Tyndall Talks

Our episode will talk about 1.5C – what it means science wise, policy wise, and communications wise. 1.5C has been one of the most recognised numbers when we talk about climate change. Where did this number come from? The goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is a key aspect of international efforts to address climate change. This target is central to the Paris Agreement. 1.5C has actually been the rallying call of the alliance of small islands states (also called the AOSIS group), backed by scientific evidence from research by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. AOSIS argued that 1.5C would be the safe limit for their countries. In a 1.5C world, many of the deadliest effects of climate change are reduced, especially for small islands and low-lying nations threatened by rising sea levels and storms. In Paris at COP21, 106 countries supported the 1.5C limit, allowing it to be part of the Paris Agreement. But there has been a lot of discussion about 1.5C in the last months – especially with reports coming out that the global average temperature has breached the target. Last year, 2023, was the hottest year globally since records began in 1850, and 2024 might be warmer, because of periodic influencing by El Nino warming. So it perhaps seems improbable that 1.5C is an achievable target. What does it mean when we breach the 1.5C target? In this episode, we have Asher Minns, Executive Director of the Tyndall Centre and Manoj Joshi, Professor of Climate Dynamics at the School of Environmental Sciences at the UEA. Music by Ben Sound

Our episode today is about shipping and its impact on climate change. In today’s episode, we will talk about some of the work by colleagues from the Tyndall Centre at Manchester University including the International Maritime Organisation's - the IMO’s in short - new shipping and climate strategy, technology like wind ships and electrification of ships, as well as the demand side of shipping. International shipping emits around 700 million tonnes of CO2 a year, equivalent to emissions from Germany. So the sector is a major contributor to climate change. The IMO is the United Nations specialised agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships. Last year, the IMO set out a new strategy that “includes an enhanced common ambition to reach net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping by or around, i.e. close to, 2050.” Is this new strategy enough? And what solutions are there? Today we speak with Alice Larkin, Chris Jones, James Mason, and Simon Bullock from the University of Manchester – who all research shipping emissions. Alice is a Professor of Climate Science and Energy Policy in Tyndall Manchester, where she has worked since 2003 on various aspects of decarbonising international aviation and later shipping. Chris is the knowledge exchange fellow for Tyndall Manchester, connecting research expertise in the group to industry, government and civil society stakeholders. James is a data scientist at Smart Green Shipping and visiting academic at Tyndall Manchester. He develops ship routing software that harnesses weather optimisation for ships using modern day sail technology. Simon is a research associate at Tyndall Manchester, focussing on shipping and climate change. Music by Ben Sound

Our episode today is about one of the most controversial topics at COP28 – abated fossil fuels through carbon capture storage technology. At COP28, COP president Sultan Al Jaber claimed there is no science behind fossil fuel phaseout. At a press conference, IPCC chair Jim Skea said that in 1.5C-compatible scenarios “by 2050, fossil fuel use is greatly reduced and unabated coal use is completely phased out.” He added that oil use by 2050 is reduced by 60% and gas by 45%. According to Jim Skea, Al Jaber was “attentive to the science” and “fully understood it”. Understandably, this has caused some confusion about what abated/unabated fossil fuels. So, what is abated/unabated fossil fuel and what is the role of CCS and CDR in all of this? Our guests today are Harry Smith and Nem Vaughan. Harry Smith is a PhD Researcher on the climate governance of carbon dioxide removal, and part of the Critical Decade for Climate Change Programme with the Leverhulme Trust at UEA. Dr. Nem Vaughan is an Associate Professor of Climate Change whose research is focussed on carbon dioxide removal and its role in mitigating climate change. Music by Ben Sound

Our episode is about heating and cooling buildings – quite timely as we enter the colder winter months. According to the Climate Change Committee, 29 million homes need to be upgraded to low carbon systems by 2050. This is not an easy task. According to Parliament, UK houses are one of the oldest and worst insulated in all of Europe and data from the CCC says that heat decarbonisation in each home will cost £10,000 on average per household – posing a major challenge to reach targets. In addition, UK policy does not currently reflect the standards to which houses need to be built to reduce our carbon emissions or build resilience in housing stock for a changing climate. However, designing buildings which can adapt to lifestyles and the climate will be essential for future generational resilience to climate change within the UK and beyond. So, what can the UK do about this? We have our guest Claire Brown from the University of Manchester. Claire’s research work focuses on addressing issues around heating and cooling demand in social housing in the UK. She is looking at how new-build social housing could be a potential way to reduce demand on the power grid through better design and exploring further opportunities for self-generation. She is also exploring how commercially viable solutions might exist to allow social housing to be built with high energy performance built-in. She previously worked in the construction industry as a Sustainability Manager, the public sector as an Energy manager and as a Senior Consultant. Music: Ben Sound

