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…

Part 4 of: What would make life better? In 1865, life expectancy in Britain was about 40 years. Today, it is more than 80. If you doubt that growth has made our lives better, that fact is worth dwelling on. Since 1865, we have got around 7 times richer, and…

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) recently gave its annual verdict on the UK’s progress towards Net Zero, and the news was not encouraging. According to the Committee, the UK has credible plans in place for only 39% of the emissions we need to reduce up to 2037. So for the…

Part 3 of: What would make life better? Cars make people miserable. They’re noisy, they pollute the air, they hurt people in accidents. They seem to make the people who drive them miserable — there is some evidence that a long commute by car worsens your mental health and overall…

Part 2 of: What would make life better? If you want to make life better, you need a means of deciding what the good life is. But does anyone actually agree on what the good life looks like? People in most societies have different values, different tastes and preferences, different…

Why growth needs to be about more than productivity Does economic growth make life better? Ask someone who lives in a slum, or in rural poverty, or anytime before about the year 1960, and it’s a stupid question. Would more food, household goods, access to health and education, a better home make your life better? Of course it would…