Let’s embrace this fighting chance to reach net zero
Dr Ajay Gambhir, Senior Research Fellow at the Grantham Institute and contributor to the Committee on Climate Change’s Net Zero report, blogs on why we mustn’t lose this moment to accelerate the low-carbon transition. On Thursday 2 May 2019 I attended the launch of the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC’s) latest report, which advises the government that the UK should reach net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) … Continue reading Let’s embrace this fighting chance to reach net zero
My life as a temporary vegan
Maggie Robertson shares her experiences of going vegan for lent. ‘Several Grantham staff doing vegan for lent. Fancy it?’ That was the text from my husband back in February that began our vegan adventure. Or did it begin further back, when I first announced (I do all the cooking for our small family) we were going to be eating less meat? Or was it ten … Continue reading My life as a temporary vegan
The ups and downs of BECCS – where do we stand today?
Dr Alexandre Köberle and Mathilde Fajardy, co-authors of Grantham Institute briefing paper BECCS deployment: a reality check, consider bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technologies, the controversy surrounding them and their role in meeting climate targets. The rise of BECCS ‘Negative emissions technologies’ gained attention in 2015, when world leaders united behind the landmark Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to “well below” … Continue reading The ups and downs of BECCS – where do we stand today?
Why global challenges need interdisciplinary researchers, and how to become one
Dr Jonathan Bosch, one year on from finishing up as a Research Postgraduate on the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP (SSCP DTP), shares his tips on how to be successful at interdisciplinary research. As we face up to some of the toughest challenges of our age, the boundaries between the traditional academic fields – such as science, engineering, medicine, sociology, etc. – … Continue reading Why global challenges need interdisciplinary researchers, and how to become one
#fridaysforfuture: Rising to the challenge of the Youth Strike 4 Climate
On Friday 15 February 2019, more than 10,000 students in the UK walked out of their classrooms and onto the streets. Part of the Youth Strike 4 Climate movement, which is gathering pace around the world, they are demanding that the Government takes greater action on climate change. With another strike scheduled for 15 March, two Grantham Institute colleagues, born in different decades, reflect on … Continue reading #fridaysforfuture: Rising to the challenge of the Youth Strike 4 Climate
The 400-year-old shark – what will a Greenland shark born today experience as the climate changes?
Nicholas Dunn, Research Postgraduate on the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP and based at the ZSL Institute of Zoology, is developing environmental DNA methods to assess the distribution of sharks and rays. In this blog, he considers climate change from the perspective of a Greenland Shark, an ancient species where individuals can live for up to 400 years. Did you know that one … Continue reading The 400-year-old shark – what will a Greenland shark born today experience as the climate changes?
2019: the year citizens speak up and governments act to protect our long-term prosperity
At the end of January, the Night of Ideas, an international event staged simultaneously in Paris, London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and worldwide, questioned today’s challenges. The French Institute in London explored citizens’ experiences of today’s most talked-about issues: Europe Beyond Walls and The Earth Here and Now. In this blog, Professor Joanna Haigh, Co-Director of the Grantham Institute, reflects on the role that British and … Continue reading 2019: the year citizens speak up and governments act to protect our long-term prosperity
Indigenous wisdom: Leaders of Arctic tribes visit Imperial
The Imperial College Environmental Society and Pacific Environment recently hosted an event with four Arctic indigenous leaders, who discussed climate change and its effects on indigenous communities in the Arctic. Richard Knight, Research Postgraduate at Imperial’s Centre for Environmental Policy, reflects on the fragility of the environment Arctic communities depend upon, and how it can be protected. “It is like we do not exist, and … Continue reading Indigenous wisdom: Leaders of Arctic tribes visit Imperial
Mental health: the unseen impacts of climate change
Sara Moubarak, former student on the Grantham Institute and Imperial College Business School MSc in Climate Change Management and Finance, considers the complex links between climate change and mental health. I was sitting in class one day when, suddenly, we heard a loud bang and the windows started shaking. In a matter of seconds, my friend was hiding under the table, then begging us to … Continue reading Mental health: the unseen impacts of climate change
Is Brazil losing the chance to become a climate leader?
Dr Alexandre Koberle, Research Associate at Imperial’s Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment, considers Brazil’s potential to be a climate leader, and the impact of the political crisis. Brazil has been on the news a lot lately, and not for the best reasons. A deep economic crisis has deprived Brazilians of 10% of their income over the past 3 years, some 11 million … Continue reading Is Brazil losing the chance to become a climate leader?