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Measurement for our planet
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Measurement for our planet

M4R has helped more than 400 UK companies accelerate innovation and bring confidence to decision making and investment.
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Measurement for our planet

Providing confidence in climate action

Supporting UK leadership in global climate action

Understanding the impact of human activity on our climate is a complex problem and minimising further increases to the Earth’s temperature is no easy task. Governments and policy makers will depend on science and data to enable evidence-based decision making as they set new climate policy. As the UK’s National Metrology Institute, NPL has a key role to play.

This year, the UK will host the 26th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties, COP26, in Glasgow from 1-12 November. A complementary Youth Summit is planned for 28-30 September in Milan, as the UK and Italy share this year’s COP Presidency. COP26 provides an opportunity for the UK to lead on the delivery of ambitious global climate action.

The UK has set a legally binding target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (2045 in Scotland). Throughout 2021 and in the lead up to COP26, NPL will be showcasing our world-class facilities along with our science and measurement expertise which is supporting both UK and global climate ambitions.

The Measurement for Our Planet programme will shine a spotlight on our work in delivering solutions for climate science, emissions measurements and showcase how we are supporting the innovation that will drive the decarbonisation of power, heat, manufacturing, agriculture and transport.

Accurate reliable data for evidence-based climate decision making

The scale and complexity of addressing climate change demands robust evidence to help policy makers, industry and citizens take informed action and be confident in their impact.

Richard Barker - Head of Energy and Environment Strategy, NPL

 

Bringing confidence to climate action

Along with legally binding net zero obligations, the UK’s commitment to leading on climate action is demonstrated through the strategies outlined in the government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. 

Effective climate solutions require global cooperation. Having confidence in the data derived from the many observations and models that are used to understand the way our climate is changing is vital. Evidence-based climate action requires accurate, reliable data to ensure the greatest impact of the actions we take. This data must be comparable between countries and over time periods spanning decades.

NPL’s metrology expertise delivers the confidence that policy makers and industry leaders need to understand the impact of their decisions.

Emissions inventory for climate action

Understanding emissions on a local and regional scale.

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The role of metrology in tackling climate change

Metrology provides confidence in delivering accuracy and reliability to climate and emissions data that governments, regulators and industry can rely on.

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Advanced engineering materials

We give businesses the increased confidence they need when evaluating and predicting the performance of their materials through the full life cycle.

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Climate observation from land and space

Measurement of climate variables to inform decision making.

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How are greenhouse gases measured?

How do we define and measure the greenhouse effect?

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Supporting science-led climate action

NPL is delivering accurate, reliable data in support of evidence-based climate decisions.

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Enabling new energy sources

Development and delivery of decarbonised energy.

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Energy and Environment

Science that provides confidence in net zero and the climate response

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Energy transition reports

NPL has a responsibility to tackle priority measurement challenges and is producing a series of reports which highlight and prioritise measurement needs.

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How do scientists measure the temperature of the Earth

Many aspects of the earth’s temperature can be measured, each with their own relevance and techniques. 

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Decarbonising our transport sector

Exploring batteries, fuel cells and other decarbonised transport solutions.

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Inspiring the next generation of climate scientists

We will provide opportunities for participants in our Outreach programmes to engage with a range of climate-related competitions, activities and projects.

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Energy

The demand for energy will increase as  societies all over the world become more digitally connected, integrated and dependent on electronic devices. It will also become more sustainable and integrated.  

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Minimising the impact of agriculture on the environment and climate

Efficient agriculture to limit greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation.

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Air quality measurement

Quantifying the impact of pollution.

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Food production

Food production and distribution will depend on intelligent packaging, smart ordering systems, higher productivity and more automation.  

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Precision agriculture

We underpin smart farming technologies, ensuring reliable systems and data transfer, to help make agriculture more efficient.

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TRUTHS

TRUTHS is a satellite mission to establish a space-based climate and calibration observing system, facilitating improved confidence in climate change forecasts.

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Earth observation, climate and optical

We help to improve the quality of data collected through earth observation systems and satellites.

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MicroCarb

MicroCarb is a joint mission between UKSA and CNES which will measure sources and sinks of carbon, the principal greenhouse gas driving global warming.

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Hydrogen’s role in phasing out vehicles running on fossil fuels

Gareth Hinds from the National Physical Laboratory shares his vision of the near-term future of hydrogen vehicles in the UK.

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Improving the quality and efficiency of crop production

Using algorithms and machine learning to unlock data and provide meaningful information.

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Increasing the lifetime of hydrogen technologies

We have developed a unique technique towards making fuel cells and electrolysers more cost-effective and efficient.

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Machine learning model trained for better batteries for transport

In the midst of the pandemic, NPL helped Faraday Battery gather data to train their predictive maintenance model. 

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Measuring large-scale, fine-feature printed electronics

MetHPM has delivered metrology capabilities enabling order-of-magnitude improvements.

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Preventing lithium-ion battery explosions

We worked with UCL to help prevent costly product failure caused by thermal runaway.

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Reducing reliance on plastic drums as part of the green recovery 

NPL helped Fibrestar prove that sustainable fibre drum containers perform as well as plastic competitors. 

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Supporting decarbonisation of the transport sector

NPL develops a low-cost online hydrogen fuel quality monitoring system.

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World-leading science and engineering research

Our experts work across many areas of measurement science that impact the way government and industry will develop climate solutions. We are always happy to speak about our work or discuss collaboration opportunities. Our world-class scientists and facilities can make an even greater difference by working with others. You can contact us here to speak to one of our experts or follow the links below to learn more.

Work with us

Our research and measurement solutions support innovation and product development. We work with companies to deliver business advantage and commercial success.
Contact our Customer Services team on +44 20 8943 7070

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