The UK is in the early stages of a heat transition. Most of us currently use fossil fuel boilers to heat our homes, and we need to replace them all with low carbon alternatives. To meet net zero we need to have replaced all fossil fuel boilers by 2050, or…

As someone who lives in one of the wealthiest times and places in human history, there is one thing I want more of more than anything else: time. More time to sleep. More time to play with my children. More time to clog up people’s inboxes with meandering blog posts. …

The transition to net zero requires us to spend a huge amount of capital — building renewables, upgrading the electricity grid, switching to electric vehicles, installing heat pumps all involve significant costs upfront. But this investment should come with a hefty economic payoff (besides reduced emissions): it should reduce our…

(Spoiler: NO!) — In Nesta’s work on decarbonising homes, a lot of our focus is on switching homes from fossil fuels to low-carbon heating sources. In particular, we think heat pumps of various kinds will be the most widespread solution to decarbonising homes — because they are low carbon and use energy far…

Part of What Would Make Life Better? Why don’t we plant more trees in our cities and countryside? Why don’t we insulate our homes more? Why don’t we have more green infrastructure to absorb excess water in the streets and the hills — and why do we instead build sewers…

Part 6 of What Would Make Life Better? Trigger warning: this piece covers some themes of mid-life despair, including ageing parents. The middle part of our lives — between the ages of roughly 35 and 55 — seems to be the least happy, most miserable bit. I suspect it comes…

This is a copy of Nesta’s submission to The Environment and Climate Change Committee’s recent inquiry on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme written by Andrew Sissons, Deputy Director of Nesta’s sustainable future mission, and Cara Sanquest, Campaigns Lead. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides grants for the installation of low-carbon heating systems…

The UK government asked Chris Skidmore MP to conduct a review of Net Zero policies, with a focus on how they can support economic growth. Below is Nesta’s submission to the review’s Call for Evidence, which answers six questions on how Net Zero can best contribute to economic growth. Our…

Part 5 of: What would make life better? Land is making a comeback. After a few centuries submerged beneath labour and capital, the land has re-emerged, thorny roots and all. Land is now an urgent part of our lives, whether we’re seeking decent homes and better cities or desperately trying…