The government announced last week that it will be allocating £79 million towards providing mental health support specifically for children and young people in light of the mental health toll that the pandemic has placed on younger generations. IF Researcher, Melissa Bui, explains why this is a step in the right direction for younger generations.… Read more »
Melissa Bui
Melissa is IF’s Senior Researcher. With a degree in economics and an MSc in social and public policy, Melissa is responsible for producing IF’s quantitative research reports. She is also adept at communicating our research to both expert and non-expert audiences and stakeholders, through giving lectures and presentations or being part of panel events. Her particular areas of interest include mental health, government spending, employment and the climate crisis. Outside work Melissa is most likely to be found enjoying food with friends.
How promising is Drax’s proposal to build negative emission technology?
Operating what was once labelled as one of the most polluting power stations in the UK, Drax Group has recently announced a proposal to introduce a technology capable of removing millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The technology in question, referred to as Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage, has been the… Read more »
Reducing emissions through carbon pricing: how far have we come?
World leaders have taken some key steps forward regarding climate change over recent months, thus restoring some public confidence in global cooperation. One of the most effective ways in which countries can work together to reduce emissions is through emissions trading. IF researcher Melissa Bui looks at progress made on this front
Time to Talk Day: treat young people better
To mark this year’s “Time to Talk Day” IF researcher Melissa Bui (author of our “Costing Young Minds” paper) starts a conversation about how the negative attitudes towards children and young people during the COVID-19 crisis have had negative consequences – whether directly or indirectly – on their mental health
Climate change: extreme weather a new normal in Vietnam
Severe floods have devastated millions of households in the central region of Vietnam over the past month. As expected, this has triggered investigations into how much of this disaster can be attributed to climate change. IF researcher Melissa Bui explains why these types of studies are not necessarily having the effect we might hope for
A green recovery requires transparency – from governments as well as businesses
Recent pledges by Chancellor Rishi Sunak suggest a solid and welcome commitment to the transition to a green economy, post-COVID-19. But IF researcher Melissa Bui says there is reason to treat such pronounced good intentions with caution
COVID-19 and young people’s mental health
NHS Digital recently published one of the first comprehensive studies of the mental health of children and young people during the pandemic. Melissa Bui explains how the bleak picture painted by the findings belongs to the larger narrative surrounding spending on children and young people generally
Environment in the media: not always following the science
Media coverage of environmental issues – such as plastic and climate change – has helped to trigger global environmental movements over the years. Although we have a lot of reasons to be grateful that these issues have become particularly newsworthy, what happens when the key environmental priorities reported in the media do not align with… Read more »
Mental health and the “Lockdown Generation”: an opportunity for change?
The Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition (CYPMHC) released their first annual report last week. The report collates the views and evidence submitted by over 200 coalition members, including IF’s, on the state of children’s and young people’s mental health, the effectiveness of current services and initiatives, and how we can move forward given… Read more »
Plastic waste: exporting intergenerational unfairness
IF researcher Melissa Bui describes how, by sending our plastic waste abroad, we are effectively exporting intergenerational unfairness to other countries whilst also driving up rates of plastic consumption