POST publications

To receive copies of POST's publications and event notifications, please email post@parliament.uk, with 'Join POST mailing list' as the subject. Please indicate whether you prefer to receive electronic, paper copies or both.

Latest Publications

POSTnote 394 Invasive Tree Pests and Diseases (pdf 271KB)
The risk to UK trees from invasive diseases and pests is growing with the expansion of international trade and travel and transport of live trees and timber products, along with environmental changes. This POSTnote summarises the difficulties in regulating the threat of imported pests and diseases, and for managing them if they become established in the UK.

POSTnote 393 Improving Livestock (pdf 410KB)
Selective breeding has long been used by farmers to improve the quality of livestock. Over the past 10-15 years breeders have worked on developing broader breeding goals that incorporate animal health and welfare traits, as well as productivity. This note describes current technologies used in livestock breeding, research into future technologies and how the improvement of livestock can contribute towards future food security.

POSTnote 392 Livestock Diseases (pdf 313KB)
The 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak cost the UK £6-9 billion. In 2010/11, the government spent £91 million compensating farmers for bovine TB. It is considering proposals for sharing costs and responsibilities for preventing and controlling disease with the livestock industry. This POSTnote examines disease threats to UK livestock, outlines prevention and control measures, and looks at factors likely to contribute to future disease.

POSTnote 391 An Ageing Workforce (pdf 247KB)
Four page POSTnote, October 2011
Over the next decade, the changing age profile of the workforce will be the most significant development in the UK labour market, as a third of workers will be over 50 by 2020.  Employers will be expected to respond to this demographic shift by making work more attractive and feasible for older workers, enabling them to work up to and beyond State Pension Age (SPA) if they are capable. This POSTnote examines the main challenges to the participation and productivity of older people in the workforce.

POSTnote 390 Clinical Trials (pdf 228KB)
Four page POSTnote, October 2011
Clinical trials benefit the health and safety of patients by making proven new treatments available more quickly. This industry is also very important for the UK economy. However, recent years have seen a drop in the number of trials held in the UK. This POSTnote summarises some of the most important reasons behind this decline, and the actions being taken to improve the situation. It also highlights areas identified by key industry partners as opportunities for growth.

POSTnote 389 Cyber Security in the UK (pdf 264KB)
Four page POSTnote, September 2011
Cyber security refers to defences against electronic attacks launched via computer systems. This POSTnote looks at approaches to cyber security in the context of large-scale attacks, with a focus on national infrastructure.

POSTnote 388 Marine Planning (pdf 226KB)
The UK's marine resources have substantial economic, environmental and social value. However, increasing demand has led to concerns over their degradation. The Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009) set out the mechanism for marine planning in UK waters and aims to help tackle these concerns. It combines the management of activities and conservation of the marine environment. This POSTnote describes the marine planning process and considers the challenges it will face.

POSTnote 387 Anaerobic Digestion (pdf 308KB)
Anaerobic digestion (AD) can divert waste from landfill and produce biogas, a source of renewable energy, and “digestate”, a fertiliser. This POSTnote examines the potential for AD in the UK, and the main challenges connected with its development.

POSTnote 386 GM Crops and Food Security (pdf 134KB)
Four page POSTnote, September 2011
The rising global population requires agriculture to increase productivity at a time when land and water shortages and climate change are putting pressure on food production. This POSTnote examines the potential contribution that genetic modification of crops might bring to increasing food production in Europe, in a global context.

POSTnote 385 Water in Production and Products (pdf 226KB)
Four page POSTnote, August 2011
The water used for production, known as “virtual” water, constitutes 95% of human water use. As pressure on the world's water supply rises, recognition of the amount of water used within each step of production could play an important role in managing water use. This POSTnote examines how virtual water use is calculated and its application within the global economy.

Please could you assist us by completing a short questionnaire about the POSTnote, accessible by clicking on this link, which will provide us with valuable feedback for future publications.

POSTnote 384 Biofuels from Algae (pdf 359KB)
Four page POSTnote, July 2011
Algae, including seaweed, are a potential source of renewable fuel, food and chemicals. This POSTnote examines the technical, economic and environmental issues around algal biofuels and their relevance to UK and EU policy targets.

