2014 warmest year on record
This means that 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have occurred since the year 2000. This serves as further confirmation that human emissions o...
Energy
Energy causes things to happen around us. Just look out the window. During the day, the sun gives out light and heat energy. At night, street lamps use electrical energy to light our way. When a car drives by, it is being powered by fuel, a type of stored energy. The food we eat contains energy. We use that energy to work and play.
Energy can be found in a number of different forms. It can be chemical energy, electrical energy, heat (thermal energy), light (radiant energy), mechanical energy, and nuclear energy.
Image by: Alex Ferguson
2019 was greenest year for UK energy
According to a new report by the Carbon Brief website, renewable energy from solar, wind, hydro and biomass produced more electricity than fossil f...
Acid Rain
Acid rain is a result of air pollution. When any type of fuel is burnt, lots of different chemicals are produced. These can mix in the atmosphere a...
Agreement in Warsaw
In the meantime, the delegates will be returning home to work on their own countries’ ‘contributions’ to reducing carbon emissions, which will com...
All of Google to be powered by renewable energy from 2017 onwards
The company, which has 60,000 staff worldwide is already the world's largest corporate buyer of renewable energy. In 2015, Google bought 5.7 teraw...
Another Crisis At Fukushima
The tanks have been built in a hurry from steel plates held together by bolts with plastic seals between the joints. It’s these seals which are now...
Around the world in 585 days
Planetsolar is a catamaran and in each hull, there are 4.5 tonnes of batteries, which can store sufficient energy to keep the boat powered for up t...
Bags for life increase plastic waste and other stories
However, some of the additional weight of plastic also comes from 'food to go', like the sandwiches, cakes, crisps and fruit bought at lunch times....
Ban on fracking lifted in England
Some 120 tremors were recorded in 2019 at Cuadrilla's exploratory fracking site in Lancashire, but most of these were too small to be felt. The ...
Being green isn’t black and white
But the full picture is more complicated than this. A recent study comparing electric and conventional cars, authored by the Norwegian University...
Big increase in Europe's renewable energy
This compared well with 2013, when 15% of the continent's energy came from renewable sources. Energy from renewable sources is quite unevenly spre...
British electricity greenest ever on Easter Monday
The National Grid Electricity System Operator has reported that at 1300BST on Easter Monday, each unit of energy consumed created just 39g of carbo...
COP26 underway in Glasgow
World leaders, who have gathered in Glasgow for the conference have already heard impassioned speeches from United Nations Secretary General Antoni...
COP28 begins in Dubai
Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the UN climate convention has already outlined ambitious targets for international leaders: "They must agree ...
Calling young writers
At YPTE, we would like to start giving young people the chance to have their voices heard about environmental issues. So from now on, we'll be pub...
Climate emergency declared by over 11,000 scientists
It is now exactly 40 years since scientists from 50 nations met in Geneva, Switzerland, for the First World Climate Conference. They agreed then t...
Coal more expensive than renewables in most of USA
Renewables now account for about 17% of energy generation in the USA, but there is huge potential for renewables to replace coal and provide much c...
Conservation Education 01 - Sustainable Development
Welcome to the first new-look issue of Conservation Education, sponsored by Barclaycard as part of the LivingLand programme. LivingLand is Barclayc...
Conservation Education 13 - Energy
The Young People’s Trust for the Environment is delighted to announce that its residential Environmental Discovery Courses will be available in 200...
Conservation Education 19 - Alternative Energies
“Switch off the lights when you leave the room!”, “Turn the TV off standby!”, “Who left the computer on all night?” Does this all sound rather fami...
Conservation Education 28 - Shale Gas and Fracking
There has been a lot of coverage in the news recently about a controversial technique for extracting gas and oil from underground.
Electric Cars
Electric vehicles are becoming more popular. In this factsheet we explore why.
Emissions from wildfires in the arctic increase by 35%, but UK emissions from electricity fall
At their peak, which occurred in late July 2020, there were around 600 wildfires burning in the Arctic, compared with 400 in 2019 and the average f...
Energy
The following chapters describe the various forms energy can take and the story behind humans, energy, fuel and the environment.
