Category: The Conversation – UK

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jack Shelbourn, Senior Lecturer and Director of Photography, University of Lincoln

Millions of us unwind with reality television. It’s comforting, social and, when the format is good, brilliantly engineered drama. But there’s an invisible carbon cost to all that escapism.

Plenty of attention has been paid to the carbon footprint of big Hollywood productions, but less so to unscripted TV. Yet the key emitters are similar: travel, energy and materials.

The British Film Institute’s Screen New Deal, a landmark 2020 report on the environmental impact of UK Film Production, found that an average tent-pole show (a high-budget feature that is expected to be a success) produces around 2,840 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) during production. That’s roughly the annual absorption of more than 3,000 acres of forest, and the equivalent of 11 one-way trips to the Moon.

In television, the pattern persists. Bafta’s latest industry data, drawn from thousands of UK and international TV productions, reports about 174,000 tonnes of CO₂e were generated from productions completed in 2024. Travel and transport made up around 65% of that footprint, and energy a further 21%.

These productions burned some 3 million litres of generator fuel last year, while only 2% of recorded car journeys were electric. Flights alone contributed about 30% of total industry emissions in 2024.

And these numbers cover only the “making of” column. They don’t include the downstream emissions from distribution data centres and the devices we watch on. Nor do they capture what economists call “induced demand” – when screen stories inspire consumption.

The Traitors and the carbon of desire

Take The Traitors. The BBC show’s core is psychological: people at a table trying to read each other. Yet the look and feel are scaffolded by a language of luxury adventure – convoys of vehicles, helicopter shots and speedboats.

When a prestige reality show glamorises high-carbon lifestyles, it doesn’t just burn emissions during production – it normalises this behaviour. Research on ITV’s dating show Love Island has shown how a programme’s aesthetic and product associations can directly spike audience consumption patterns, from fast fashion to cosmetic procedures.

Bafta’s climate content analysis also highlights how screen narratives can legitimise environmentally harmful choices through repetition and tone. This fits within a wider media pattern where screen culture reinforces certain identities, aspirations and ways of living. When the “aspirational” look is carbon-heavy, the influence is felt far beyond the set.

In the Traitors, contestants are driven around the Scottish Highlands in vintage Land Rover Defenders, complete with custom number plates. The car-selling website Autotrader saw 90,000 searches for this model in January 2024 when The Traitors was on air – a spike seen again in 2025 during Celebrity Traitors.

Under Bafta’s sustainability framework, most UK broadcasters now require a carbon action plan before filming begins, and must measure their full carbon impact after completing each show. Compliance is encouraged through certifications and is increasingly written into broadcaster contracts.

That’s progress – but the Bafta data shows stubborn problems remain: planes, road fleets, diesel power and material waste.

Practical fixes exist – trains instead of short-haul flights, economy class where flying is unavoidable, electric vehicles instead of diesel, plant-forward catering and circular set design.

Cutting one in four flights and switching a third of road journeys to electric vehicles would, on Bafta’s modelling, significantly reduce the sector’s footprint. Replacing diesel with hydrotreated vegetable oil and prioritising hybrids could drive further reductions.

Changing what ‘exciting’ looks like

The most powerful lever isn’t always new technology, it’s commissioning – choosing formats that don’t need high-carbon logistics to feel exciting. We don’t need to cancel fantasy to cut emissions – we need to change what “exciting” looks like. Three shifts would get us there fast:

1. Rebalance the grammar of spectacle.

Reality TV doesn’t become dull when you strip out the expensive convoy. The Traitors proves the opposite. The most gripping moments in the show happen around the table, not behind the wheel. Drama doesn’t need horsepower to hold our attention.

2. Localise by default.

The biggest savings come when productions avoid flights altogether. Productions that hire local crews and cast and choose accessible locations can slash travel emissions while investing in communities. The BFI Sustainable Screen: Black Samphire report shows how integrating local action, from beach cleans to a “climate positive clause” in production, can turn community engagement into both a sustainability and legacy strategy.

3. Design low-energy craft into the look.

Cameras and lighting can now deliver strong results with smaller, fewer fixtures and more reflective control, cutting power and transport without harming picture quality. In my teaching and research, I’ve demonstrated that replacing all the lights and clutter on a film set with a single light source, which is then bounced around the set to create the illusion of many lights, can replace multi-head rigs for many scenes, slashing energy use while improving speed and safety.

Productions that rely less on diesel and long-haul logistics are cheaper to insure, easier to schedule, quieter on location and more resilient to fuel-price shocks and grid constraints.

Audiences aren’t powerless. I love The Traitors – I’ve watched all the UK seasons and some international ones too. It’s a great way to get through the post-Christmas blues. But it’s time we asked broadcasters to publish their carbon action plans in plain English – and for us to celebrate productions that make their low-carbon choices visible through smart logistics and elegant craft.

We’ve learned to recognise intimacy coordinators and accessibility credits – sustainability leads should be there too.

Reality TV isn’t the villain of the climate story. But it is a powerful amplifier of taste. If commissioners prioritise formats that deliver drama without flights, convoys and diesel, and crews embrace low-energy craft, the sector can cut much of its footprint – while telling even better stories.

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The climate crisis has a communications problem. How do we tell stories that move people – not just to fear the future, but to imagine and build a better one? This article is part of Climate Storytelling, a series exploring how arts and science can join forces to spark understanding, hope and action.

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Jack Shelbourn is affiliated with The Green party of England and Wales, as a member.

– ref. The hidden carbon cost of reality TV shows like The Traitors – https://theconversation.com/the-hidden-carbon-cost-of-reality-tv-shows-like-the-traitors-269675

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Bran Nicol, Professor of English, University of Surrey

From HBO drama Succession to Netflix reality show Selling Sunset, TV depictions of work tend to treat it as a vehicle for social betterment rather than a means to survival. The Chinese writer Hu Anyan’s arresting memoir, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing, just published in an English translation, provides an alternative perspective.

