What went right this week: the plan to turn hills into ‘batteries’, plus more positive news
Posted 12th February 2021 • Written by www.positive.news • • • •
Engineers hatched a plan to turn UK hills into ‘batteries’, a new drug offered hope in tackling obesity and the welcome side effects of climate action were revealed, plus the week’s other positive news
Plan to turn UK hills into batteries revealed
The UK’s hills and mountains could soon be the high point of green energy innovation after engineers revealed plans to turn them into ‘batteries’ to store renewable electricity.
Borrowing technology from traditional hydropower plants, the project would utilise excess green energy to pump water uphill via underground pipes. The water would then be released and flow downhill over generating turbines, when demand for electricity was higher.
According to the Guardian, the company behind the project – RheEnergise – said its plan could see around 700 sites across the country host subterranean hydro projects without spoiling the scenery.
A study revealed the health benefits of climate action
Millions of lives lost annually to air pollution, physical inactivity and unhealthy diets could be saved if countries cut emissions in line with the Paris agreement.
That’s according to a report by the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, which assessed the health benefits of meeting climate targets in nine countries, including the UK, US and China. Across the nine nations, it was estimated that Paris-compliant policies could save 5.8 million lives due to better diet, 1.2 million due to cleaner air and 1.2 million lives due to increased exercise.
Lead author Ian Hamilton said: “The message is stark. Not only does delivering on Paris prevent millions dying prematurely each year, the quality of life for millions more will be improved through better health.”
After years of neglect, UK front gardens are blooming
For decades they have been paved over, parked on and neglected by homeowners across the country. But according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the UK’s front gardens are blooming again – thanks partly to lockdown.
Comparing data from two surveys, the charity estimated that front garden greenery has increased by an area 70 times the size of Hyde Park since 2015. The flourishing of front yards comes at a time of rising awareness about the environment and the health benefits of green spaces.
The RHS’s Prof Alistair Griffiths said: “This substantial increase in greenery will be bringing wide-reaching benefits to people’s mental and physical health and to wildlife; improving air quality, helping conserve water from rainfall and cooling cities in hot summer months.”