Jamie Hailstone

As the nights start to draw in, the idea of sitting down by a roaring fire can be hard to resist.
After all, what could be more natural than a log-burning stove and a cup of cocoa?
Despite the cosy images, many will argue they are a major source of air pollution - particularly airborne particles under 2.5 microns in size - otherwise known as PM 2.5.
Figures released by the UK government in February this year show that burning wood at home was responsible for more than a third (38%) of all the...

It is often said that climate change is a broad church - a very broad church.
From conservation and protecting endangered species to developing sustainable methods of manufacturing, it now covers a multitude of issues, which are all now competing for our attention.
For many years, air pollution appeared to be one of those niche areas, which was frequently got overlooked.
But as global temperatures continue to rise, wildfires rage in various countries and countries try to get their heads aroun...

Thousands of people in Europe have died because of Western Balkan coal power plants breaching pollution limits, according to a new report.
The report by CEE Bankwatch Network and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air claims 19,000 people have died over the past three years, as a result of air pollution caused by the plants in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro.
The report warns the pollution caused by these plants affects not only people in their ...

A third of the world’s trees are at risk of extinction as climate change and extreme weather events takes their toll, according to a new study.
The State of the World’s Trees report by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) warns that 17,500 tree species – around 30% of the 60,000 around the world – are currently at risk of extinction.
It adds more than 440 tree species are right now on the brink of extinction, meaning they have fewer than 50 individuals remaining in the wild.
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This planet would already be facing the reality of a “scorched Earth” would it not be for an international agreement signed more than 30 years ago, according to a new study.
The study led by scientists at the University of Lancaster into the Montreal Protocol, which was first signed in 1987, concludes the agreement has had wide-ranging benefits in the fight against climate change.
The Protocol banned the production of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were damaging the Earth’s ozone layer.
Th...

Whenever we talk about air quality and pollution, we tend to think about the great outdoors.
The reason we do this is very simple.
When we talk about the issue, we immediately see in our minds pictures of cars emitting dangerous fumes, giant plumes of smoke bellowing from power plants and the recent wildfires in the US and Europe.
These things are bad for the environment. We get it.
But as important as it is to improve outdoor air quality, particularly after so many heatwaves in cities around...

Whoever said the living was easy in summertime never lived in a city between the months of June and August.
Of course, higher temperatures in urban areas are nothing new, but the summer of 2021 has already proved to be a particularly sticky one with heatwave warnings in Japan, California and England.
The threat of global warming could see temperatures rise even further and as people try to return to work in major cities, the question remains what can be done to ensure they remain as cool as p...

Planting trees and other forms of greenery could boost the UK economy by £366 million, according to a new report.
The report, commissioned by the UK100 group, claims investing in woodland could create up to 36,000 new jobs around the country, as well as help Britain achieve its Net Zero goals.
According to the analysis, conducted by academic researchers with the Place-based Climate Action Network at Queen’s University Belfast, the economic benefit of planting a single tree ranges from £1,200 ...