The book began life as a lockdown blog post about its author’s experiences in a logistics warehouse. When it went viral, he reshaped it into a book about his time working as a courier and in a range of other low-paid positions, from waiter to gas station attendant.

It has now sold almost 2 million copies in China, and nearly 20 countries have translation rights. The 46-year-old Hu was dubbed “one of China’s most remarkable new literary talents” by the Financial Times.

Despite documenting hardship and frustration, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is narrated in an intimate and witty style – for which English translator Jack Hargreaves deserves great credit.

It’s an unforgettable portrayal of the gruelling realities of work in the gig economy. The book covers the dire effects on sleep and health, punishing shifts without breaks, stressed-out bosses and rivalries between workers. It’s packed with engaging stories about the people Hu works with and delivers to.

Though the central theme is about work in general, the book’s title shrewdly highlights one job which now occupies a particularly prominent position both socially and culturally. During the pandemic online delivery driving was termed a new “emergency service” – a function which had been prophetically mythologised in the 2019 action-adventure video game, Death Stranding, which casts the courier as post-apocalyptic saviour.

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Earlier this year Stephen Starring Grant’s touching memoir Mailman showed that the true purpose of being a letter carrier in rural Appalachia was to provide a lifeline for the isolated and lonely.

Autobiographical writing such as Grant’s – and now Hu’s – shows that the narrow perspective of one person’s experience can also illuminate something much broader. By presenting his life as a patchwork of all the jobs he has had, Hu provides a powerful insight into a much larger system – or rather into three vast systems which have profoundly shaped contemporary existence.

There is the enormous, largely hidden, network of logistics and “platform capitalism” – the system which uses digital platforms to connect different users in the economic chain – upon which we all increasingly depend. I Deliver Parcels in Beijing allows us to peek inside this world, and learn how it operates – from the bureaucratic labyrinth of being onboarded as a contractor to the frustrations of having to cover the cost of lost parcels, or to wait while customers try on clothes they’ve ordered on the spot.

Then there are the glimpses of everyday life in contemporary China, a driving force behind much of the world’s economy but still mysterious to those in the west. Hu’s book shines a light on the predicament of “internal migrants” – the members of a 300-million strong workforce uprooted from their rural hometowns to find work in cities, where their undocumented status forbids them access to social services.

But it also provides rich insight into all sorts of distinctive aspects of Chinese life, from social and culinary customs to a village in which everyone still shares the same surname.

But enveloping all this is the irrepressible system of late-stage capitalism – which China is able to inhabit so formidably through its unique blend of market economy and state-owned and private business. For those in the west, to read I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is to enter a fascinating parallel universe.

There is no Amazon but the vast Alibaba ecosystem of online retail, WeChat instead of Facebook, and Goade Maps rather than Google Maps. But in its charming, understated way, the book is a vivid account of the process Marxists term “alienation”.

Work in the gig economy is a means to survive rather than a form of self-expression. Its workers do not control their labour nor own its products, and can become dehumanised.

Though too modest and self-deprecating to be a memoir with a strong political message, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is nevertheless a quietly critical story of how it feels to be stuck in this system.

After a few weeks as a delivery driver Hu begins to notice his personality changing. He finds himself shouting at an annoying customer, and feeling nothing when he makes an old man wait for his delivery on the sidewalk for nearly three hours.

It is reasonable to assume, from his memoir’s inspiring, open-hearted humanity, that this does not represent the person Hu really is. As he writes, however: “There is a reason that deep-sea fish are blind, and animals in the desert tolerant of thirst – a big part of who I am is determined by my environment and not my nature.”

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This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

Bran Nicol does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. I Deliver Parcels in Beijing by Hu Anyan: an unforgettable look at gig-economy hardship – https://theconversation.com/i-deliver-parcels-in-beijing-by-hu-anyan-an-unforgettable-look-at-gig-economy-hardship-269157

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Christopher Saville, Clinical Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology and Sport Science, Bangor University

Choking during sex has moved from the margins to the mainstream for many young adults, but the risks have not changed. New research shows how common the practice has become, and how confused many people are about what makes it dangerous.

A survey commissioned by the Institute for Addressing Strangulation (IfAS) has found that more than one-third of people aged 18 to 34 have been choked or strangled at least once during consensual sex. IfAS is a UK-based organisation that aims to reduce harms from strangulation in domestic abuse, sexual contexts and forensic settings – environments where injuries are examined for legal, evidential or investigative purposes.

The survey findings suggest that pornography featuring choking is helping to normalise strangulation during sex among young adults. The report was published as the UK government prepares to ban such content in the upcoming crime and policing bill.

While many participants reported positive experiences, others described deeply negative experiences, and just over one-quarter said they had been choked without agreeing to it first. This raises particular concern because choking during sex sometimes intersects with domestic abuse and non-fatal strangulation is a known predictor of serious harm in intimate partner violence.

When a behaviour that is well documented in coercive and violent relationships becomes normalised in consensual settings, the boundaries can blur. Young people may struggle to distinguish experimentation from harm and may feel pressured to accept acts they do not want. The survey’s accounts of distress and lack of consent highlight how these boundaries can erode.

One of the most revealing parts of the survey explored how people think about danger. Almost three-quarters of respondents described choking during sex as either “very dangerous” or “somewhat dangerous”. However, when asked whether it is possible to strangle someone safely during sex, opinions were divided. Twenty-nine percent believed it is possible, 39% believed it is not and 32% were unsure.

Participants also gave a wide range of answers about how a person might try to make this safer. One important theme was that participants were divided about whether it is more important to avoid pressing on the airway or on the blood vessels in the neck.

This confusion matters because the body responds very differently to these types of pressure. Strangulation denies the brain oxygen and this can happen in two ways.