Even CO2 emissions are being outsourced
The UK’s emissions of carbon dioxide have reduced between 1990 and 2008 by 19% – mostly as a result of switching to gas rather than coal to fuel ou...
Fracking in Lancashire temporarily halted after seismic event
This kind of tremor could not be felt on the surface, but is very close to the Oil and Gas Authority's limit for a 'red alert', whereby a company i...
Fracking permitted in England for first time since 2011
Energy firm Cuadrilla can begin exploratory drilling as soon as tomorrow at its Preston New Road site in Lancashire after an application for an int...
France bans fracking and oil production
The law will prevent new licences being issued for oil and gas extraction in France and its overseas territories and any existing ones will not be ...
Fuels and Energy Resources
A suite of 3 lessons for Key Stage 3 with accompanying PowerPoint presentation to compare the pros and cons of different types of renewable and non...
Fukushima
The powerful earthquake which hit Japan on 11th March 2011 caused a tsunami which added to the destruction of millions of people’s homes and liveli...
Get to zero emissions by 2050, says new report
The CCC proposes a number of actions to reach net zero by 2050. For example, by eating less meat, by significantly increasing the use of renewable...
Getting to zero emissions is ‘affordable’ for UK
For an annual net cost of around £10 billion from now until 2050, report says that the transition to net zero can be achieved. This figure does no...
Global Warming
Global warming is the increase of average world temperatures as a result of what is known as the greenhouse effect.
Good news and bad news
IEA executive Director Fatih Birol said in an interview, "I feel more optimistic than I felt two years ago." He added, "Clean energy investments i...
Good news for the planet!
In the United Kingdom from April to September 2016, some 6,696 gigawatt hours (5.4% of the UK's electricity over the period) were generated by sola...
Green light for new nuclear plant in UK
Hinkley C is a big part of the UK government's plans to create a low carbon energy future. In fact, if built, it will eventually provide around 7%...
Have Your Say On Sustainability 2013
We travel with the winners of the Young People's Trust for the Environment and Eurostar's 'Have Your Say on Sustainabilty' competition to the Europ...
Have your say on sustainability - Abbie, age 15 - Eurostar / YPTE Competition winner
The Young People's Trust for the Environment and Eurostar ran a video competition to encourage young people aged 10-18 to talk about environmental ...
Have your say on sustainability - Alana, age 12 - Eurostar / YPTE Competition winner
The Young People's Trust for the Environment and Eurostar ran a video competition to encourage young people aged 10-18 to talk about environmental ...
Have your say on sustainability - Liam, age 13 - Eurostar / YPTE Competition winner
The Young People's Trust for the Environment and Eurostar ran a video competition to encourage young people aged 10-18 to talk about environmental ...
Have your say on sustainability - Simon, age 13 - Eurostar / YPTE Competition winner
The Young People's Trust for the Environment and Eurostar ran a video competition to encourage young people aged 10-18 to talk about environmental ...
Have your say on sustainability - Tara, age 11 - Eurostar / YPTE Competition winner
The Young People's Trust for the Environment and Eurostar ran a video competition to encourage young people aged 10-18 to talk about environmental ...
Have your say on sustainability!
For the competition, young people aged 11-18 are invited to create a short video clip sharing their views on the environmental issues that concern ...
Home Learning Pack: Energy and Power
Here are some amazing ideas for learning and activities focused on how we can make and use energy. Try making your own circuit using a pencil and ...
How is electricity made?
Film on how electricty is made. Take a look at how we generate electricity using coal, oil and gas, hydroelectric power and nuclear energy. See a...
Introducing Better Planet Schools
Better Planet Schools is an online environmental education programme, created by the Young People's Trust for the Environment to engage children an...
List of Talks
The school talks service is available in person for schools within a 30-mile radius of our office in Yeovil OR on Zoom, Teams etc. for schools anyw...
Mass walkout by NGOs in Warsaw
The Conference of the Parties (COP) in Warsaw should have been an opportunity to make some progress. And with the horror and devastation caused by...
Ministers urged to favour renewables over nuclear power for our future energy needs
The NIC has said that a decade ago, it seemed unlikely that renewables could be a major part of energy generation in the UK, as they were quite sim...