Many faith leaders have signified their commitments to climate action. For example, Pope Francis of the Catholic Church penned the Laudato Si, critiquing consumerism and irresponsible development and calls on people for swift and unified global action. The pope has also committed to net zero by 2050. The Church of England has also committed to net zero by 2030. Their plan includes reducing emissions from Cathedrals, churches, dioceses, and schools. Rowan Williamson, when he was the Archbishop of Canterbury, launched the second phase of the Tyndall Centre back in 2006, speaking to us about how climate change is a moral issue. According to World Vision, faith has great potential in addressing the climate emergency. According to Pew Research Center, 84% of the world’s population or 8/10 people identify with a religious group. This is an opportunity for religions to transform their communities in different ways to help in climate action. For this episode we have Chris Walsh from the University of Manchester and Rachel Sowerby from the Church of England to talk to us more about the role of faith/religion in climate action. Chris has been at the Tyndall Centre in Manchester for 6 years working on a variety of projects, his work with churches began with the UK Climate Resilience Programme working as an embedded researcher in the Church of England Cathedrals and Church Buildings co-producing climate resilience guidance for churches across the country. He has also since worked with Salford Catholic diocese and the Guardians of Creation group to create a decarbonisation guide for places of worship. For him climate action is a key part of his faith, and a lot of his research interests and work stem from that. Rachel is an affiliate researcher with the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research as part of her role as the Bishop's Environmental Research Officer for the Bishop of Norwich Graham Usher. Bishop Graham is the lead Bishop for the environment for the Church of England. Rachel holds an MSc in Environmental Science from the University of East Anglia. Her areas of interest include behaviour change, carbon reduction and fuel poverty. She currently aids the environmental work of the Church including the pathway to Net Zero, biodiversity (particularly on Church land) and engaging with the wider public on climate related issues. Music by BenSound

Our episode is about biomass and why it is key for achieving net zero. Simply put, biomass energy is renewable energy that comes from plants and animals. Some biomass energy sources include crops like corn, soy beans, and sugar cane. According to the UK Parliament, bioenergy is currently the second largest source of renewable energy in the UK, generating 12.9% of the total UK electricity supply in 2021. How can biomass energy help us reach net zero and what about concerns about deforestation and land use? Our guest for this episode is Andrew Welfle of the Tyndall Centre at the University of Manchester. Dr. Andrew Welfle is a Senior Research Fellow in the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research within the Department of Engineering for Sustainability. Andrew has a background and interests in environmental, energy and engineering themes, and a strong track record undertaking sustainability, climate change and bioenergy research through developing modelling toolkits and analysis methodologies. Andrew is a Topic Representative within the current UK Supergen Bioenergy Hub research programme where he works with academics, NGOs, industry and government to promote the growth of a sustainable UK bioenergy sector. Andrew is also the Challenge Lead for Net Zero, part of the University of Manchester’s Sustainable Futures Network. This role brings responsibility for co-ordinating researchers and research activity relevant to net-zero emissions objectives across the University of Manchester.­ Music by BenSound

Our episode today is about citizen engagement in climate governance. More specifically, we will talk about climate assemblies, where representatives of the public come together and discuss issues. Citizen assemblies in the climate sphere are becoming more popular, especially in the UK and Europe. But how do they work and why are they important in the context of the climate crisis? Can we all join a citizen assembly? Our guest is Stephen Elstub of the Tyndall Centre at Newcastle University. Stephen joined the Department of Politics at Newcastle University in 2015 and is currently the Director of Research. His main research interests are in the theory and practice of democracy, democratic innovation, public opinion, political communication, civil society and citizen participation, all viewed through the lens of deliberative democracy. He has been involved in research on Climate Assembly UK, Scotland’s Climate Assembly, and the Global Assembly on the Climate and Ecological Crisis. Music by BenSound