One involves blocking the airway, which makes breathing difficult or impossible. The other involves interrupting the flow of blood to and from the brain, by blocking blood vessels on the side of the neck.

Some people use the word choking for the first and strangulation for the second, but these terms are often used in confusing ways.

A key difference is how quickly these two types of strangulation affect the brain. Blocking breathing can take around one minute to cause unconsciousness. Blocking blood flow can cause unconsciousness in as little as five to ten seconds.

Another difference is that restricted breathing feels uncomfortable and obvious, while restricted blood flow can be hard to recognise until it is too late. It is not intuitive to people that they can be strangled while still being able to breathe.

Strangulation’s rapid effects happen because the brain depends on a constant supply of oxygen. If oxygen is cut off, the brain can suffer damage very quickly. Some areas such as the hippocampus, which plays a central role in memory, are particularly vulnerable.

As oxygen levels fall, the brain tries to protect itself by reducing its own use of oxygen, which causes unconsciousness. If oxygen is not restored quickly, brain cells begin to die.

Strangulation can also harm the body in other ways. Sexual choking can cause a range of physical and psychological injuries and, in extreme cases, can be fatal. During or after choking a person may experience trouble breathing, pain or difficulty swallowing, loss of bladder or bowel control, memory problems or psychological trauma.

In rare cases, choking during sex can trigger a stroke. This can happen if a blood vessel is damaged and bleeds, or if blood pools behind a blockage and forms a clot that later travels to a smaller vessel.

What can be done?

Public health has two broad approaches to risky behaviour. The first is prohibition, which creates legal or practical barriers to prevent dangerous acts.

The UK government’s plan to ban pornography that shows choking is one example. However, sexual practices take place in private settings and cannot be monitored or restricted in the same way as access to pornography, which limits the reach of prohibition.

The second approach is harm reduction. It accepts that people may continue a behaviour even if discouraged and aims to help them reduce the risks. This approach is complicated in the case of sexual choking, because misinformation is widespread and many online communities promote inaccurate ideas about “safe” practice.

Both approaches attract debate. Prohibition is sometimes criticised as intrusive or unrealistic, and harm reduction as condoning dangerous or immoral behaviours. But they do not have to work against each other. They can operate together by reducing the likelihood of a behaviour while equipping people with accurate information about risk.

The IfAS survey shows that many young people misunderstand what makes strangulation dangerous – and this gap in knowledge could have life-threatening consequences. Education that explains how strangulation affects the body could help reduce harm by giving people a clearer sense of the risks involved.

Accurate information would also support wider public health efforts by helping people recognise why certain sexual practices carry significant danger, and why legal and clinical responses are being developed to address them.

Christopher Saville was a partner on a Home Office funded research project with IfAS, who conducted the survey, and provided some early advice to them about the survey.

– ref. Choking during sex is common among young adults, but the risks are poorly understood – https://theconversation.com/choking-during-sex-is-common-among-young-adults-but-the-risks-are-poorly-understood-270252

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lewis Eves, Lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham

Tensions are rising between China and Japan again over a dispute in the East China Sea. Such tensions are usually over the Senkaku Islands, an uninhabited chain administered by Japan but claimed by China. The current row, however, stems from international anxiety over a possible Chinese invasion of democratically ruled Taiwan.

On November 17, in her first parliamentary address since taking office in October, Japan’s prime minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that her country could intervene militarily in the event of an attack on Taiwan. Takaichi’s comments sparked anger in China, with state media framing her rhetoric as reminiscent of Japanese acts of violence towards China during the second world war.

Beijing has demanded that Takaichi retract her comments – a call she has rebuffed – and is advising Chinese citizens against travelling to Japan, claiming there has been a deterioration in public security there. China has also introduced a blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports as the row continues to escalate.

The ruling communist party, which frames itself as the protector of the Chinese nation, has long sought to reunify China following the so-called “century of humiliation”. Starting with the first opium war in 1839 and concluding with the end of the second world war in 1945, this period saw China victimised and partitioned by various foreign powers.

Taiwan is thus problematic for the party. The island state broke away from China in 1949 at the end of the Chinese civil war, and its autonomy from Beijing contradicts the goal of national unity that the party has promised. Some observers fear that China will seek reunification through force, with some predictions suggesting it will be ready to invade Taiwan as soon as 2027.

There is no guarantee that an invasion will occur. But the international community, led by the US, is preparing for a confrontation over Taiwan regardless. On the same day Takaichi made her comments, the US government announced it had agreed to sell US$700 million (£535 million) of arms to Taiwan.

In this context, Japan’s show of support for a strategic partner in the region is not surprising – yet Takaichi’s remarks about Japanese intervention are particularly provocative for China. One reason is that Japan occupied and colonised Taiwan from 1895 to 1945, contributing to China’s century of humiliation. This makes Japanese threats to intervene in Taiwan’s defence a contentious prospect for China to consider.

Another reason is that anti-Japanese sentiment is a prominent characteristic of Chinese nationalism. Many Chinese nationalists are vocal in condemning Japan for any provocation, pointing to historical atrocities committed against China as evidence of a need to stay vigilant against renewed Japanese aggression. The idea of Japan intervening to maintain the status quo in what China considers a breakaway province probably falls under their idea of an aggressive act.

Will tensions escalate?

Outright conflict between China and Japan remains unlikely. It is possible that Takaichi’s remarks were simply an effort to shore up domestic political support, rather than a genuine military threat.

Her rightwing Liberal Democratic party (LDP) previously governed Japan in coalition with the centre-right Komeito party. This coalition broke down in October 2025, forcing the LDP to rely increasingly on its nationalist base for support – a group that is generally suspicious of China’s growing military and economic strength.