More Radiation At Fukushima
Exposure to this level of radiation for one hour would give 110 times the maximum annual dose of radiation permitted for someone working in the Jap...
New 10-point plan for the UK's environment unveiled
The plan contains a mixture of new and previously-announced initiatives. Some of the proposals have been welcomed more warmly than others, both by...
New Conservation Education available to download
Written for secondary schools, it provides a detailed analysis of the debate on shale gas and fracking. Download it here.
New law this summer to extend life of appliances
‘Premature obsolescence’, where manufacturers build short lifespans into their products so that consumers need to buy replacements sooner should be...
New onshore wind projects in the UK soon...
A new auction scheme announced yesterday (2 March 2020) will enable onshore wind energy schemes to compete for subsidies alongside solar and floati...
New report on future energy use released
The National Grid has been looking at the future of the UK's energy needs. It has concluded that the number of plug-in cars and vans could reach 9 ...
New videos now available
The two new short films, made by YPTE are on 'How electricity is made' and 'Renewable energy'. Please take a look!
New wind power cheaper than new nuclear
In return for a subsidy of £57.50 per MegaWatt hour (MWh) Danish company Dong Energy will build its Hornsea Two project off the Yorkshire coast , w...
No relaxation of fracking regulations
A spokesman said on behalf of the government, “We set these regulations in consultation with industry and we have no plans to review them." Acco...
Nuclear fusion takes big step forward
So what is nuclear fusion? Fusion works by forcing atomic nuclei together. This is a process that happens in the core of our Sun, where enormous ...
Offshore wind farms
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has published its recommendations to the UK government regarding the UK’s fifth carbon budget, which is due t...
Oil Pollution Case Study
The 147,000 tonne oil tanker Sea Empress ran aground on February 15th 1996 at 8.07 pm, despite being under the control of one of Milford Haven’s ha...
Our winners' 2,000 Words: now available for you to read!
The idea for the competition came from Jemma and Amy, two of YPTE's Young Trustees. They were certain that the competition would appeal to a lot o...
Ozone Layer
Ozone is a naturally occurring gas found in the atmosphere where it absorbs most of the sun's ultraviolet light - invisible rays which are harmful ...
Petrol from air: the future of sustainable transport?
The petrol they can produce is purer than the product refined from oil and it can be used in an ordinary car engine. This means that our existing ...
Phase out fossil fuels by 2100 says climate report
The IPCC report also stated that most of the world's electricity should be produced from low carbon sources by 2050. Taking steps to cut our dep...
Pollution
Pollution is a word that we are all aware of these days. What does it mean exactly?
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change.
Possibility of Paris agreement breach within five years
Although making clear that there was not a high likelihood of the 1.5C increase before 2023, the very fact that it was even a possibility was a cau...
President Trump changes US approach to climate change
The Obama administration's Clean Power Plan (CPP) set limits on the amount of CO2 that coal-powered power plants could emit. Under President Trump...
Renewable Energy
Renewable means that the energy won’t run out, unlike coal, oil and gas which will. Before we get started on renewable energies let's take a look ...
Renewable Energy
Find out about renewable energy, including wind turbines, tidal turbines, solar power (photovoltaics, solar heating and solar power stations) and w...
Renewable Energy: Biomass Energy
Biomass is a versatile energy source. Organic matter that is used as a source of biomass energy includes trees, timber waste, wood chips, corn, ric...
Renewable Energy: Solar Energy
Throughout history the suns heat has been used as a form of energy – in the beginning it was used to cook food. Then we learnt to collect the sun’s...
Robot sees extent of damage at Fukushima
On 11 March 2011, a tsunami caused by the Tohoku earthquake struck Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO's) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. ...
Rudi and Harry's Eco Home
Rudi (ages 8) and Harry (age 10) learned about eco homes as part of their work with 'Explorium Lights On', with a presentation on the topic from YP...
Science Cross-Curricular Pack
At YPTE, we believe that young people need accurate information about how human actions can impact our planet. By inspiring pupils to care for the ...
Scotland bans fracking
The public consultation attracted more than 65,000 responses, with 99% of replies originating from areas targeted by the fracking industry opposed ...
