Author: Grantham Institute

Climate change and environment institute at Imperial College London, one of the world's leading research universities.
Protesters sitting outside Westminster for the Youth Strike 4 Climate
Communicating climate change, Individual action on climate, Policy

#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

Grantham InstituteLeave a comment
A Greenland Shark swimming near the surface of the water
Student blogs

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?

Grantham InstituteLeave a comment
Individual action on climate, Policy

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

Grantham InstituteLeave a comment
Hunters look at the ship in Uelen, Chukotski region, Russia
Impacts & adaptation

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

Grantham InstituteLeave a comment
A woman sitting on a brick next to a pile of rubble
Impacts & adaptation, Student blogs

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

Grantham InstituteLeave a comment
Amazon seen from above with large swathes that have been cleared and are covered in industry
Climate negotiations

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?

Grantham InstituteLeave a comment
A group photo of Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, meeting with interns at the UNFCCC.
Climate negotiations, Student blogs

Behind the scenes at the UNFCCC: Imperial students on internships ahead of COP24

Albertine Pegrum-Haram and Goodwin Gibbins, Research Postgraduates at Imperial College London, are more at home with chemistry and climate models than the politics of global cooperation. However, as part of an internship to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat, they joined a team dedicated to supporting the international climate change process – at a key moment for global climate negotiations. The UNFCCC … Continue reading Behind the scenes at the UNFCCC: Imperial students on internships ahead of COP24

Grantham InstituteLeave a comment
Climate march with people holding a sign saying "System Change Not Climate Change"
Climate negotiations, Mitigation, Policy

3 key ingredients could combine at COP24 to deliver real action on climate change

As the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24 to the UNFCCC) gets underway in Katowice, Poland, Alyssa Gilbert, Director of Policy and Translation at the Grantham Institute who is leading the Imperial College London delegation at the summit, explains why she is rooting for its success more strongly than ever. Evidence is undeniable: we must act now, … Continue reading 3 key ingredients could combine at COP24 to deliver real action on climate change

Grantham InstituteLeave a comment
A nurse leans over a small baby, being held by a man, in a small rural hospital
Energy, Health

Energy for life – The underestimated component for good healthcare provision

Muriel Hauser, visiting research postgraduate at the Grantham Institute, considers why electricity is so important for healthcare, and how improving access to energy can improve access to healthcare for all people.  Have you ever worried that a blackout might occur when you’re in hospital? That an operation could be interrupted because of a power outage, or that it could be impossible to get an X-ray … Continue reading Energy for life – The underestimated component for good healthcare provision

Grantham InstituteLeave a comment
Front view of Cyclists, cars and buses riding on london street
Health, Impacts & adaptation, Individual action on climate, Mitigation

London’s air crisis: How can we bring about change?

Following massive public concern about the quality of the air we breathe, the Grantham Institute hosted a discussion that explored the challenges of cleaning up air in London and ways to bring about meaningful change. Abbie Stone, Media, Events and Outreach Officer, shares some of the key discussion points: London’s air pollution has been described as a ‘crisis’ by its own residents, and despite efforts … Continue reading London’s air crisis: How can we bring about change?

Grantham InstituteLeave a comment