Irrespective of Takaichi’s motive, China has responded assertively. It sent its coast guard to the Senkaku Islands in what it called a “rights enforcement patrol”. The Japanese government has also accused China of flying military drones near Japan’s most westerly territory, Yonaguni, which is close to Taiwan’s east coast. Any misfire risks open hostility between the two nations.

Relations between Japan and China are tense, yet I see cause for optimism. Takaichi has positioned herself as a successor to the late Shinzo Abe, who served as Japan’s prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020.

Like Takaichi, Abe promoted an assertive Japanese foreign policy. He oversaw reinterpretations of Article 9, the pacifist clause of Japan’s constitution, to lessen restrictions on his country’s use of military force. This included passing legislation in 2015 which allows Japan’s self-defence force to deploy to protect the country’s allies. This legislation has enabled Takaichi to consider military intervention in Taiwan’s favour.

When Abe entered office in 2012, it was also a tense time for China and Japan. Japanese nationalist activists swam to the Senkaku Islands and raised their country’s flag, triggering massive anti-Japanese protests in China. Tensions remained high for several years, with both countries deploying ships and warplanes to the region.

This resulted in several near-misses that could have escalated into outright conflict. In 2014, Chinese fighter jets flew extremely close to a Japanese surveillance plane and intelligence aircraft near the islands, passing about 30 metres from one plane and 50 metres from another.

However, once tensions passed, Abe and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, oversaw several years of relative calm and cooperation between their two countries. In fact, this is usually linked to the familiarity Abe and Xi developed through their interactions while managing their countries’ mutual animosity over the disputed islands.

So, if Takaichi can follow her mentor’s lead and successfully navigate the tensions to build an effective working relationship with Xi, a more stable relationship between China and Japan in the future is still possible.

Lewis Eves does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Why Japan’s support for Taiwan has gone down so badly in China – https://theconversation.com/why-japans-support-for-taiwan-has-gone-down-so-badly-in-china-270112

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rosie Williams, Postdoctoral Researcher, Toxicology, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London

In 2017, a new global treaty was meant to bring mercury pollution under control. But three decades of data from UK harbour porpoises show mercury is still increasing, and is linked to a higher risk of dying from infectious disease.

When the Minamata convention came into force eight years ago, it was hailed as a turning point. The global treaty on mercury commits countries to reducing mercury from coal-fired power plants, industry and products, like batteries and dental fillings.

Yet mercury levels are still rising in many parts of the ocean. Human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels have already tripled mercury in shallower ocean waters (less than 1,000m in depth) since the industrial revolution. Warmer seas and shifting food webs are exacerbating the problem by increasing the rate of accumulation in the marine food chain.

In our new study, my colleagues and I analysed liver samples from 738 harbour porpoises that stranded along UK coastlines between 1990 and 2021. We found mercury levels increased over time and animals with higher levels are more likely to die from infectious disease.

Harbour porpoises are sentinels of ocean health because they are long lived (often for more than 20 years) and high up the food chain. This makes them more vulnerable to certain pollutants. The contaminants that build up in them are a warning for the marine ecosystem – and for us.

We measured trace elements as part of the UK’s strandings programmes in England, Wales and Scotland – the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) and the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS). Stranded animals die from a range of causes, including bycatch in fishing gear and disease. When found washed up, a subset are sent to our London laboratory for post-mortem examination to help us better understand the population and the threats they face.

We sampled each animal to measure eight trace elements, including mercury, in their liver, which plays a critical role in the metabolism, detoxification and accumulation and tends to be where concentrations are highest. We analysed how concentrations changed over time, how they varied geographically around the UK, and whether levels were related to cause of death.

Over the last 30 years, mercury concentrations in porpoise livers rose by about 1% per year. By 2021, the average mercury concentration was almost double that of early 1990s. A worrying minority (about one in ten animals in the last decade) had mercury levels where serious health effects are expected.

In contrast, lead, cadmium, chromium and nickel declined, reflecting past bans and tighter controls on these pollutants (such as the ban on lead petrol).

We then investigated whether metal burdens were linked to health. Comparing porpoises that died of infectious disease with those that died of trauma, such as bycatch in fishing gear, we found that animals with higher burdens of mercury had a significantly greater risk of dying from infectious disease.

In parallel, we saw a steady increase in the proportion of porpoises dying from infectious disease and a corresponding decline in deaths from trauma. That doesn’t prove mercury is the sole cause. Many factors, including nutritional stress and other pollutants like industrial chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), also affect immune function. But our study strongly suggests that mercury is part of the problem.

Why mercury is rising

Large amounts of mercury from past coal burning, industry and mining are already present in the oceans. Much of it sits in deeper waters acting as a source supplying shallower water and can take decades or centuries to be removed. This may explain why declines aren’t evident.

Climate change and overfishing are also disrupting marine food chains. This affects the formation and bioaccumulation (build up in tissues) of methylmercury (the toxic organic form of mercury), increasing levels in the fish that porpoise prey on. And global emissions have not stopped: coal power, cement production and sources such as dental amalgam still release mercury to the environment.

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Our findings highlight that mercury ins’t just a historical problem. It is a current, growing pressure on marine mammals that face multiple other stresses: bycatch, noise pollution, habitat degradation, climate-driven prey shifts and exposure to forever chemicals.

Because mammals share many aspects of physiology and immune function, the trends in porpoises offer a warning for human health too. If top predators in UK coastal waters are becoming more contaminated, the same processes may be affecting some of the fish and shellfish we eat.

Harbour porpoises are small, shy and easily overlooked. But their tissues are quietly recording the story of our chemical footprint in the sea. Right now, that story is telling us something uncomfortable: even after a global treaty, mercury pollution is still rising, and it is affecting the health of marine wildlife.

Mercury and climate change are two sides of the same problem: burning fewer fossil fuels cuts CO₂ and mercury, while missing climate targets risks driving more methylmercury into marine food webs. A safer ocean for porpoises and for people can be achieved by phasing out coal more quickly, reducing industrial emissions and moving away from mercury-containing products wherever safer alternatives exist.

