Category: Student blogs

A man and his dog stand at the end of a footbridge over a flooded car park. Sign reads 'Long Stay'.
Impacts & adaptation, Mitigation, Student blogs

Salt marshes or sea walls? Preventing coastal flooding in the UK

Nick Reynard, Lizzie Ellison and Amy Wilson, Research Postgraduates on the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP, consider how nature-based solutions can help boost flood defences and tackle climate change. Climate change is causing vast glaciers to melt, a drastic rise in global sea levels and more extreme weather events. A major consequence of these changes is the increased frequency and severity of … Continue reading Salt marshes or sea walls? Preventing coastal flooding in the UK

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Climate negotiations, COP 20, Policy, Student blogs

COP25 – the world must wake up to environmental inequality

People protesting in Santiago with colourful flags and political slogan. Credit: Carolina Cuadros Karina Corada Perez, Research Postgraduate at Imperial’s Centre for Environmental Policy, blogs on how the UN Climate Summit, COP25, has already shone a spotlight on social crises and environmental injustices – and what she thinks governments around the world can do to change the economic systems that are unsustainable for human life. On Friday … Continue reading COP25 – the world must wake up to environmental inequality

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Extinction Rebellion protests at Oxford Circus. Lots of people with green XR flags.
Communicating climate change, Individual action on climate, Student blogs

Put your fate in your hands: Rebelling against extinction gave me hope for the future

Geraint Northwood, Research Postgraduate on the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP, blogs on his experience with Extinction Rebellion, and how it has turned his frustration to optimism for the future. The first I knew of Extinction Rebellion was when a sort of business card was handed to me at a climate strike in Westminster, which I pretty much ignored. It had the … Continue reading Put your fate in your hands: Rebelling against extinction gave me hope for the future

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Coal-fired Power station with steaming cooling tower and lonesome tree
CCS, IPCC, Mitigation, Student blogs

Reducing carbon emissions: don’t wait until tomorrow  

Neil Grant, Research Postgraduate on the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP, blogs on why avoiding a tonne of carbon dioxide today is not the same as removing a tonne of carbon dioxide tomorrow. In 2019, public concern about climate change increased dramatically, and pressure is growing on world leaders to take decisive action in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Experts are warning that, with the world significantly off-track to … Continue reading Reducing carbon emissions: don’t wait until tomorrow  

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A group of refugees leaving Hungary, walking down the road carrying their things
Impacts & adaptation, Research, Student blogs

Climate change is a security issue. How can we make sure climate security receives the attention it needs?  

Shirin Hakim and Miriam Aczel, who recently co-organised a Grantham Institute event about climate change, low-carbon transitions and security, reflect on why climate change is a security issue and the next steps for researchers and policymakers .   While climate change and security have traditionally been examined in isolation, climate is increasingly entering the policy arena as a national security issue. The impacts of global warming are far-reaching. Extreme weather like droughts and flooding … Continue reading Climate change is a security issue. How can we make sure climate security receives the attention it needs?  

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Globe showing South America
Student blogs

How can Latin American countries shape a more sustainable future?

Following the third Symposium on Sustainable Development in Latin America, hosted by the Imperial College Latin American Society, organisers Ernesto Santibanez-Borda, Diego Moya and Moises Gomez-Soto reflect on why building local skills, environmental innovation and science diplomacy are key to achieving sustainable long-term growth in Latin America. Although Latin America holds only about eight per cent of the global population, it is home to a quarter of … Continue reading How can Latin American countries shape a more sustainable future?

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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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Research, Student blogs

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

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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?

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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

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