Throughout its brief history, mathematics has been closely linked with measurement and money. In the ancient settlements the rules of arithmetic and geometry were used to solve problems about the allocation of food and resources. When life became more complex, the use of coined money led to computational problems that required good algorithms for their […]
How do we shift from a three to One Planet Living across the UK, in a way that is inclusive and creates sustainable prosperity for all? What will this look like and how can we achieve it? Must we divest just from fossil fuel reserves that we can’t afford to burn or from the much wider linear […]
Economic growth has undoubtedly improved human livelihoods yet has equally convincingly had negative effects on the environment. Scientists are considering introducing a new geologic epoch, the Anthropocene, to capture humanity’s impact on Earth’s ecosystems. . This debate will bridge developmental and ecological economics with political and environmental science to explore how humanity can manage economic growth and biodiversity conservation.
Themes from the last fortnight have been big data, divestment from fossil fuels and high air pollution …
An update on divestment as the Fossil Free movement gathers pace …
Energy companies are creating the conditions for a stock market crash and threatening democracy. Imperial College must take action …
As the financial crisis in Europe continues, could Bitcoin be the solution to our economic woes? …
Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the greenest of them all? Eco-conscious consumers are increasingly trying to make decisions based on a company’s green credentials. But beneath all the marketing rhetoric, how can we really tell the environmental heroes from the villains? I’m not very good at recycling. Quite frankly, I struggle to see the […]
All science depends on trust. Trust that experiments are repeatable, observations objectively made, and research conducted without bias. We trust the reputation of journals and the expertise of reviewers. With the fragmentation and specialisms of modern science, trust is perhaps more important than ever, but it’s been necessary from the start. When Galileo claimed there […]
“I studied Zoology.” “Oh right, the study of zoos.” “Not exactly.” Zoology is the study of ANIMALS and it’s one of those science disciplines that rarely gets the reaction that chemistry or physics have come to expect. The response is normally one of confusion – why would anyone want to study something that has no […]
Prominent US environmental advocate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr shocked attendees at last month’s Sustainable Operations Summit in California, by using his keynote speech to extol the benefits of free market capitalism in helping tackle climate change. According to Kennedy, free market capitalism will allow us to effectively tackle climate change by preventing damaging public-private sector […]
The UK needs to increase investment in renewable energy sources if it is to meet EU climate change targets, according to a report out this week. The report was published by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), an independent body set up to advise the government on reducing the UK’s carbon footprint. The report advocates […]
As we seem to have no blog today, here’s an opinion piece I wrote back in March… If the government fails to invest in science today, there will inevitably be both a huge cultural and economic price to pay tomorrow. Last week, Science Minister David Willetts described Pfizer’s plans to close its Kent R&D site, […]