04 Jul 2025
By Carl Dodd

On the brink: why climate resilience can’t wait

2025, affordable warmth, air pollution, air quality, Carl Dodd, climate resilience, climate whips, damp, decarbonisation, draught-proofing, Droughts, ecosystem, emissions, energy efficiency, energy sufficiency, Environment, Floods, green sector, heat pumps, Heatwave, housing, humidity, hydroelectricity, KLB – Scottish NZC, lifestyle transformation, London Climate Resilience Review, Nature, Net Zero Carbon, one planet living, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., rainwater harvesting, reduce carbon footprint, Retrofit PRL, rewilding, shading, solar panel, sustainability, sustainable living, tenants, Urban Heat Island, ventilation, weatherproof, wind power, wind turbine
The UK's weather is no longer just 'unpredictable' The UK's relationship with weather has long been one of mild fascination, but the days of gentle unpredictability are fading fast. We are now firmly in the age of climate disruption - and it's getting worse. From overheating cities to flash floods, droughts, wildfires, and infrastructure failures, the UK is no longer insulated from extreme weather. These events aren't 'one-off's' either - they're part of a volatile new normal. What we are seeing are climate 'whips' (hydroclimate whiplash) - sudden swings between extremes, such as torrential downpours following long dry spells, or…
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20 Jun 2025
By Carl Dodd

Bangernomics: putting the older car economy in the driving seat

2025, banger economics, bangernomics, bangers, Carl Dodd, diesel, electric bike, electric vehicle, emissions, energy sufficiency, Environment, EV, EVs, green sector, hydroelectricity, KLB – Scottish NZC, lifestyle transformation, Net Zero Carbon, one planet living, petrol, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., rechargeable, reduce carbon footprint, sustainability, sustainable living
Become part of the practical transport philosophy 'Bangernomics' - the art of running inexpensive older cars, is for some a lifestyle decision that balances cost, practicality and even nostalgia. For others, it's simply the most viable financial option. The term, coined in the early 1990s by motoring journalist James Ruppert, reflects a growing counterculture within the automotive world. A key criticism of Bangernomics is the carbon cost of running older petrol or diesel cars. While EVs are designed with emissions standards and tech that reduce pollution, older vehicles may have failing or outdated systems. Pre-2001 cars, in particular, can struggle…
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02 May 2025
By Carl Dodd

Greenwashing gets costly: why UK regulators are cracking down

Carl Dodd, emissions, energy efficiency, energy sufficiency, Environment, food, green sector, lifestyle transformation, low impact, low carbon living, mindfulness, Net Zero Carbon, one planet living, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., rechargeable, recycling, reduce carbon footprint, Retrofit PRL, sustainability, sustainable living, up-cycling, waste less food
What is greenwashing? This is a personal bug-bear of mine, as PRL prides itself on zero tolerance of companies that greenwash. We are living in an era where sustainability has become central to consumer choice, corporate strategy, and public trust. In the midst of this, a dangerous trend has flourished in the shadows: greenwashing. It's the practice of exaggerating or fabricating a company's environmental credentials, and until now, firms have largely got away with it - facing minor penalties or none at all. I am very glad to say that is going to end. UK regulators have begun to gain…
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17 Apr 2025
By Carl Dodd

Finland ahead of schedule on coal phase out

affordable warmth, air pollution, Carl Dodd, ecosystem, electric vehicle, emissions, energy efficiency, energy sufficiency, Environment, EV, green sector, heat pumps, hydroelectricity, low impact, low carbon living, Net Zero Carbon, one planet living, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., rechargeable, reduce carbon footprint, Retrofit PRL, solar array, solar panel, sustainability, sustainable living, wind power, wind turbine
Finnish company P2X Solutions' commercial green hydrogen production at its facility  'Green power' in Finland has more than doubled since 2020 The recent closure of a coal power plant in Finland brought the country to the brink of a full coal phase-out - four years ahead of schedule. Power utility company Helen officially decommissioned its Salmisaari plant in Helsinki on April 1st, dropping coal to a less than 1 per cent share of the country's energy mix. Alongside reducing emissions and increasing energy independence, it says the switch is also helping it to cut customers' electricity bills. "We have been…
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21 Mar 2025
By Carl Dodd

£180m solar investment for school and hospitals

2025, affordable warmth, Carl Dodd, circular economy, emissions, energy efficiency, energy sufficiency, hospitals, lifestyle transformation, low impact, low carbon living, Net Zero Carbon, one planet living, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., recycling, reduce carbon footprint, Retrofit PRL, schools, solar array, solar panel, sustainability, sustainable living
Massive solar investment Hundreds of schools and hospitals across the UK are set to receive £180 million for solar panels from the government's new state-owned energy company. The first major investment from Great British Energy was recently announced as part of government efforts to reduce the country's planet-warming emissions. The move was welcomed by the school leader's union and NHS providers who said it would also help to manage the "enormous financial pressure" of energy bills. The government also hopes that the project, to provide solar panels for 200 schools and 200 hospitals, will reduce the use of fossil fuels…
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21 Feb 2025
By Carl Dodd

A turning point in the global climate story?

2025, air pollution, air quality, Carl Dodd, circular economy, ecosystem, emissions, energy efficiency, energy sufficiency, lifestyle transformation, low impact, low carbon living, mindfulness, Net Zero Carbon, one planet living, organic, PRL, Property Revolutions Ltd., reduce carbon footprint, Retrofit PRL, sustainability, sustainable living, waste less food
EU emissions plummet... and China's may have peaked As the world battled the intensifying impacts of the climate crisis in 2024 - from record-breaking heatwaves to devastating floods - an important, and perhaps underappreciated, trend emerged from the data: emissions in some parts of the world have not only slowed but dropped sharply. This signals that, despite the gravity of our environmental challenges, change is not only possible - it is already underway. In October 2024, new data revealed that greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union (EU) fell by a remarkable 8% in 2023. The drop places emissions across…
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