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An Overview of C3W

An Overview of C3W. Dr Saskia Pagella: Bangor Education Outreach. C3W vision C3W structure –thematic clusters and grand challenges C3W staff and research C3W outreach http://www.climatechangewales.ac.uk/.

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An Overview of C3W

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  1. An Overview of C3W Dr Saskia Pagella: Bangor Education Outreach

  2. C3W vision • C3W structure –thematic clusters and grand challenges • C3W staff and research • C3W outreach http://www.climatechangewales.ac.uk/

  3. Vision: To become one of the world’s leading research centres for the study of climate change – past, present and future Desertification in tropics Rapid changes in the Cryosphere Flooding in developing countries

  4. Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea universities • Study the causes, nature, timing & consequences of climate change on physical and societal systems • Strategic reconfiguration of Welsh climate change research – enhanced collboration • Operating over a 5 year timescale

  5. Mission • Develop infrastructure for climate change research in Wales • Create interdisciplinary and multi-institutional research projects • Build on existing strengths to provide a critical mass of researchers – maximise collaboration • Promote dissemination, educational and outreach activities • Contribute to the formulation of climate change policy in Wales and wider international community

  6. Realising the Vision – Grand Challenges 1. Earth System Modelling • Development of Welsh Climate Modelling Facility • Integration, synthesis and analysis of climatic and other data using numerical modelling approaches • Example: Vegetation in climate models.

  7. 2. Sea-Level Change • Causes of sea-level change • Past history of sea-level change • Predictions of future changes • Example: contribution of the Greenland Ice Sheet East Greenland outlet glaciers

  8. 3. Hazard Evaluation, Mitigation and Adaptation • Climatically induced natural hazards • Burgeoning population growth leading to increased exposure to hazards • Risks in the UK • Risks in developing countries • Example: Himalayan mountain hazards and downstream impacts Flood scar, Pangboche, Nepal

  9. 4. Welsh Dimensions of Climate Change • How down-scaled democracy and governance facilitates adaptation to climate change • Wales as a superb natural laboratory for exploring human response to climate change • Legacy of carbon-based industries, water supply issues, renewable energies • Example: Omnibus Survey Wind farm near Aberystwyth

  10. Coastal defence and engineering, wave energy • Ocean climate, circulation and tidal energy • Ice sheet dynamics, sea-level change • Behavioural, social and economic research • Terrestrial C cycling, feedbacks, sequestration

  11. What C3W will Deliver? • Step change in the way climate research is undertaken in Wales developing collaborative multi-disciplinary research programmes and sharing infrastructure • A world-class focus for climate change research developed via four Grand Challenges and four Thematic Clusters • Outreach programme • Substantial contribution to WG’s strategic plan for Higher Education in Wales

  12. Staff appointments: Aberystwyth Tim Williams (C3W Project Manager and Media Officer) Sophie Wynne-Jones (replacement Lecturer, Human Dimensions) Dr Simon Cook (replacement Lecturer, Cryospheric Systems) Dr Tristram Irvine-Flynn (PDRA, Cryospheric Systems) Dr Andrew Henderson (replacement Lecturer, Terrestrial Systems)

  13. Staff appointments: Bangor Dr Mattias Green (Senior Research Lecturer, Marine & Atmospheric Systems) Dr Stephanie Wilson (Research Lecturer, Marine & Atmospheric Systems) Dr Anna Pieńkowski (replacement Lecturer, C3W Director) Dr Paul Butler (Sclerochronology Manager, Marine & Atmospheric Systems) Brian Long (Technician, Marine & Atmospheric Systems) Dr Paul Hill (Research Technician, Terrestrial Systems) Dr Saskia Pagella (Education Outreach)

  14. Staff appointments: Cardiff Dr Kate Hendry (Marine & Atmospheric Systems Lecturer, summer 2011) Dr Jeanette Reis (C3W Outreach Officer, Policy) Lucy Corfield (Climate Change AdaptationKnowledge Transfer Adviser, WAG) Jessica Paddock (Human Dimension Research Fellow) Kuo Yan (Marine & Atmospheric Systems Research Fellow)

  15. Staff appointments: Swansea Dr Tim James (C3W Project Manager) Dr KilianScharrer (Research Fellow, Cryospheric Systems) Dr Cynthia Froyd (C3W Outreach Officer, Business) Dr Giles Young (Terrestrial Mass spec Technician) Ms A Royal (Swansea - C3W secretary)

  16. C3W Outreach Programme

  17. C3W will provide policy-makers, businesses, media and the general public with up-to-date information on climate change • Outreach Forum • Policy Forum • Business Forum • 4 outreach posts across Wales

  18. Policy - identifying funding opportunities and potential to influence/inform policy • Education - outreach involving pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary education, roadshows/general public and exhibitions with National Museum of Wales • Media - developing links between researchers and public via the print and broadcast media • Business – develop links with international funding agencies, UK research councils and business, particularly low carbon, energy conservation and renewable energy business

  19. WAG Climate Change Strategy for Wales • Programme of Action Sets out proposed actions to deliver climate change objectives • Emission reduction by business, transport, residential, waste, public, agriculture and land use sectors • Adaptation to climate change in our environment, economy and society • Importance of behavioural change in all sectors

  20. Enhancing resilience - actions and policies that improve resilience • Monitoring - climate change and its impacts to inform action • Projecting change - in climate and its environmental impacts to inform action • Understanding and awareness - climate change, its impacts and potential responses • Reducing emissions - an integrated approach to our own, and facilitating others

  21. Decisions on assessing research impact • Weighting of research impact confirmed for 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) • Three elements in the assessment (outputs, impact and environment) • Accounts for 20% of assessment initially, rising to 25% in subsequent exercises

  22. Given the financial landscape, C3W cannot hope to do everything: • The challenge in research is to build on existing strengths • The challenge in outreach (educational, political, business) is to concentrate effort on a few major key demonstration projects • The challenge in policy is not to reinvent the wheel

  23. Likely key areas in which C3W can significantly enhance policy: • Behavioural understanding of human response to climate change • Tidal and wave power generation • Coastal engineering and defence/integrated coastal zone management in response to sea-level change • Offshore CO2 sequestration • Ecosystem responses to climate change

  24. Concluding Remarks • In representing nearly 200 researchers in the four Welsh universities, from many different disciplines, C3W provides the opportunity to make Wales a world player in climate change research • Enhanced opportunity for collaboration with other environ-mental initiatives within Wales

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