In common with many places in the world, the UK has been experiencing high temperatures over the last couple of years, and not a great deal of rain, reminding us of the need to adapt to the consequences of climate change. Our episode focuses on adaptation, and some of the reasons why policy and practice are lagging behind where we need them to be. The Adapt Lock-in project has been working to understand this gap better, looking at experience in three countries – the UK, the Netherlands and Germany. Our guests today have been working on this project over the last 3 years. Tim Rayner is a Research Fellow in the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia. Part of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, since 2006 he has participated in a range of European Union and national research council-funded projects covering climate change governance and policy, particularly from EU and UK perspectives. Meghan Alexander is an Assistant Professor in Human Geography of climate change at the University of Nottingham. In particular, her work focuses on climate adaptation and aspects of governance, policy and risk management, and the corresponding implications for societal resilience, well-being and social justice. The Adapt Lock-in project was supported by: the UK Economic and Social Research Council, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek. It was funded under Open Research Area (Round 5) Grant Reference ES/S015264/1. Partners are University of East Anglia (UK); Open Universiteit, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg (Germany) Learn more on the project website: https://adaptlockin.eu/ (Music by BenSound)

Our episode is about plastic recycling, in time for International Plastic Free Day, which is was last May 25th. Did you know that if every person in the world stopped using one single-use piece of plastic for one day, we’d avoid over 7.6 BILLION plastic items on that single day according to the International Plastic Free Day organised by Free the Ocean? The plastic problem is enormous, but how can we better solve the plastic problem? “One Bin To Rule Them All” is a project that has been working to develop a framework for eliminating consumer choice and confusion in plastic waste management, through exploring the development of a targeted sorting system that prioritises separation based on the creation of economic value in plastic waste to sustain a plastic circular economy. Our guest today is Adeyemi Adelekan of the Tyndall Centre at the University of Manchester. Adeyemi is a Research Associate at the University of Manchester (UoM) and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Understanding Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP). His research interest lies in exploring organizational behaviour and strategies within the context of sustainability transformation, specifically focusing on social enterprises, sustainable business models, circular economy and institutional work research. His current work is looking at business model innovation for the ‘One Bin to rule them all’ project, which is an interdisciplinary circular economy study that aims to improve plastic recycling practices in the UK. Music by BenSound

Our episode today is about art and climate change. What is the role of art in the climate crisis? How can museums respond to the climate crisis? The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Art is one of the most prominent university museums in the UK. It is located in the University of East Anglia campus, and has a collection of global art. Recently, the Sainsbury Centre hired a Curator of Art and Climate Change (and he is here with us today), the very first of its kind in the UK. Our guests today are Jago Cooper and John Kenneth Paranada. Jago is the Director of the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts and Professor of Art and Archaeology at UEA. For more than twenty years Jago has worked for and with museums, universities, cultural ministries and heritage organisations around the world to explore and communicate aspects of the great human story. He also worked for more than 20 years on the research and public communication of climate change, with quite a few articles, books, museum exhibitions and even some BBC documentaries focused on better understanding the human experience of environmental variability and climate impacts as well as sitting on the steering committee for IHOPE, the Integrated History and Future of Peoples on Earth. John Kenneth Paranada is the Curator of Art and Climate Change at the Sainsbury Centre. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Curating with a focus on art in the Anthropocene at Goldsmiths College, University of London (2016) and Master of Advanced Studies in Curating with a focus on Social Sculpture at Zurich University of the Arts, Switzerland (2015). He has also been working towards opening the Centre for Ecologies, Sustainable Transitions and Environmental Consciousness (CESTEC) in Los Banos, Philippines – an experimental ecological platform for converging transdisciplinary practices on art, adaptations and the climate crisis in South-East Asia. Music by Ben Sound.

A recent paper by Harry Smith, Dr Nem Vaughan, and Dr Johanna Forster, highlights the risks of countries relying on nature-based solutions to achieve net-zero. To date, around 146 countries have set out a net zero target, committing to reducing their emissions across the decades ahead. Some emissions, however, are ‘difficult-to-decarbonise’ and are balanced out by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The study found that once the bulk of the emissions have been reduced, most countries plan to remove the left-over ‘difficult-to-decarbonise’ emissions through forests and soils, which can absorb carbon from the atmosphere. However, this may prove risky because forests and soils are also threatened by a range of impacts, such as fire, disease, changes in farming practices or deforestation. These mean forests and soils could lose their stored carbon back to the atmosphere. So what do countries need to do next? To talk to us more about the role of carbon dioxide removal in national climate strategies, is the author and co-author of the paper, Harry Smith and Nem Vaughan. Harry Smith is a PhD Researcher on the climate governance of carbon dioxide removal, and part of the Critical Decade for Climate Change Programme with the Leverhulme Trust at UEA. Dr Nem Vaughan is an Associate Professor of Climate Change whose research is focussed on carbon dioxide removal and its role in mitigating climate change. Music by Ben Sound