Please could you assist us by completing a short questionnaire about the POSTnote, accessible by clicking on this link, which will provide us with valuable feedback for future publications.

POSTnote 383 Carbon Footprint of Electricity Generation (pdf 406KB)
Four page POSTnote and separate list of references (pdf 159KB), June 2011
In 2006, POSTnote 268 outlined the “carbon footprints” of a variety of electricity generation technologies. Footprint data were scarce at that time, particularly peer-reviewed estimates. This POSTnote provides an updated overview of the evidence base in 2011, including estimates from more than 30 peer-reviewed studies.

Please could you assist us by completing a short questionnaire about the POSTnote, accessible by clicking on this link, which will provide us with valuable feedback for future publications.

POSTnote 382 Informal STEM Education
(pdf 312KB)Four page POSTnote, June 2011
Informal STEM education takes place outside the classroom environment. It aims to inspire students through hands-on, experience-based activities that can enrich and add value to their school experiences. Initiatives range from those at national level, to more localised ones often made possible through small public engagement grants. Informal STEM education takes place in many contexts, from universities, learned societies and science museums, to after school and local nature clubs, as well as in the home. This POSTnote describes the informal sector‟s links to formal STEM education and its contribution to the national STEM learning agenda. It complements a forthcoming note on STEM education for 14-19 year olds.

POSTnote 381 Mental capacity and Healthcare
(pdf 402KB)Four page POSTnote, June 2011
Adults with learning disabilities or suffering from dementia, brain injuries or mental illness may be unable to make health decision for
themselves. At such times, others will need to decide in their place. The Mental Capacity Act (2005) (MCA) provides a substitute decision-making framework. It exists alongside another such framework – the Mental Health
Act (MHA). While the MHA is restricted to compulsory treatment for mental
disorder, the MCA has a broader scope. It applies to physical and mental health as well as to welfare, finances, property and research participation. This POSTnote outlines how the MCA is being interpreted in healthcare and
how it works alongside the MHA.

POSTnote 380 - Landscapes of the Future (pdf 136KB)
Four page POSTnote, June 2011
Land underpins the whole economy, through provision of food and other goods and its use for housing, business, transport, energy, tourism and recreation. The UK faces major challenges addressing projected population increases, climate change and economic growth with limited land and natural resources. This POSTnote examines how policy structures, including planning reforms, might deliver land use systems that meet these challenges.

POSTnote 379 - Evidence Based Conservation (pdf 187KB)
Four page POSTnote, June 2011
Conservation of the natural environment is necessary to protect and enhance the UK's valuable natural resources. The use of scientific evidence to support conservation decisions can increase potential impacts and ensure cost-effectiveness. This POSTnote summarises the benefits of, and issues surrounding, an evidence-based approach to conservation management.

POSTnote 378 - Ecosystem Service Valuation (pdf 233KB)
Four page POSTnote, May 2011
Ecosystems in the UK are managed to provide desired levels of specific benefits, such as the provision of food and fibre, to meet human needs. However, other benefits from ecosystems important to human wellbeing do not have a market value. The UK National Ecosystem Assessment has refined methods for placing monetary values on many services provided by the natural environment. It will also demonstrate convincingly that relying on how present markets handle such services will not deliver the best outcomes for society. This POSTnote summarises methodologies for determining reliable values for changes in natural resources and ecosystem services and the policy implications of such valuations.

POSTnote 377 - The Ecosystem Approach (pdf 255KB)
Four page POSTnote, May 2011
The ecosystem approach makes explicit the link between the status of natural resource systems and ecosystem services that support human well-being. It seeks to maintain the integrity and functioning of ecosystems as a whole to avoid rapid undesirable ecological change. It also recognises that the impacts of human activities are a matter of social choice, and are as integral to ecosystem interactions as ecosystems are to human activities.

