News from The Open University
International researchers – including experts from The Open University – have mapped the distribution of over $1 trillion losses from potentially worthless oil and gas assets to the individuals, pension funds and governments who will be impacted, as nations rush to reach their pledges of achieving ‘net-zero’. Driven by technological, societal, and political change, renewable […]
Read more about Researchers reveal who will face the financial brunt of net zero transition
OU experts have called for greater sustainability in the construction of new buildings, which are globally responsible for 10% of all carbon emissions.[1] Dr Alice Moncaster and PhD student Jane Anderson, international experts in reducing carbon emissions in construction, have provided evidence towards a Select Committee report (published 26 May 2022) that they have hailed as […]
Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at The Open University writes for The Conversation on the impact of new findings that reveal why plants don’t thrive in lunar habitats. What do you need to make your garden grow? As well as plenty of sunshine alternating with gentle showers of rain – and busy bees and […]
Read more about How to grow plants on the moon – OU expert’s view of new study
A new study has found that the presence of moisture has a stronger role in developing areas of tropical vegetation than manmade CO2 emissions. The research, undertaken by Dr William Gosling from the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics at the University of Amsterdam and supported by the OU, found previous suggestions that human-elevated CO2 […]
Read more about New research highlights need for change in climate mitigation tactics
A major new study shows adding rock dust to UK agricultural soils in place of imported fertilizer could remove between 6 and 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere annually by 2050. The study, led by the Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation at the University of Sheffield and partners including The […]
The OU has had its first tree planting day to celebrate its research students and to demonstrate its commitment to climate action. This is part of an evidence-backed initiative which means the OU Graduate School plants a tree for each research student who graduates, in either the Forest of Marston Vale or in Malawi, through […]
Read more about OU celebrates students and climate action with tree planting
TreeView, a project led by the OU to monitor and classify trees from space, has progressed to a new stage in its goal of supporting climate and nature recovery. The project aims to provide data and insights into the UK treescape and those of other countries. In its preliminary stages, the small satellite mission is looking […]
Read more about Step forward for OU’s project to monitor trees from space
By David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences, The Open University: Pluto, the Solar System’s largest dwarf planet, just became even more interesting with a report that icy lava flows have recently covered substantial tracts of its surface. In this context, “recently” means probably no more than a billion years ago. That’s old, of course – […]
Read more about Pluto: ‘recent’ volcanism raises puzzle – how can such a cold body power eruptions?
The risk and cost of developing new nuclear energy technologies could be reduced, thanks to a new research project bringing together scientists from the UK and India, including experts from The Open University. The four-year project – called Enhanced Methodologies for Advanced Nuclear System Safety (EMEANSS) – will use experimental data and machine learning to […]
Read more about Nuclear energy research to boost innovation and reduce risk
Three projects involving the OU’s space scientists will receive a quarter of the UK Space Agency’s (UKSA) latest investment in the British space industry. The UKSA announced the £500k funding during British Science Week (11-20 March). The OU projects are among 13 it is backing to “help pioneer new approaches to energy, communications and resources.” The […]
Read more about OU and partners secure funding boost for pioneering space projects
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