Jagstannarpåmarken. This roughly translates from Swedish as “I’ll stay on the ground”. The related concept of flygskam or “flying shame” is growing amongst the environmentally-aware. It’s one of the issues that I don’t think has permeated to the general public yet; the scale and speed at which western lifestyles need to change to be compatible... Continue Reading →
Particulate pollution from residential wood burning
The UK Government’s draft Clean Air Strategy identified wood burning from domestic stoves as one of the key sources of particulate matter in urban areas in the UK. This marks a return to one of the air pollution sources which, it was assumed had been “solved” in the 1950s and 60s in mainland UK. The... Continue Reading →
A Bandwagon Made of Plastic
Whilst flying to Copenhagen for meetings with the European Environment Agency, I happened to flick through the in-flight magazines. The articles included a media company boasting about removing single-use plastic from its supply chain and a start-up that was apparently “repurposing” plastic waste. There was also a piece on an initiative in Africa that pointed... Continue Reading →
What does it mean to be a ‘sustainable’ company?
Amid uncertainties around Brexit and the future of environmental policies, the challenges of running a sustainable business are as relevant as ever. But what benefits can sustainability bring, and what does it really mean to be a sustainable multinational business where travelling the world is an integral part of the business model? In this article,... Continue Reading →
Brexit, Air Quality and the 25 Year Environment Plan
In the wake of UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s 11 January speech on the environment and the launch of the Government’s 25-year environment strategy, we look at what this means for future environment policy after Brexit, particularly for air quality. What’s in the plan? How does it address the fears and hopes of the environmental... Continue Reading →
Inventories in Iceland
Aether has now been supporting the Environment Agency of Iceland (Umhverfisstofnun) for two years in the compilation of their national greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant inventories. Aether’s first visit to Reykjavik was back in September of 2015, when the aim was to help the new Icelandic inventory team (at the time) understand and improve... Continue Reading →
Cities vs Climate Change
Cities all over the world are taking up the challenge presented by global climate change. Cities are both a large part of the problem and a powerful part of the solution. What’s driving them and what do they need to succeed?
Are diesels slipping back?
Cities around the world have proposed banning diesel powered vehicles and sales in several countries are falling. Does this risk the gains made on carbon or do we need something smarter, moving away from the one size fits all Euro Standards?
UK air quality plans back to the drawing board
On 2 November, the High Court in London ruled in favour of activist legal group Client Earth in its challenge to the UK Government’s Air Quality Plan.
Welcome
Welcome to Aether's new blog about air pollution and climate change related issues.