This episode isabout climate change and its impacts on migration and population displacement. The World Bank’s updated Groundswell report in 2021 finds that climate change could force 216 million people across six world regions to move within their countries by 2050. Climate change is a powerful driver of internal migration because of its impacts on people’s livelihoods and loss of livability in highly exposed locations. By 2050, Sub-Saharan Africa could see as many as 86 million internal climate migrants; East Asia and the Pacific, 49 million; South Asia, 40 million; North Africa, 19 million; Latin America, 17 million; and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, 5 million. The report also finds that immediate and concerted action to reduce global emissions, and support green, inclusive, and resilient development, could reduce the scale of climate migration by as much as 80 percent. To talk to us more about climate change, migration, and population displacement is Roland Smith, a PhD researcher at the University of East Anglia. Music by Ben Sound

Our episode today is about future flooding scenarios due to sea level rise. This year, we remember the 1953 North Sea flood on the night of 31 January/1 February 1953 that devastated Scotland, England, Belgium, and especially the Netherlands. In the UK, the east coast was particularly affected – especially Lincolnshire, Essex, Norfolk, and the mouth of the Thames area. The flood was caused by a storm combined with spring tides and severe gale force winds from the north. In the UK, 1600 km of coastline was badly affected destroying mile upon mile of sea walls and dikes and inundating 160,000 acres of land with seawater, rendering it unusable for a number of years for agricultural purposes. Livestock and domesticated animals were killed in the thousands and washed out to sea. Over 24,000 homes in the UK were seriously damaged. 40,000 people in the UK were left homeless and many people’s livelihoods were ruined. Most shockingly over 300 people died in England – with about 50 deaths in Belgium, about 30 deaths in Scotland and nearly 2,000 deaths in the Netherlands in the area around Rotterdam. The flood caused a fundamental rethinking of coastal defenses including the commissioning of the Thames Barrier, and the introduction of weather prediction and storm surge warning systems – in modern parlance a “transformation”. Storms still threaten these coasts and the 5-6 December 2013 storm surge was in physical terms a more severe event than 1953. However, it was well forecast and with much better defences, damage was much smaller although significant problems still occurred, such as flooding at the port of Immingham. Importantly, no-one died. However, climate change and especially sea-level rise, is increasing the risk of flooding in the UK. The UK Climate Change Committee warned in 2021 that the most recent climate change risk assessment revealed 1.9 million people in England currently face a risk of greater flooding of any kind. Today’s guests are Prof. Robert Nicholls and Prof. Ivan Haigh who will talk more about flood risks in the face of climate change. Professor Robert Nicholls is the Director of the Tyndall Centre and is a world-leading scientist and engineer who has studied coastal problems and solutions for 30 years, focusing on how increases in sea level caused by climate change result in coastal erosion and flooding, and how communities can adapt to these changes. He has studied the implications of sea-level rise in the UK and in many of the most sensitive regions of the world. (Royalty Free Music by Benjamin Tissot)

Este es el primer episodio del podcast en español y vamos a conversar sobre que es la economía circular, como se puede aplicar en el ámbito de América del Sur y como puede influir en la lucha contra el cambio climático Nuestros invitados en este episodio son Edmundo Munoz y Nicolas Labra, ambos expertos en economía circular. Dr Edmundo Muñoz es Ingeniero Ambiental y Doctor en Ingeniería de la Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile. Actualmente es profesor asociado e investigador de la Universidad Andrés Bello en Santiago de Chile. Su línea de investigación principal es en análisis del ciclo de vida, metodología que ha utilizado para evaluar estrategias de mitigación de impactos ambientales de actividades antrópicas con especial énfasis en cambio climático. Nicolás Labra es un investigador en temas de economía circular y gestión de residuos con foco en el sector informal del Sur Global. En el contexto de su doctorado en el Centro Tyndall Manchester, está investigando la forma en que el sector informal o recicladores de base gestionan los residuos electrónicos y evaluando alternativas para su integración en base al análisis ambiental y social de ciclo de vida. (Royalty Free Music by Benjamin Tissot)

