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Summary

Dr Alice Bows Lecturer in Energy & Climate Change Based in SEAES with links to the Tyndall Centre & the Sustainable Consumption Institute. Summary. Overview of the Sustainable Consumption Institute Overview of the Tyndall Centre Common elements Research distinctiveness

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Summary

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  1. Dr Alice BowsLecturer in Energy & Climate ChangeBased in SEAES with links to the Tyndall Centre & the Sustainable Consumption Institute

  2. Summary • Overview of the Sustainable Consumption Institute • Overview of the Tyndall Centre • Common elements • Research distinctiveness • Key research areas & my interests • Overview of my type of research with example

  3. The Sustainable Consumption Institute (SCI)

  4. Structure • Initial funding for 5 years provided by TESCO (£25m) • Mainly being spent in Manchester • Staff/researchers within schools – ie SEAES, MBS etc • Currently funds 2 lecturers, 2 research fellows, 12 PhDs, administrative support & a series of research projects • Response-type mode funding stream • Anticipate levering funds from a wider range of organisations

  5. Research themes • - Sustainable consumer behaviour & lifestyle [Southerton/Warde] • Sustainable production and distribution [McMeekin] • Climate change & carbon [Bows] • Making development more sustainable [Monasinghe]

  6. The Tyndall Centre

  7. Structure • - Funded by EPSRC, NERC & ERSC since 2000 ~ £2m p.a. • - HQ at UEA with 6 other ‘core partner’ institutions • - Manchester hosts ‘energy programme’ & ‘coasts programme’ both primarily based in MACE/MBS • Tyndall Manchester’ has ~20 researchers • Future funding likely to be mixed source • Ideas for future funding and collaboration welcome

  8. Research programmes • - Building resilience & reducing vulnerability of people & places [UEA/Newcastle] • - Food, water & human security [Oxford/UEA] • - Greenhouse gas stabilisation & a transition to a low-carbon society [Manchester/Sussex]

  9. Common elements of SCI and Tyndall • - Transcend school/faculty boundaries • - Policy relevant • Strong climate change interest • Stakeholder engagement

  10. Research distinctiveness Consumption focus Sustainability focus Transdisciplinary Principal (though not exclusive) retail focus Draws on science as framing for exploring consumption & sustainability Striving to be in a world leading research institute Climate change focus Interdisciplinary Fundamental science elements (climate modelling, coastal erosion modelling) Established authority with gov/IPCC Directly linked to non-Manchester research groups/expertise

  11. Key research areas Adaptation strategies relating to deforestation, small island communities & vulnerability Coastal erosion – science/social science Integrated modelling Energy & cities – flooding, adaptation, mitigation Governance & development Consumer behavioural responses to mitigation options Supply chains and driving innovation (technology) Developing energy strategies within poorer nations Integrated mitigation and adaptation strategies for climate change retail scenarios

  12. My research interests • Climate Change theme • -Adaptation to changing resources • -Mitigation strategies within retail • International transport and associated emissions Low-carbon Programme - Global emission pathways for greenhouse gas stabilisation - Aviation emissions, radiative forcing, technology & policy - Energy system scenarios

  13. Research & approach • - Draw on climate change science & emission modelling • - Focus on the energy system & individual components • - Develop tools/methods to quantify greenhouse gas emissions associated with various energy/transport scenarios • - Work with social scientists to develop understanding of the wider non-technological system within which sectors operate • - Blend quantitative and qualitative understanding to better inform policy • - Feed directly into the policymaking process

  14. For example….

  15. International transport Any climate change target based on global temperatures or CO2 concentrations is credible only if applied to an aggregate of all sectors • … and therefore must include • International aviation • International shipping • … the two fastest growing sectors of the OECD economies in both activity and carbon emissions.

  16. Aviation challenges Anderson et al. (2005) Tyndall Decarbonisation Scenarios concluded that all other sectors have opportunities to significantly reduce emissions in real terms in short-medium term. Aviation faced more barriers • Medium-long term reliance on kerosene • Aircraft have long lifetimes – 60 year lock-in • No short-term technological fixes • Growth is higher than in any other sector • Most of the population currently don’t fly • Aircraft cause additional climate warming

  17. Shipping challenges Despite being the most fuel-efficient mode of transport in relation to tonne-km moved, CO2 emissions may already be a larger proportion of global CO2 than aviation • Use ‘dirtiest’ fuels – heavy fuel oil • Truly global infrastructure • Highly competitive ship building industry • High growth – closely aligned with global GDP growth • Difficult to incentivise fuel efficiency • Emissions regulations only recently started to consider to CO2

  18. Historical aviation CO2

  19. Historical shipping CO2

  20. Emission pathways for 2ºC 2015 peak 2025 peak 2020 peak (Anderson & Bows, 2008, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 366, pp.3863-3882)

  21. Reconciling the two…

  22. Future research areas • Integrated mitigation & adaptation pathways under climate change emission scenarios • - energy implications (transport needs etc) • - resource implications (food needs etc) • - other emission implications (non-CO2) • - impacts on society/economy • Patterns of aerosol release and impacts • Emission trends of OECD vs non-OECD nations • International shipping scenarios, technologies, operations and emissions

  23. Thank you

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