved if countries cut emissions in line with the Paris agreement.That\u2019s according to a report by the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change<\/a>, which assessed the health benefits of meeting climate targets in nine countries, including the UK, US and China. Across the nine nations, it was estimated that Paris-compliant policies could save 5.8 million lives due to better diet, 1.2 million due to cleaner air and 1.2 million lives due to increased exercise.Lead author Ian Hamilton said: \u201cThe message is stark. Not only does delivering on Paris prevent millions dying prematurely each year, the quality of life for millions more will be improved through better health.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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After years of neglect, UK front gardens are blooming <\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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For decades they have been paved over, parked on and neglected by homeowners across the country. But according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the UK\u2019s front gardens are blooming again \u2013 thanks partly to lockdown.<\/p>\n

Comparing data from two surveys, the charity estimated that front garden greenery has increased by an area 70 times the size of Hyde Park since 2015. The flourishing of front yards comes at a time of rising awareness about the environment and the health benefits of green spaces.<\/p>\n

The RHS\u2019s Prof Alistair Griffiths said: \u201cThis substantial increase in greenery will be bringing wide-reaching benefits to people\u2019s mental and physical health and to wildlife; improving air quality, helping conserve water from rainfall and cooling cities in hot summer months.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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An obesity drug was found to cut weight by a fifth <\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Amid the Covid gloom there was some positive news for public health this week, after a \u201cgamechanger\u201d obesity drug was found to cut weight by one fifth.<\/p>\n

The drug, semaglutide, works by hijacking the body\u2019s appetite regulating system in the brain leading to reduced hunger and calorie intake. Some 2,000 adults took part in the international trial; those taking semaglutide lost an average of 33lb, while those taking the placebo lost 6lb.<\/p>\n

Prof Rachel Batterham, who leads the Centre for Obesity Research at University College London, was involved in the research<\/a>. \u201cThe findings of this study represent a major breakthrough for improving the health of people with obesity,\u201d she said. \u201cFor the first time, people can achieve through drugs what was only possible through weight-loss surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Green jobs to be created for BAME youth in UK<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The environmental sector has long been a champion of biodiversity, but when it comes to racial diversity green organisations have been, well, rather white. A new employment scheme aims to address that.<\/p>\n

Dubbed Race for Nature\u2019s Recovery<\/a>, the initiative will place 118 unemployed young people from predominately BAME backgrounds into roles within the UK\u2019s environmental sector. A further 150 placements will also be created, potentially leading to jobs. The RSPB, Friends of the Earth and ClientEarth are among the 35 organisations to have offered positions so far.<\/p>\n

Larissa Kennedy, president of Students Organising for Sustainability UK, one of the organisations behind the scheme, said: \u201cThe UK environmental sector\u2019s failure to recognise climate justice and anti-racism as inextricably linked is, in part, reflective of the exclusion of black and brown folks from these spaces. This initiative will help redress that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Sea cucumbers could help clean up salmon fisheries \u2013 study <\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Could the humble sea cucumber \u2013 a curious, bottom-dwelling marine animal \u2013 help clean up Scotland\u2019s salmon fisheries? That\u2019s what scientists are attempting to find out as part of a study to determine whether the creatures could be deployed at fish farms to eat aquaculture waste.<\/p>\n

Salmon excrement and uneaten food from fish farms has been routinely blamed for polluting the ocean. The sea cucumber study, led by science startup Blue Remediation, will investigate whether the blobby bottom dwellers could offer a natural solution.<\/p>\n

Heather Jones, chief executive of the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre, told The Scotsman<\/a>: \u201cThere is a real opportunity to build sustainable aquaculture systems in Scotland that will support the world\u2019s increasing demand for protein.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Sales of organic products booming in the UK \u2013 report <\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Soil Association\u2019s Organic Market Report 2021<\/a> delivered some positive news for the organics sector this week: last year saw the biggest year-on-year sales increase for 15 years.<\/p>\n

The association said sales of organic food surged by 12.6 per cent as more consumers sought produce grown to higher environmental standards. The organics market, it claimed, is now worth \u00a32.8bn.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s significant that in times of crisis, people are turning to organic products for the assurance of transparency, integrity and quality they provide,\u201d said the association\u2019s Finn Cottle. \u201cOrganic is now rightfully recognised as the cornerstone of a resilient food and farming system and a vital part of the solution to the climate, nature and health crises.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Paris \u2018bio house\u2019 offers blueprint for eco building <\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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With the construction industry the greatest creator of waste in Paris and\u00a0 beyond, what can be learned from the French capital\u2019s new \u2018bio-house\u2019?<\/p>\n

Positive News travelled to the \u2018city of light\u2019 to have a nose around the pioneering building, which uses straw bales for insulation and features radiators that recycled heat from computer processors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want this project to inspire every single construction company to do the same,\u201d said the architects behind the project. Read our report here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Go to Original – positive.news<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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