The outlook for marine mammals can also be improved by addressing other human threats such as bycatch, underwater noise and other pollutants. None of this works without long-term monitoring, so continued investment in programmes, like the UK strandings network that underpinned our study, is essential to assess progress.

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Rosie Williams was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

– ref. Mercury pollution in marine mammals is increasing – new study – https://theconversation.com/mercury-pollution-in-marine-mammals-is-increasing-new-study-270123

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nikhil Datta, Assistant Professor, Economics, University of Warwick

Housing and high rental costs have been a major issue for the UK in the past decade. While other countries have moved towards protections for renters, rent control has not been a widespread feature of the British rental market for over a generation.

But now the new Renters’ Rights Act introduces provisions to protect tenants in England against rent increases. While the UK government says it “does not support the introduction of rent controls”, the act does allow tenants to appeal rent increases if they are above market rents.

Only time will tell whether the act introduces rent control through the back door. In the meantime, the Scottish parliament recently passed landmark housing legislation that will allow for limited rent controls across the country from 2027.

But among economists, rent controls are controversial. They have the potential for unintended consequences – including, ultimately, housing shortages. However, fears were raised about the unintended consequences of a proposed minimum wage three decades ago. Today, the policy is generally seen as having avoided the negative impact on employment that was once feared.

Rent control reliably offers short-term protection for sitting tenants, curbing their need to move away in the face of price pressures and keeping rents lower in covered properties.

But landlords often adjust in ways that shrink the regulated rental stock, selling properties on to owner-occupiers or converting them into short-term lets. This was the experience in San Francisco, where landlords responded by reducing the number of rent-controlled units.

Berlin’s rent freeze seemed to have similar effects, briefly pushing down regulated asking rents, which coincided with a fall in the number of rental listings.

Evidence from Catalonia in Spain, however, paints a more optimistic picture. Average rents there fell by around 4%-6% without any detectable fall in supply.

Classic economic theory – and evidence – highlight another set of risks: mis-allocation (where homes don’t go to those who could benefit most from them) and under-maintenance of properties within the controlled sector. When strict controls were abolished in Cambridge, Massachusetts, property values jumped sharply both for previously controlled homes and those that had never been subject to rent controls.

This suggests there were negative consequences from regulated properties on others in the neighbourhood, possibly driven by under-maintenance reducing overall neighbourhood appeal.

Overall, reviews of academic studies suggest that the outcome depends on the shape the policy takes – things like whether new-builds are exempt, if rents can rise between tenancies and whether controls are indexed and enforced.

Yet the broad pattern is clear: rent control tends to protect tenants in the short run. But in the longer run, supply responses often shift the pressure on to those still searching for a home.

So, what can we learn from economic analysis? The Renters’ Rights Act does not limit rents for new contracts, but seeks to regulate rent increases for incumbent tenants. Given the abolition of section 21 (“no-fault”) evictions, this is necessary to prevent landlords from raising rents far above the market rate to force tenants out.

Some economic models suggest it is reasonable to regulate rent increases for sitting tenants. Renters who are already in a property are typically less price-sensitive than those searching on the open market. They may have attachments to their homes – proximity to work and schools, or community ties, for example – and moving would be costly.

As a result, landlords may hold greater power over these tenants. Consequently, the legislation aims to ensure that tenants do not face rent increases beyond what landlords could obtain on the open market.

Theory vs practice

While well-intentioned, there are concerns when it comes to the design of rent control. A key worry is the uncertainty around what the “market rate” actually is.

If a tenant believes a rent increase exceeds that, they will be able to challenge it through the UK’s tribunal system. Right now, the first-tier tribunal hears very few cases – but an increase in complaints could overburden the system.

At present, market rent is determined by looking at properties in the area and is decided by a judge or surveyor. But this setup comes with challenges.

Homes have many dimensions that people value differently. This makes predicting what a property would rent for on the open market far from straightforward. Even surveyors valuing homes for sale tend to deviate by around 10% in either direction from actual prices. Machine learning models perform no better.

As a result, judgements could have a “luck of the draw” element for both tenants and landlords, raising issues of consistency and transparency. These problems will be even more acute for unique properties.

Finally, there is the issue of access. Evidence shows that lower-income or otherwise disadvantaged people are less likely to use formal tribunal processes.

These challenges do not mean the policy should be abandoned. But careful design could ease pressure on the judicial system and improve transparency.

One option would be to introduce a commitment mechanism for rent increases. Under this approach, if a landlord raised the rent and the tenant felt it was unfair and chose to leave, the tenant could complain to a proposed new ombudsman or tribunal.

The tribunal’s role would be limited. It would record the complaint and later review the rent agreed in the next tenancy for that property. If it was lower, the landlord would pay the former tenant compensation.

This mechanism would encourage landlords to set rent increases only at levels they genuinely believe the market will bear.

Ultimately, the success of rent regulation will depend less on the principle and more on the details of its design and enforcement. A system that protects tenants without freezing supply or overburdening the courts will need clear rules, credible oversight and realistic expectations of the “market rate”.

The Renters’ Rights Act represents a bold attempt to rebalance power in favour of the tenant. But its implementation will determine whether it provides stability for renters and improves the market, or simply adds a layer of uncertainty for both sides.

Nikhil Datta receives, or has received funding from the Nuffield Foundation, British Academy, Leverhulme Trust and the Economic and Social Research Council.

Jan David Bakker has received funding from the BA/Leverhulme Trust, the PRIN and the PNRR.

– ref. Could new tenants’ rights usher in rent controls? Here’s why that wouldn’t necessarily be a positive – https://theconversation.com/could-new-tenants-rights-usher-in-rent-controls-heres-why-that-wouldnt-necessarily-be-a-positive-268827

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Harmehak Singh, PhD Candidate in Psychology, Liverpool Hope University

Ever eaten while doom-scrolling and realised you barely tasted anything? Or found your favourite pasta strangely bland after a stressful meeting, yet somehow delicious on a relaxed Saturday evening?

