Urban densification and a rise in human population call for greater investigation into how the urban-rural gradient can influence bees and their pollination services. This thesis aimed to further current knowledge by: (i) sampling bee assemblages along the urban-rural gradient i…
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Climate change is altering the phenology of bumblebees in parts of the UK, with worker activity recorded during winter. This presents a unique set of physiological challenges to bumblebees, as they are typically exposed to exclusively summer conditions. The aim of this thesis wa…
This thesis critically interrogates how trade unions and labour organisations engage with climate change, energy, and environmental issues. The thesis draws on the work of the global labour network Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED) as a main case study. Utilising a qualit…
This thesis consists of three essays that shed light on different aspects of the relationship between the environment, economic and politics. In the first chapter we consider the deployment of large hydropower dams in Vietnam, an effective infrastructure that converts water reso…
This ethnographic study explores the ways in which a group of social actors participate in the everyday life of a woodland nature reserve, the relationships they establish with each other, the way they engage with the nonhuman materiality of the woodland and how they are affecte…
Literature on the integration of cross-cutting issues, or policy integration, has given little attention to how policy-making processes allow for policy integration as well as present barriers. There is also little evidence of how sectoral ministries respond to crosscutting issu…
The link between economic development and urbanisation has placed urban sustainability on national and city agendas. Designing sustainable city centre regeneration projects remains a crucial challenge, particularly in understanding the ways physical planning and social issues in…
The urban heat island (UHI) effect is an inadvertent modification of climate which leads to increased temperatures in urban areas. This in turn increases localised demand for air conditioning and refrigeration which can be a significant drain on energy resources. At a time of in…
There is a growing global urban appetite for fresh fruit and vegetables, particularly fruit. There is a further recognised need for agri-food systems that support human health, ecological integrity and social justice (Morgan and Sonnino 2010). This thesis explores the current po…
This thesis examines representations of environmental activism in contemporary literature. In general terms, this thesis understands activism to be a mode of politics that seeks to transform society, counter to forces of oppression and crisis. Precisely as a transformative or co…
This doctoral study explores the learning that occurs in higher education institutions within differing social and informal contexts, and how this learning can contribute to shifting thinking and actions (within the institution) towards sustainability. The research refers to thi…
This PhD project was set out to improve the performance of silica gel / water adsorption cooling systems using a number of investigation tools. A novel global lumped analytical simulation model has been constructed for a commercialised two-bed silica gel / water 450kW adsorption…
Anaerobic digestion technology has not gained widespread acceptance on UK farms due mainly to the long return on investment periods involved. It has been suggested that co-digestion of agricultural and industrial wastes may enhance the economic viability of such installations. B…
The transfer of low-carbon technology to developing countries is one of the key means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries and therefore a key aspect of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This thesis aims to contribute to th…
Many everyday motor tasks require interpersonal action where the goal of the joint task is shared among all those involved. The aim of this thesis was two- fold; first, to explore bottom-up and top-down factors affecting interpersonal movement and second, to examine discrepancie…
Chiral signatures were utilised as a means of determining the pathways of PCBs in the environment. Concentrations of HBCD diastereoisomers, enantiomers and degradation products were also determined in top soils from both the UK and Australia. Concentrations of PCBs 28/31, 52, 10…
The thesis investigates the inorganic aerosol concentrations and wood smoke tracer potassium and levoglucosan concentrations in Birmingham, UK. Also a multi-wavelength aethalometer was utilized as a carbonaceous aerosol detector to directly measure the local wood smoke PM mass a…
A methodology of assessment is presented of the groundwater resources available in fracture zones, within the weathered mantle of gneiss, migmatite and granite. A model of weathering is developed, and values of porosity, hydraulic conductivity and electrical resistivity assigned…
Rising levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment have spurred governments around the world to engage in cooperative action on a global scale to control those chemicals that pose significant threats to human health and the environment. Political efforts to…