UCL in the media
Nuclear power is just a slow and expensive distraction
Research from the UCL Bartlett School of Environment, Energy & Resources has highlighted how cost-effective utility-scale renewable systems are in electricity production and carbon dioxide mitigation and argued the UK's policy towards nuclear power is difficult to justify.
Rishi Sunak announces legislation to stop illegal immigration
Dr Andi Hoxhaj (UCL Laws) reflected on Rishi Sunak's new legislation which has a focus on Albanian asylum seekers and highlighted how important collaboration is between the UK and Albanian law enforcement agencies.
How the Thatcher legacy influences the Tory party
Dr Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite (UCL History) discussed the legacy of Margaret Thatcher and suggested Rishi Sunak "represents a different moment of early Thatcherism which was all about fiscal discipline, not spending more than you have and administering harsh medicine".
King Charles to recognise all faiths at his coronation
Professor Robert Hazell and Dr Bob Morris (both UCL Constitution Unit) suggested the King should commit to defend all religious faiths instead of "the faith", and offer a number of alternative oaths for the coronation that reflect a more multicultural Britain.
Setting climate deadlines could be counterproductive
"2020 was once identified as a turning point for cutting carbon emissions, beyond which the goal of realizing the 1.5 °C limit would be 'almost unattainable'… The deadline passed without being met," writes Prof Mark Maslin (ULC Geography) and Robbie Mallett (UCL Earth Sciences).
Could a new OpenAI tool change the way we live?
Rebecca Mace (IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society) argues that ChatGPT, a new sophisticated chatbox program, "could encourage learned helplessness", but highlights it could also help people communicate if they speak multiple languages or having learning difficulties.
The latest AI sensation that replicates human speech
Laura Ruis (UCL Computer Science) explained that ChatGPT, a sophisticated new AI tool, is able to better interpret sentences that convey something other than their literal meaning through human feedback, making it possible for the tool to engage in human-like chats.
Strikes will cost unions tens of millions, but how long can they hold out?
Professor Alex Bryson (IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society) explained that unions "are businesses, after all — they have assets, employees and debts" and therefore do not have unlimited resources to keep strikes going indefinitely.
, ,
Cumbria’s coalmine promise is a black hole
Professor Paul Ekins (UCL Bartlett School of Environment, Energy & Resources) warned that if the proposed West Cumbria mining project went ahead, it could become a “stranded asset” and thinks the developers have overestimated the domestic demand for the coal it will export.
,
The daily working hours found to raise heart attack risk by 67%
A UCL study, led by Professor Mika Kivimaki (UCL Psychiatry), of over 10,000 civil service employees from 1985 onwards found that working over 11 hours a day can increase your risk of a heart attack by 67 percent compared to people who work seven or eight.