We often think taste comes from ingredients and cooking techniques. But taste isn’t just on the plate. Our emotions, expectations – even the people sitting with us – can shape how food tastes.

This mind-food connection sits at the heart of gastrophysics, a field that studies how our senses, brain and mental states shape our eating experience. Once we know how this works, we can start using simple psychological shifts to make everyday meals taste richer, brighter and more satisfying, without changing a single ingredient.

Mindful eating means paying attention to each bite; noticing flavours, textures, aromas and the sensations in our body as we eat.

But most of us don’t eat like this. We eat while scrolling, replying to messages or watching Netflix in the background. Our attention gets divided, our senses dull and we go into “autopilot” mode. We chew quickly, swallow automatically and miss the subtle flavours and signals from our body telling us we are full. We also lose touch with our body’s hunger cues, which makes overeating more likely. Normally, rising levels of the “hunger hormone” ghrelin and gentle stomach contractions alert us it’s time to eat.

But distraction makes those messages easier to ignore.

Essentially, our body also has a sophisticated system to tell us to stop. As we eat, our stomach stretches, sending “fullness” signals to the brain. At the same time, hormones such as leptin and cholecystokinin are released, creating a feeling of satiety that slowly builds over the course of a meal.

When we’re distracted, we may miss this delicate hormonal conversation.

A 2011 study found that people who played a computer game during lunch felt less full afterwards, remembered less about their meal and snacked more later. Distraction also weakens the memory of eating – and when the brain forgets food, it will seek more food sooner. Appetite, therefore, isn’t just about biology. It’s shaped by our attention and memory too.

Slowing down, on the other hand, improves our sensory awareness. Suddenly, a tomato isn’t just “tomato-y”, it becomes sweet yet tangy, juicy yet firm. Chocolate doesn’t just “taste nice”, it melts slowly, bitter at first, then rich and velvety. Mindfulness acts like turning up the volume on our taste buds.

Mood as a flavour enhancer

Negative emotions such as stress, anxiety and frustration can dull our sensitivity to pleasant flavours. When we’re tense, our body prioritises survival, not enjoyment. Stress hormones narrow our attention, and pleasure-based functions such as flavour appreciation get pushed aside. That’s why food can taste flat when we’re upset.

In one experiment, published in 2021, participants who watched a horror movie felt more anxious and rated juice as less sweet than those who watched a comedy or documentary film. The participants who watched the horror movie even drank more juice than the others – possibly trying to “find” the sweetness their brain was suppressing. These effects may be linked to physiological changes, as anxiety can influence autonomic nervous system activity and hormone levels that affect taste perception and consumption.

When we feel calm, safe and socially connected, the opposite happens. Our brain releases feelgood chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin, and food tastes better. Think of how amazing your favourite food tastes when you’re laughing with friends or eating at a festival.

So if dinner suddenly tastes “off”, the recipe might be fine, your nervous system may just be in a different state. Next time you’ve had a heavy day, try pausing for five minutes before eating. Play soft music, take a few deep breaths, or eat with someone who makes you feel relaxed.

Food is what you think

Before we even taste food, our brain forms predictions about what it should taste like. And those expectations shape what we actually taste.

Visual cues do a lot of this work. We expect red foods to be sweet, green foods to feel bitter or sour, and golden-crisp foods to crunch. The sound of a crisp bite sends a signal to the brain that the food is fresh and satisfying.

Presentation matters too. Fancy plating isn’t just for Instagram. It changes taste perception. In a 2024 study, the shape, size, and colour of the plate shifted how appealing a dessert looked. The features of the plate also affected how much people thought it was worth, and even how modern or traditional it felt. Black plates made desserts seem more premium and exciting, while white plates made them feel more familiar and understated. Even the weight of cutlery changes our experience. Heavier cutlery gives the impression that the food is premium.

Our sense of smell is another factor. When people had their noses blocked with nose clips for an experiment, a sweet drink tasted less intense and less satisfying, showing how aroma shapes the full flavour experience. This is exactly why food feels bland when we have a cold or a blocked nose.

So what does all this mean for your next meal? It means you have more power than you think. Try eating something you love from a nice plate. Notice the colours. We don’t have to wait for a chef’s touch. With a little psychology, we can make everyday meals more satisfying and enjoyable.

Harmehak Singh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Psychology can change the way food tastes – here’s how to use it to make the most of your meals – https://theconversation.com/psychology-can-change-the-way-food-tastes-heres-how-to-use-it-to-make-the-most-of-your-meals-269212

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Kevin Munro, Ewing Professor of Audiology, University of Manchester

If the NHS recommended it, would people test their own hearing at home and use self-fitting hearing aids?

A survey of over 2,000 adults found that nine in every ten said yes, they’d be willing to test their own hearing. Most also said they’d try a hearing aid sent by the NHS – either ready programmed or requiring them to set it up themselves.

Currently, the NHS route involves GPs referring patients for a face-to-face appointment with an audiologist in an NHS hospital, community setting, or increasingly on the high street. But waiting times are long, and services are struggling to meet demand despite staff working hard to help.

Hearing loss is the most common sensory impairment. One in every four adults has a measurable hearing loss, and this increases with age: 40% of people over 40, 50% over 50, and 60% over 60. With an ageing population, these numbers will only grow.

Waiting times reveal how well a health system works. They offer an opportunity to trigger changes that make health services more responsive and put patients first.

Ministers are encouraging people to monitor their own health and want the NHS to use more digital technology and provide care closer to home.

The ten-year health plan for England focuses on three big shifts in healthcare: hospital to home, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention. As part of the plan, the NHS is examining wearable and other monitoring technologies, including direct-to-consumer hearing aids, to support these shifts.

