Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/S012834/1
Opportunities for Climate Mitigation and Sustainable Development (OPTIMISM)
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Dr R Slade, Imperial College London, Centre for Environmental Policy
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr M Pathak, Ahmedabad University, UNLISTED
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr J Khan, Lund University, Environmental and Energy Systems Studies
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr J Portugal Pereira, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, COPPE
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor M Esteban, Waseda University, Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor D Mahadevia, Ahmedabad University, UNLISTED
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor LJ Nilsson, Lund University, Environmental and Energy Systems Studies
- Grant held at:
- Imperial College London, Centre for Environmental Policy
- Science Area:
- Atmospheric
- Earth
- Freshwater
- Marine
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Unknown
- ENRIs:
- Global Change
- Natural Resource Management
- Science Topics:
- Public Transport Systems
- Urban & Land Management
- Alternative Energy Networks
- Energy Supply
- Sustainable Energy Networks
- Intermittency of Supply
- National Grid
- Industrial Sustainability
- Manufact. Enterprise Ops& Mgmt
- Science and Technology Studies
- Science and Technology Engagement
- Land use change
- Land - Atmosphere Interactions
- Abstract:
- This project addresses the challenge of how we can make sure that rapid and extensive action to mitigate climate change can be leveraged to deliver both Agenda 2030 and a well below 1.5o C world. The project takes a whole system perspective. It uses the sustainable development goal framework to analyse (i) how interactions between human development and the environment change with rapid and extensive climate mitigation, and (ii) how policy and practice interventions informed by a better understanding of enabling interactions can come together to create transformational change. As decision-makers implement policies to reduce carbon emissions, the choice of policy measures and interventions will have profound implications on the SDGs and how they can be achieved. The integrated assessment model (IAM) scenarios developed for the IPCC Special Report on 1.5oC identify essential transitions that will require rapid, extensive and unprecedented change that impacts both the Earth system and human development. These transitions include: - Rapid decarbonisation of industry - including hard to decarbonise sectors - Dramatic increases in renewable energy - including 100% renewable energy networks - Extensive land use and dietary change to meet demand for food and other ecosystem services - Rapid decarbonisation of transport and modal shifts to public transport For some sectors, mitigation transitions will provide significant co-benefits with achieving the SDGs. For example, promoting dietary changes could contribute to achieving goal 2 (zero hunger) and goal 15 (life on land). Safe and decarbonised public transport, can improve gender equity (goal 5) and health (goal 3) and reduce poverty (goal 1). In other cases, mitigation transitions can present substantial risks and trade-offs. For example, renewable energy networks based on bioenergy can have negative impacts on food security (goal 2) and biodiversity (goal 15). In this context, it becomes vital to expose hidden trade-offs and synergies to avoid unintended consequence. Because many of the interactions between SDGs are non-linear over time and space, it is essential that decision makers have a systemic understanding of the thresholds and tipping points associated with delivering and motivating the technological and societal change required to mitigate climate in the short, medium and long term. For this reason, this project will work across multiple dimensions: scales, sectors and disciplines to address the evolution and dynamics of environment-human relationships for all SDGs and translate this knowledge into action.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/S012834/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Directed - International
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- TaSE
This grant award has a total value of £263,084
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| DI - Other Costs | Indirect - Indirect Costs | DA - Investigators | DI - Staff | DA - Estate Costs | DI - T&S | DA - Other Directly Allocated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £2,916 | £100,341 | £12,445 | £102,224 | £28,642 | £14,576 | £1,941 |
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