Our episode is about circular economy and renewable energy. According to the Circularity Gap Report of 2019, an annual report produced for the yearly World Economic Forum in Davos, “The world can maximise chances of avoiding dangerous climate change by moving to a circular economy, thereby allowing societies to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Action.” The role of circular economy in achieving net zero has been acknowledged by many countries. The World Resources Institute notes that one-third of nationally determined contributions – climate action plans by each country to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts – updated and submitted in 2021, largely across Europe and some other G20 countries, include mention of a circular economy. But what is a circular economy and how can it help as a solution to climate change? What role does renewable energy play in a circular economy? Our guests for this episode are Christopher, Velma, and Jingyi – PhD students at Tyndall Manchester whose research focuses on renewable energy and circular economy. (Royalty Free Music by Benjamin Tissot)

Our episode today is about aviation and shipping emissions. Aviation emissions have become a hot topic recently, thanks to the revelation that celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Taylor Swift have been using their private jets even for short trips – apparently as short as a three minute flight! This has caused some uproar, especially as climate researchers and activists have been pushing for a reduction of emissions in the aviation sector. Over the years, with cheaper tickets available to the public for air travel, aviation emissions have skyrocketed. According to data from Oxford University, flying accounts for 2.5% of the world’s emissions. The UK Research Institute released a study that shows aviation could consume ⅙ of the remaining temperature budget to limit warming to 1.5C. Similarly, the shipping industry is responsible for around 940 million tonnes of CO2 annually, which is at least 2.5% of the world’s total CO2 emissions. Why is aviation and shipping problematic and what solutions can we implement to solve this problem? Our guest are James and Asha, post-doc researchers at the University of Manchester whose research focus is on aviation and shipping. (Royalty Free Music by Benjamin Tissot)

This episode is about the real world feasibility and consequences of two greenhouse gas removal approaches: first, large-scale afforestation, and second, biomass energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). They both play the largest roles of any greenhouse gas removal approaches in future low emission scenarios that keep global mean temperature increase to below 1.5 °C and 2 °C. We have three guests for this episode Nem Vaughan, Clair Gough and Diarmaid Clery from the FAB-GGR team or the Feasibility of Afforestation and Biomass Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage for Greenhouse Gas Removal. Clair is senior research fellow at the University of Manchester where she has worked for many years on carbon capture storage, looking at everything from the social and political aspects to its role in decarbonising industry and removing carbon dioxide. Diarmaid is a research associate at the University of Manchester, and previously worked at the University of East Anglia. His background is in engineering, working on technical aspects of biomass energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), but now working on more social aspects of greenhouse gas removal, and industrial decarbonisation. Nem is an associate professor at the University of East Anglia where she works on greenhouse gas removal methods, from an earth system perspective through to public and policy. (Royalty Free Music by Benjamin Tissot)

Adapting to climate change means taking action to prepare for and adjust to current and predicted effects of climate change. Adaptation plays an important role in managing past, present and future climate risk and impacts. However, there is an ‘adaptation gap’ where the distance between existing adaptation efforts versus adaptation needs is widening. Tracking national adaptation plans is deemed critical to support future decision-making and drive future actions. Our guest today is Katie Jenkins. Katie has created an Adaptation Inventory of adaptation actions happening based on official records of adaptation projects being implemented by both public and private sector here in the UK. (Royalty Free Music by Benjamin Tissot)

Our episode this month is about energy justice. The energy price crisis in the UK and beyond, means many more households will find themselves in fuel poverty - meaning they find it unaffordable to heat their homes to a safe and healthy level. In 2019, 3.5 million households in the UK were considered fuel poor and this is likely to have increased significantly as a result of the pandemic and energy crisis. How do we address this from a justice perspective? Our guests for this episode is Sarah Becker and Prof. Aimee Ambrose. (Royalty Free Music by Benjamin Tissot)

Interested in starting a PhD at the Tyndall Centre? In this episode, hosts Charlotte Brown and James Mason interview three PhD researchers at Tyndall Manchester to shine some light on the PhD world. How do you apply for a PhD? What do you research? Why choose Tyndall? Have a listen to find out more! (Royalty Free Music by Benjamin Tissot)