The survey findings suggest that many adults would welcome this approach.

Various apps and online tests already allow people to assess their hearing at home using smartphones or tablets with regular earphones. However, these vary in quality, and researchers haven’t properly evaluated all of them.

There are also direct-to-consumer hearing aids, sometimes called over-the-counter devices. High-quality large-scale studies are needed to assess how well they work.

Beyond relieving pressure on existing NHS services, home testing could offer patients greater choice, more convenience, immediate results without waiting for appointments, and reduce the medical stigma around hearing loss. It might encourage younger people to seek help when their hearing loss is less severe.

However, the survey revealed genuine concerns that need addressing. People worry about trusting test results and feeling confident they’ve done the testing properly without face-to-face support.

While these self-administered at-home digital solutions work for many people, they won’t suit everyone. Relying solely on digital solutions could unintentionally increase inequality.

People’s ability to use digital solutions is linked to age and education level. This might explain why the survey found that older adults and those who didn’t pursue education after secondary school were less willing to test their hearing at home.

Some people may be willing to try a self-administered at-home solution but need to switch to the traditional face-to-face method if they run into problems. Either way, solutions are needed for the lack of professional support and oversight that comes with self-administered home testing.

Some experts worry that bypassing a hearing professional might create risks for people with ear disease requiring medical intervention. Another common issue is impacted earwax, which can affect hearing or prevent hearing aids from working properly. However, it’s unclear what proportion of adults seeking help for hearing difficulty actually have earwax that needs removing.

Before rolling these findings out into practice, researchers need to check whether the survey results translate into reality and whether the benefits and outcomes match what is currently in place.

In the meantime, the survey suggests that offering a range of options could relieve some pressure on the NHS and make it more sustainable. This would free audiologists to spend their valuable time and resources with the people who need them most.

Kevin Munro does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Most people are happy to do their own hearing tests at home – could it relieve pressure on the NHS? – https://theconversation.com/most-people-are-happy-to-do-their-own-hearing-tests-at-home-could-it-relieve-pressure-on-the-nhs-261878

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Fiona Regan, Full Professor of Chemistry and Director, DCU Water Institute, Dublin City University

For over 200 years, native oysters (Ostrea edulis) have been absent in Dublin Bay. Once abundant along the Irish coast, they thrived in the sheltered estuaries and tidal flats that shaped the city’s maritime life.

Historical records from the 18th and early 19th centuries describe vast oyster beds stretching across the bay. They were a vital food source, a cornerstone of coastal trade and a symbol of Dublin’s connection to the sea. By the mid-1800s, however, the beds had collapsed.

A combination of over fishing, industrial pollution, development, habitat destruction, and disease decimated the population. It left behind only fragments of shell in the sediment as traces of what had once been a thriving marine ecosystem.

Oyster fishing along the Irish south-east coast is well documented. While oyster cultivation, breeding and growing oysters in Ireland dates back to the 13th century, consumption of oysters here has been a tradition for more than 4,000 years. The widespread disappearance of oyster beds mirrored a broader story – the loss of ecological richness that accompanied urban expansion and industrialisation.

Now, through collaborative efforts led by the Green Ocean Foundation, a not-for-profit marine environmental organisation, as well as local volunteers and the Dublin City University Water Institute, the oyster is making a return. The reintroduction of oysters to Dublin Bay represents more than ecological restoration – it’s a revival of cultural heritage and collective memory.

In November 2025, more than 18,000 oysters have returned to the bay as part of a project that goes far beyond species reintroduction. Housed in 300 floating flip baskets, these oysters will breed future generations.

The baskets are connected along a 100-metre line and are flipped at monthly or bi-weekly intervals (depending on the season), and are in a sheltered area of Dun Laoghaire harbour. David Lawlor, co-founder of Green Ocean Foundation, said that the flipping technique allowed birdlife to remove fouling that could otherwise restrict the flow of seawater through the baskets. Overall, this project is showing how oysters can deliver significant benefits for our coasts and environment.

Oysters and clean water

Each new bed seeded in the bay has the potential to restore not just biodiversity. By building a scientifically supported re-introduction project – it can also provide the proof needed that even the most degraded environments can heal when science, policy, and community unite behind a shared vision.

Oysters are nature’s quiet custodians. Each one can filter up to 200 litres of water a day, drawing in microscopic algae, sediments and pollutants, and potentially releasing cleaner water back into their surroundings.

When established, an oyster reef functions like a natural water treatment plant, a living system that not only purifies but also stabilises shorelines, creates habitat for marine life, and buffers against the impacts of coastal erosion.

Researchers are aiming to restore and reimagine the role of the oyster. DCU’s work combines field monitoring, in-situ sensors, chemical analysis and biological assessment to understand how oysters grow and survive under fluctuating environmental pressures, including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, legacy pollutants and microplastics.

By examining oyster health, shell composition, and biochemical responses, researchers are using these organisms as biological indicators of ocean health. They become early-warning sentinels that reveal broader changes in coastal ecosystems.

DCU scientists are assessing how effectively oysters filter contaminants from marine waters. The team quantifies the natural purification capacity of restored reefs by mapping how they move through the oyster’s filtration system. Research suggests that oyster beds can substantially reduce suspended solids and organic pollutants, functioning as nature-based treatment systems that complement, and in some cases rival, engineered approaches.

Below the surface, oyster reefs create complex habitats that support juvenile fish, crabs and seaweeds, helping to rebuild the biodiversity that once characterised Ireland’s estuaries. The project includes efforts to establish a genetic fingerprint for restored populations, enabling researchers to track how restoration influences both water quality and ecological recovery.