Solar Energy Activity Pack
A package of activities and short lessons on solar energy, produced by YPTE in partnership with Essex County Council for use in primary schools. Th...
Summer 2017 was the UK's greenest yet for energy production
Battery storage is set to make a difference to the future of solar power too. A new 10 MegaWatt (MW) solar farm, capable of powering about 2,500-3...
Surge in demand for biomethane
There are now 98 biomethane plants in the UK, which produce methane gas using food leftovers and waste from farms, including manure and grass silag...
Sussex: The Weald
Thanks to support from the Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust, we have produced this set of classroom reference guides to the regions of Sussex, for...
Sustainability
The United Nations says that sustainability means “meeting the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet...
Sustainable Living
This suite of 5 lessons looks at human impacts on our planet, current attempts to be more sustainable and the changes we will need to make in order...
Tell us about what you’re doing to help the environment and have the chance to win a £30 Go Ape voucher!
So, if you’re aged between 5 and 17 and feel you’re doing something that helps the environment, please tell us about it. Examples might include: ...
Tesla makes big leap for electric vehicles
At close of trading, Tesla's value was up 7.3% to $48.7bn (£38bn), while Ford's was $45.3bn. Tesla delivered 25,000 cars in the first quarter of 2...
The Greenhouse Effect
Here is a short video to explain the greenhouse effect. Great for teachers to use in lessons!
The era of 'global boiling'
He went on to say "The air is unbreathable, the heat is unbearable, and the level of fossil fuel profits and climate inaction is unacceptable. Lea...
The problem with biofuel
A report issued today by Chatham House shows that biofuels will cost us more too. Biofuel comes in two basic forms – ethanol, which can be added to...
Transport
This suite of lessons and activities for Key Stage 2 looks at the following issues: What were the earliest types of transport? Why do so...
UK fracking gets the green light
Shale gas is found deep in the layers of sedimentary rocks like, generally several kilometres underground. There is an estimated 200 trillion cubi...
UK government bans sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040
Poor air quality is viewed by ministers as being the greatest environmental risk to public health, being responsible for up to 40,000 premature dea...
UK homes to be wind powered by 2030
Mr Johnson said, “We believe that in 10 years’ time offshore wind will be powering every home in the country, with our target rising from 30 gigawa...
UK wind power overtakes nuclear for the first time
This is great news for renewable energy, but it's not likely to continue for long. The very windy conditions of the last few days meant that our t...
UK's first new coal mine in 30 years gets approval
At least 85% of the coal produced at the mine will be exported, because UK steelmakers have already rejected the coal, which has a high sulphur con...
UK’s new cars are greener than ever
The average emissions of new cars sold in 2011 was 138.1g/km. By 2015, average emissions must fall to below 130g/km to meet with EU targets and by...
Wall Of Ice For Fukushima
It sounds bizarre, but it would prevent leaking water from spreading further, if it works. It’s absolutely clear that something has to be done to p...
Wave energy
Here's a fab video from our friends at Explorium showing how wave energy gets converted into power we can use every day!
What did COP26 achieve?
Ending deforestation Over 100 nations, including Brazil (home to a large proportion of the Amazon rainforest) and Russia (with over 20% of the wor...
Wind energy exceeds coal in 2016
The government has pledged to remove coal from the UK's energy mix completely by 2025, but it is now expected that the final plant will actually cl...
World's largest lithium ion battery goes on-grid in Australia
The battery is connected to a Hornsdale Wind Farm, run by French company Neoen in a location near to Jamestown, which is about 125 miles north of A...
World's largest wind farm to start producing energy
When finished, the Dogger Bank wind farm will be more than twice the size of the next largest offshore wind farm. It will have cost £9Bn to comple...
York Minster to fit solar panels
Visitors to the Minster will be able to see how much energy the panels have produced and the amount of carbon emissions they have prevented via a d...
Zero carbon energy overtakes fossil fuels for UK electricity production
There has been a significant rise renewable energy, which in 2009 was producing only about 2% of our energy needs. Now, renewables are producing 2...
‘Shocking’ lack of climate change planning from UK government
The Committee's report finds that the population is at real risk, because crisis preparations are being run ‘like Dad’s Army’ and funding has been ...