Ambient air pollution is a major public health concern. It has prompted novel policy interventions, in the UK and beyond, notably in the form of Low Emission Zone (LEZ) and Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) schemes. This policy brief explores the impact of these schemes on physical health and mental well-being, using large survey and administrative data covering the whole of England.

It finds that these policy interventions have significantly reduced levels of key pollutants, leading to improvements in physical health and mental well-being, and a reduction of hospitalisations for respiratory problems. This effect has been particularly strong for the Central London ULEZ scheme, the strictest of the clean air policies, but we also see positive health impacts over Greater London where the LEZ scheme has been implemented since 2008.

Our evidence suggests that these schemes offer good value for money, with a cost-benefit analysis indicating savings of more than £963 million in Greater London.

This policy brief, authored by Dr Katharine Lee, explores how responding to climate change is presented in secondary school curricula across the four UK nations. It points to significant limitations, both in terms of inclusion of relevant content across subjects and the presentation of available strategies to tackle climate change.

It calls upon educational policymakers and curriculum developers to revise UK national curricula to incorporate content about responding to climate change into a wider range of subjects. Content should also be expanded to present a wider range of possible solutions beyond technological (and supply-side) interventions, and reflect the full spectrum of actions and roles available to the public.

This report, authored by Dr Aurelie Charles and Dr Philippe Blondel, serves as a summary of a major events series on the oceans, hosted by the IPR throughout 2021-22. This series engaged with experts, advisors, policymakers, and the general public to address the role the oceans can play in our collective action to reach net zero; how we can protect indigenous communities; how we can tackle marine pollution, overfishing, and other problems; the role and opportunities of nature-based and geoengineering solutions; and the geopolitics of our oceans.

This report, led by Dr Andrew Weyman, and co-authored by Richard Glendinning, Dr Rachel O’Hara, Dr Joanne Coster, Dr Deborah Roy and Professor Peter Nolan, highlights a rising trend in numbers of NHS staff applying for non-NHS jobs since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic. It draws on three waves of survey data from over 17,000 NHS staff gathered between late 2020 and summer 2022.

Based on interviews with a sample of 40 working claimants on Universal Credit, this policy brief by Dr Rita Griffiths explores whether the Government’s £650 Cost of Living payment, paid in two lump sum instalments in July and November 2022, together with other government support for the cost of living, are reaching the pockets of low-income working families.

This report authored by Professor Nick Pearce, Dr Joe Chrisp and Dr Aida Garcia-Lazaro summarises academic research on the multi-dimensional effects of technology on national economies with a particular focus on its relationship to trends of a declining labour share. It relates these findings to a discussion of policy solutions including a universal basic income (UBI).