In time, advanced tools including non-target contaminant screening, gut microbiome analysis, histology (the study of cell and tissue structure), and molecular diagnostics will be applied to assess oyster health, growth, and stress responses. (Non-target screening uses high-resolution mass spectrometry to detect and identify a broad spectrum of known and unknown contaminants.)

This project is built on collaboration. DCU scientists bring the scientific rigour, ensuring that every action is guided by evidence and long-term impact, and the Green Ocean Foundation has set out a vision for sustainable marine restoration. But perhaps most importantly, the real momentum comes from local volunteers and companies who roll up their sleeves to help.

This fusion of corporate responsibility, citizens, scientists and environmental education is creating a new model for how business and society can work together to tackle environmental recovery.

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

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Fiona Regan receives funding from Enterprise Ireland.

– ref. Thousands of oysters are being re-introduced to Dublin Bay as nature’s super water cleaners – https://theconversation.com/thousands-of-oysters-are-being-re-introduced-to-dublin-bay-as-natures-super-water-cleaners-269868

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Charlotte Goodburn, Reader in Chinese Politics and Development, King’s College London

The UK government is promoting its plan for a new digital identity scheme as a way to streamline services, prevent fraud and ensure that welfare benefits reach only those entitled to them. The prime minister, Keir Starmer, has argued that digital ID is central to modernising the welfare state and tightening immigration controls.

On his recent trip to India, Starmer praised the country’s Aadhaar programme, the world’s largest digital ID system, as a “massive success”. The UK government has cited Aadhaar’s role in “reducing fraud and leakages in welfare schemes”.

But my ongoing research on India’s digital identity registration suggests that large-scale efficiency can come at significant social cost.

Aadhaar was launched in 2009, giving every Indian resident a unique 12-digit number, linked to demographic and biometric information. Its stated aim was to eliminate duplication in welfare distribution and make the system more efficient.

Fifteen years on, however, the results tell a different story. Millions of people have lost access to subsidised food, pensions and wages for public projects, sometimes for months or years at a time.

This was not because they were ineligible for the benefits, but because they failed to satisfy the system’s rigid digital conditions. These problems are ongoing.

Officials claim that Aadhaar has saved billions of rupees in welfare spending, by removing people who didn’t qualify. But research by economist Reetika Khera and colleagues shows that much of the reduction in beneficiary numbers came from the removal of legitimate claimants whose records could not be verified.

For many households, the shift to Aadhaar-linked benefits meant replacing decisions by local officials with automation. To collect subsidised food, recipients must have their number regularly authenticated online.

When internet connections fail, names are misspelt or data not updated, access can be cancelled. The same applies to pension payments and employment schemes, where officials are no longer able to override computer-generated rejections.

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Read more:
Digital ID cards: what are they and how will they help the UK deal with illegal immigration?

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The effects have been severe. In Jharkhand state, an 11-year-old girl reportedly died from starvation after her family’s access to food rations was cancelled for not being linked to Aadhaar. Other deaths have been reported after households were struck from welfare lists because of data errors or missed deadlines. The victims were not impostors, but the system’s intended beneficiaries.

Digital exclusion through Aadhaar has specific impacts on women. Where their identities are linked to the mobile numbers or bank accounts of male relatives, they cannot independently authenticate their benefits, and lose access when relationships change.

Though such effects may be less pronounced in the UK, the same principle applies: digital identity systems tend to replicate existing social hierarchies.

The problem with Aadhaar is not technology alone, but how it interacts with existing institutions. Local bureaucrats are essential to making social assistance work. However, automation has curtailed their roles. Digital systems may reject applications or delay payments, while claimants are left without clear channels for appeal.

In the northwestern state of Rajasthan, thousands of pensioners went unpaid for months because errors in their Aadhaar registration were fixable only by authorities in the state capital.

Where automation replaces local, human assistance, those least able to navigate the systems – the poor, the elderly, the less literate – are most likely to lose out.

Data mobility and migration

One of Aadhaar’s stated aims was to make identity portable, allowing Indian citizens to claim benefits nationwide. In practice, this mobility has proved hard to achieve. People commonly lose access when moving between states, because data is not synchronised across administrative systems.

Making digital data mobile across bureaucracies is technically complex and socially consequential. Internal migrants and refugees can fall through the gaps. For example, people who had recently moved were unable to access COVID-19 treatment and vaccination for lack of locally-accepted Aadhaar.

Proposals indicate the UK’s system will connect tax, welfare and employment databases. Even in a smaller, more centralised state like the UK, similar issues of data mobility may arise if information has to flow between departments like the Department for Work and Pensions, HMRC and local authorities. A 2025 government review identified fragmentation of UK data systems as a key obstacle to policy coordination.

In India, as in the UK today, the introduction of digital ID was partly shaped by fears around cross-border migration. But here again the impacts have been troubling.

In the border state of Assam, concern over irregular entry from Bangladesh has blurred the line between identity verification and citizenship. Residents who fail to match records across Aadhaar and the National Register of Citizens, often due to minor discrepancies, have been excluded from both welfare and healthcare. For many, this has created a state of administrative limbo: neither formally foreigners nor recognised citizens.

It is not yet clear to what extent Britain’s proposed digital ID will use biometric data, and the country’s welfare system is structurally different from India’s. Yet the underlying rationale is similar, as are the governance issues.

If the UK looks to systems like Aadhaar for inspiration, it should also take into account the challenges. Otherwise, it risks launching a system where those with unstable housing, irregular employment or limited digital literacy may be excluded. And, as in India, errors and mismatches will likely affect those least able to contest them.

Charlotte Goodburn received research funding from The British Academy/Leverhulme (SG162863) for her project “Rural-urban migration and regimes of registration: comparing China and India”.

– ref. The UK has praised India’s digital ID system – but it’s locked millions out of their legitimate benefits – https://theconversation.com/the-uk-has-praised-indias-digital-id-system-but-its-locked-millions-out-of-their-legitimate-benefits-268020