POSTnote 376 - Natural Capital Accounting (pdf 210KB)
Four page POSTnote, May 2011
Renewable natural resources are being impacted by a range of pressures, such as biodiversity loss and climate change. A minimum level of natural resources is required to maintain the capacity of ecosystems to sustain human well-being at acceptable levels. If governments do not monitor effectively the use or degradation of natural resource systems in national account frameworks (‘environmental accounting'), the risks of incurring costs to future economic productivity are not taken into account, nor are impacts on human wellbeing.

POSTnote 375 - Detecting Deception (pdf 300KB)
Four page POSTnote, May 2011
Deception detection technologies such as polygraphs have been available for decades, although their use is controversial. Newer techniques are being developed that aim to detect deception based on facial imaging or brain activity. This briefing outlines the scientific basis for deception detection technology and considers the implications of its use in different contexts.

POSTnote 374 - Unconventional Gas (pdf 407KB)
Four page POSTnote, April 2011
Unconventional sources of gas have recently gained much attention due to the significant contribution they are making to US gas production. This POSTnote examines the potential for unconventional gas exploitation in the UK, the regulatory regimes covering such activity, and the issues surrounding the extraction and use of the gas.

POSTnote 373 - Water Adaptation in Africa (pdf 242KB)
Four page POSTnote, April 2011
Africa is one of the world's most vulnerable regions to climate change. Potential impacts of climate change on the continent are multiple but are mostly connected through the medium of water. Historically, the continent has unpredictable rainfall and climate patterns which are likely to be exacerbated by future climate change. This briefing discusses adapting water resource management to climate change.

POSTnote 372 - Future Electricity Networks (pdf 427KB)
Four page POSTnote, February 2011
Ongoing reforms of regulation and the electricity market aim to transform the electricity system and its operation. This will require many billions of pounds of investment in the UK's electricity networks to:

• renew aging network;
• make networks ‘smarter', particularly at the regional level;
• build and reinforce network both on land and offshore.

This note examines the possibilities and challenges for network development in the UK.

POSTnote 371 - Housing and Health (pdf 340KB)
Four page POSTnote, January 2011
The Decent Homes Programme aimed to refurbish all social sector homes to a minimum standard between 2000 and 2010. The government will invest a further £1.6 billion to improve housing in the public sector. However, housing quality is poorest in the private rented sector; homes in this sector housing people on benefits are not supported under the new initiative. This briefing looks at the impact of poor housing on health and examines the implications for housing policy.

POSTnote 370 - Environmental Limits (pdf 257KB)
Four page POSTnote, January 2011
Full POST Report 370 (pdf 5.5MB) (pdf 5.5MB)
One hundred and fifty-nine page report, March 2011
Natural resources such as land, water, soil, plants and animals should be used and managed within boundaries that allow the resource to renew itself. Otherwise, well-being, for present and future generations, will be impacted. This POSTnote summarises a longer POST report on environmental limits, which sets out the challenges to achieving this aim, whilst considering the complex trade-offs between social, economic and environmental objectives. The full report will be made available on this website shortly.

POSTnote 369 - Biodiversity Offsetting (pdf 230KB)
Four page POSTnote, January 2011
Given growing recognition of the importance of biodiversity, all sectors are looking for ways to mitigate the environmental costs of development activity. Biodiversity offsetting refers to market-based schemes designed to compensate for losses of biodiversity due to development projects. This POSTnote summarises biodiversity offsetting and examines opportunities and risks of offsets within a UK context.

POSTnote 368 - Rare Earth Metals (pdf 477KB)
Four page POSTnote, January 2011
Rapid global industrialisation and population growth are placing increasing pressure on availability of raw materials. A group of elements known as the Rare Earth Metals have become a highly sought-after resource for high-technology and low carbon industries. Currently, global demand is increasing, and there are concerns over future availability. This POSTnote examines the debate on future supplies, and discusses the UK and international response.

POST publications by subject area

Biological sciences and health
Environment and energy
Physical sciences and IT
Science policy
Science, technology and the developing world

POST publications by year

2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005
2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999
1998 1997 1996 1995

Chronological list of older POST publications (not available online)

E-reports (an occasional series of papers published solely on the web)