Drones could add £42 billion to the UK economy, while improving sustainability

Drone technology has the potential to transform our economies to be more sustainable and efficient, according to a new report from PwC.

Drones brings huge financial benefits and
help our economies become more sustainable.

The professional services group looked at the impact that drones could have upon the UK economy, finding significant improvements across all sectors.

Adopting new technologies, such as drones, are seen as important ways to monitor and manage the increased risks posed by climate change.

Read the ClimateAction story - “Drones could add £42 billion to the UK economy, while improving sustainability.”

Drone Tech Offers New Ways to Manage Climate Change

An innovation providing key clues to how humans might manage forests and cities to cool the planet is taking flight. Cornell researchers are using drone technology to more accurately measure surface reflectivity on the landscape, a technological advance that could offer a new way to manage climate change.

Charlotte Levy examines a drone that
will examine albedo before flight. 

“When making predictions about climate change, it’s critical that scientists understand how much energy the earth is absorbing and retaining,” said Charlotte Levy, a doctoral candidate who presented a talk on her research at the annual Ecological Society of America meeting, in Portland, Oregon, August 8.

When a surface reflects solar energy rather than absorbing it as heat, the result is major cooling, locally and globally. The scientific term for the measurement of surface reflectivity is albedo. “Albedo is important to understand because it’s one of the main controls for the Earth’s overall energy budget,” said Levy, whose research project is directed by Timothy Fahey, professor of natural resources. She is advised by Christine Goodale, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.

Read the Science and Technology Research News story - “Drone Tech Offers New Ways to Manage Climate Change.”