350 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Precautionary Expertise for GM Crops (PEG): National Workshop Report UK
Although the precautionary principle has been widely accepted in Europe as a basis for decision making about Genetically Modified (GM) crops, there are many perspectives on its interpretation and how it should be implemented. The PEG project is analysing how current European practices compare with different accounts of the precautionary principle. It has been examining different peopleâs accounts of precaution and their views on the procedures for regulating and managing GM crops, in seven EU member states.
Workshops with the potential end-users of our research findings are an integral part of the PEG project. Workshops have been carried out in each of the partnerâs countries. These scenario workshops offer a policy analysis tool that enables a more action orientated approach to policy research. They help bridge the gap between research and the policy process by involving people at an early stage of the project, and ensure that our research questions and findings are embedded in the policy process.
This report discusses the outcomes of the UK workshop, âGM Futures? Scenarios for GM Cropsâ, held on 5th February 2003 at the Royal Horticultural Halls, London. The workshop used three policy scenarios as a tool for considering the causes and consequences of commercialisation of GM crops. Rather than attempting to predict the
future, by mapping different scenarios the workshop attempted to draw out dynamics and interactions which may not otherwise be obvious.
Workshop participants came from a range of backgrounds and were all involved in the policy process either directly as a member of a Government department or advisory committee, or through their position within their organisation. A key policy-relevant outcome was the way that the three policy scenarios - to go ahead with commercialisation, to postpone it further or to commercialise GM crops in a limited way - might all present the Government with equally complex and difficult consequences. Further, while limited commercialisation may appear to be an attractive policy option, the scenario map drawn by the participants indicated difficulties that would need to be handled in order for limited commercialisation to be regarded as a potential option
Buildings for low energy air conditioning
Over half of global warming is thought to be attributable to the burning of fossil fuelsand slightly less than half of this is due to conditioning the environment withinbuildings. Since the UK government is committed to reducing carbon dioxideemissions by 20% between the years1990 and 2010, the pressure to improve theenergy efficiency of our building stock is likely to increase in the coming years.Field studies have identified that, on average, fuel costs for air conditioned buildingsare twice that of naturally ventilated buildings and result in twice the CO2 emissions1.Air conditioning is therefore often thought of as an environmental evil byenvironmentalists with calls to ban it. Air conditioning protagonists argue that airconditioning provides for a better environment within buildings and only accounts for6% of CO2 emissions in commercial and public buildings (i.e. 1% of total UK CO2emissions).This chapter explores some of the issues that can impact on the design of energyefficient air-conditioned buildings. The arguments presented in this chapter are basedon research carried out at the Bartlett, University College London (UCL) and on theauthors? experience of running the Department of Trade and Industry funded EnergyDesign Advice Scheme (EDAS) office based at UCL. EDAS provides free advice toany building professional involved in the design and/or commissioning of a newbuilding or refurbishment of an existing building. The office based at the Bartlett hasbeen involved in providing advice on over 700 projects with predicted cumulativeenergy savings for the scheme as a whole of ÂŁ15 million per annum
Recommended from our members
Understanding influences on farmers' practices
Farming is a complex human activity system with many actors and many components. Farming is also an activity that has, in recent decades, been ascribed two major, but potentially conflicting, objectives: the short to medium term production of sufficient food to support socio-economic driven needs of security and stability and the medium to long term philosophical and aesthetic desire to manage and conserve the ânatural worldâ . While there have been attempts to reconcile these different objectives both theoretically, as with the concept of Ecosystem Services , and practically through Agri-environment schemes , all too often these innovations have been provided for farmers by others without sufficient regard to the farmersâ own practices and contexts. This is in contrast to being developed with farmers, using their experiential knowledge to shape those innovations both before and after adoption and implementation. Indeed our main thesis is that the differing perspectives of the many actors, and in particular the perspectives of farmers versus other actors, leads farmers to use knowledge management practices that mix and match information from a variety of trusted sources to suit the needs of their farming business. If external knowledge and innovations are to support sustainable intensification then they must also be matched with an understanding of the practices and contexts in which they are to be deployed. In this paper we set out some key considerations that researchers have raised about innovations, practices and knowledge exchanges around farming that can influence both productivity and environmental performance
Recommended from our members
The assessment and management of wildlife areas: what can Systems offer?
Architects need environmental feedback
The role of environmental feedback within architects' offices is examined as a fundamental ingredient of sustainability. Three case study buildings are examined using a feedback exercise encompassing the whole building process from early key design decisions to occupation. Results show that sometimes design decisions are taken for aesthetic reasons without certainty on their environmental impact. Improvements are possible especially in energy consumption, glare, the usability of controls, the communication of strategies and comfort conditions. The architects report the feedback lessons relevant for their work. A systematic approach to project feedback is proposed with emphasis in feeding forward to new projects and recording decision-making. To close the information loop, briefs need explicitly to mention performance targets for energy use, management expectations, control requirements and to promote feedback itself
UK domestic air conditioning: a study of occupant use and energy efficiency
This paper presents the results of a study of air-conditioning usage in homes in the southeast
of England. First part of the study consisted surveying 13 dwellings with air-conditioning for a series of 4 week periods during the summer of 2004. The second part involved testing energy efficiency of âsingle-splitâ and âportableâ air-conditioning units under âin-useâ conditions. Data on usage patterns and typical temperature profiles during operation was collected and is presented here.
Temperatures at which users switched their units on were, on average, 24-25oC, while typical running times for a single operation were found to be around 5 hours during daytime and 7 hours at night in bedrooms. The study also indicated high occupant satisfaction rates with split-units. An unexpectedly high overall energy efficiency ratio (EER), of 5-10, was found for the single-split unit tested during the relatively mild autumn weather. However, a very poor EER, of less than 1, was found for the portable unit tested. Further work is needed to increase the reliability and statistical significance of the results
- âŠ