Deep Sea Mining

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Key points in this POSTnote include:

The first deep-sea mining in national waters, off the coast of Papua New Guinea, may begin in 2018. For the UK, current deep-sea mining focus is on international waters, regulations for which are under development.
Three different types of deposit are being considered, each associated with a distinct geology and ecosystem. However, the extreme environment of the deep sea poses new engineering challenges.
Some deposits are found in areas that are known to have high ecological value.
The environmental impacts of deep-sea mining are uncertain because little is known about deep-sea organisms, their distribution or their sensitivity to disturbance.

Urban outdoor air quality

Air pollution is the greatest UK environmental public health threat. This POSTnote updates the 2014 POSTnote on ambient air quality (PN 458) and describes air pollutants, their health impacts and measures to mitigate poor air quality.
Biomass for UK energy

Biomass can be used to produce bioenergy in the form of electricity, heat, biogas or transport fuels, or to produce materials and chemicals. The Climate Change Committee recommend dedicated energy crops and forest residues as future sources of domestic biomass. This POSTnote summarises the opportunities and challenges surrounding the expansion of UK biomass production.
Longer duration energy storage

The UK’s energy system relies on the storage of fossil fuels to manage variations in supply and demand over varying timescales. As these are replaced to meet the net zero emissions target, new types of low-carbon, longer duration energy storage will be needed to provide secure energy supplies. This POSTnote examines different low-carbon storage technologies, their role in addressing future system needs, issues relating to scaling-up the technologies and Government strategy.
- Energy
- Environment