Natural History GCSE: The UK Government has confirmed that they will be moving ahead with a Natural History GCSE. The course content has been designed to deepen student’s understanding of the natural world and equip them to contribute to its protection and conservation, both locally and globally.
Education is one of the most powerful tools we have to tackle the climate crisis, so confirmation that the Natural History GCSE is going ahead is great news. As David Attenborough said, “no-one will protect what they don’t care about; and no-one will care about what they have never experienced.” We know young people are a powerful force for change, so hopefully the new Natural History GCSE will help young people experience and care for their local environment and empower them to take action both locally and globally.
Subject to accreditation, the Natural History GCSE could be taught from September 2025.
Europe’s largest battery, located in the UK, begins operations: The largest battery site in Europe has commenced operations. Located in Moray, Scotland, the total capacity of the site is the equivalent of powering more than 3.1 million homes for two hours.
The site is located between Aberdeen and Inverness to address grid congestion from three large offshore wind farms in the area. Grid congestion is essentially an ‘electricity grid traffic jam’, where the grid infrastructure can’t handle the amount of electricity being transported. For example, if it suddenly becomes very windy there is a huge spike in the amount of electricity being generated by the wind farm, which can overload the grid if it is higher than current demand.
Renewable energy sources, such as wind, can also be wasted due to a lack of storage capabilities. Battery sites, like the new one in Moray, can help address the grid congestion and energy wastage by capturing and storing excess electricity until it is needed. It is expected that this new battery site will prevent approximately 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere by integrating more wind power onto the grid.
High-speed rail network proposed for Europe: A high-speed rail network called Starline has been proposed by 21st Europe. Designed like a metro system, it could connect 39 European cities by 2040.
It would run at speeds of 185 – 250 mph, making journeys like Helsinki to Berlin possible in just over five hours, a route that currently takes over 16 hours with multiple train changes. 21st Europe also propose streamlining Europe’s rail network into one system, simplifying things like ticketing and cross-border security to make it easier to travel efficiently across Europe. It is estimated that a network like Starline could cut emissions by 95%, as short haul flights are replaced with high-speed rail.
Starline would also carry time-sensitive cargo such as fresh produce and medical supplies, reducing the need for short haul freight flights and over-burdened road networks.
Learn more about the proposed high-speed rail network Starline here: https://21st-europe.com/blueprints/starline