Category: Individual action on climate

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Communicating climate change, Individual action on climate

Pragmatic optimism, rather than complacency or despondency, is the best way to tackle the climate emergency

Dr Ajay Gambhir, Advanced Research Fellow at the Grantham Institute, considers the best mindset with which to approach the climate emergency. In the last month there have been two eye-catching opinion pieces on climate change by famous, influential, though notably non-expert, commentators. The first, by celebrity historian Niall Ferguson, weighs in on Greta Thunberg. He asserts that Greta is taking climate change far too seriously. … Continue reading Pragmatic optimism, rather than complacency or despondency, is the best way to tackle the climate emergency

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Impacts & adaptation, Individual action on climate

Feeling anxious about climate change? You’re not the only one

As global temperatures rise, so do the mental health implications. Dr Emma Lawrance, Mental Health Innovations Fellow at Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation, blogs on why it’s time to take the mental health implications of climate change seriously.  Mental health crisis. Climate crisis. While both are familiar phrases to anyone reading the press these days, the links between climate change and mental health remain unobvious … Continue reading Feeling anxious about climate change? You’re not the only one

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Graphic showing a green future city, with icons representing health, wealth, happiness and employment
Communicating climate change, Individual action on climate, Mitigation

What can the Brexit vote tell us about harnessing peoples’ enthusiasm to act on climate change?

Dr Neil Jennings, Partnership Development Manager at the Grantham Institute, considers how we can frame action on climate change in terms of other public priorities. Each month, the polling organisation Ipsos MORI surveys members of the public in the United Kingdom about what they think are the main issues facing the country. Currently (July 2019), the ‘Common Market/Brexit/EU’ tops the list. However, in 2015 it … Continue reading What can the Brexit vote tell us about harnessing peoples’ enthusiasm to act on climate change?

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close up of row of cows being milked
Health, Individual action on climate, Student blogs

Saving the planet, one meal at a time

Dr Neil Jennings, Partnership Development Manager at the Grantham Institute, and Lily Peck, Research Postgraduate on the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet Doctoral Training Programme, explain how eating a more plant-based, seasonal diet can help tackle climate change, support the local economy and help us to live healthier lives. For most of us, shifting to a more plant-based diet and reducing meat intake … Continue reading Saving the planet, one meal at a time

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A picture of the Queen's Tower with flowers in the foreground, with the Greening Imperial tagline as a footer
Individual action on climate

Imperial seeks an academic to lead ‘greening’ activities in new senior role – could it be you?

Grantham Institute Director of Policy and Translation Alyssa Gilbert reveals Imperial’s plan to recruit an Academic Leader for Sustainability, who will embed zero-carbon thinking and actions across the College’s estate, research, innovation and policy influence. After the UN agreed an international treaty for action on climate change in Paris in 2015, I was part of a small group of Imperial staff who met to discuss … Continue reading Imperial seeks an academic to lead ‘greening’ activities in new senior role – could it be you?

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Communicating climate change, Individual action on climate, Mitigation

Online education as a catalyst for climate action

Can online education really drive change? For the last 15 months, the Grantham Institute has been testing this question.  Working alongside the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), online platform leaders EdX, and Imperial’s Digital Learning Hub, staff at the Grantham Institute have developed the Clean Power Programme, three online courses – Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) – that aim to drive a shift to clean … Continue reading Online education as a catalyst for climate action

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Health, Individual action on climate

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

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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

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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

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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?

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