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Dr Ceri Lewis' research expeditions to the Canadian High Arctic to investigate impacts of ocean acidification, have informed educational material, introducing oceans education to schools, both nationally and internationally. Lewis worked with Digital Explorer, a non-profit organisation, to provide free lesson plans and multi-media resources on ocean acidification and Arctic climate change to classrooms, both nationally and internationally. The resulting education resources, informed by Ceri's fieldwork, are already being used by 1,225 UK secondary schools (i.e. 30% of secondary schools in the UK), reaching over 658,000 pupils within the first year of being launched. These school resources are also being used internationally including a training programme in Alaska and outreach examples across Europe.
Carbon dioxide sequestration is the process by which pressured CO2 is injected into a storage space within the Earth rather than released into the atmosphere. It is one of the major ways that carbon dioxide emissions can be controlled.
Research since 2004 by applied mathematicians at the University of Cambridge into the many different effects that might be encountered during this process has had considerable impact on government and industry groups in determining how the field is viewed and how it should and might be industrially developed. The work played a major role in the CO2CRC conferences and was subsequently reported to the Australian Government by the CO2CRC chair and organisers.
International and national political negotiations and public debates about climate change mitigation policies can only progress with accurate and timely updates about the global carbon budget. Annual carbon updates have been supplied over many years, as a result of our work. The "Global Carbon Project" (GCP) has become the definitive source on carbon budgets for political and policy processes dealing with climate change mitigation and the GCP draws heavily on the School's work on the ocean carbon cycle, including ocean iron fertilisation, and its relevance to the contemporary global carbon budget. This is evidenced by its citation and influence on national (e.g. UK, Germany, Australia, USA, Sweden and Canada) and international (e.g. UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) deliberations.
Impact: Public and private sector investment in technologies for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), including a major UK Government CCS Commercialisation Programme.
Significance and reach: In the 2010 Spending Review the UK government re-affirmed a £1billion commitment to CCS funding, which since 2012 has been referred to as a CCS Commercialisation Programme. [text removed for publication]. The European Commission have placed CCS pipelines into 2012 infrastructure package negotiations, with allocated funds of ~ €2.5billion.
Underpinned by: Research into the sub-surface storage of carbon, undertaken at the University of Edinburgh (1999 onwards).
Research in the UoA developed a methodology for Carbon Calculations over the Life Cycle of Industrial Activities (CCaLC), providing `cradle to grave' carbon footprint estimates for commercial products. The methodology was embedded in a set of software tools designed to be used by non- experts, allowing companies to perform carbon footprinting in-house. The software is free to download, currently with 3300 users in more than 70 countries. The methodology and software tools have been endorsed by BERR (now BIS), DEFRA and the World Bank, and used widely by industry, across a range of sectors, to reduce carbon footprints of their products. This has resulted in significant environmental and socio-economic benefits, including estimated climate change mitigation gains in excess of £450m.
The Mikoko Pamoja project uses carbon credits for conservation and development in Africa. It is one outcome of Edinburgh Napier University's (ENU) work on mangrove ecology which has local, national and international impacts. With public and private support, the project has recruited >140 international volunteers, trained 46 African scientists, and funded development including schools and pumps. It is pioneering community control of mangroves using new legal instruments and informing the national management plan. A regional forum founded by the team facilitates international networking. The work has been highlighted by the United Kingdom (UK) Department for International Development as good practice and has generated ACES (Association for Coastal Ecosystem Services), a new charity.
Researchers at Plymouth University were the first to demonstrate the occurrence of microscopic plastic debris in the environment. Professor Thompson's team showed that `microplastic' particles had accumulated since the 1960s and are present in oceans worldwide. This case study describes the impacts from these findings and the subsequent research by the team which demonstrated that marine organisms could ingest and retain this material and that, upon ingestion, microplastics had the potential to release chemical contaminants. The research impacted on UK, European and American policy and contributed to a body of evidence which influenced companies to phase-out microplastics from their products.
Results from climate physics research at the University of Oxford have demonstrated that targets for cumulative carbon emissions, rather than greenhouse gas concentrations, are a more effective approach to limiting future climate change. This new approach and the resulting `trillionth tonne' concept have had substantial political and economic implications. Impacts since 2009 include (a) stimulus to policy developments; (b) influence on the business decisions of Shell e.g. to invest in a $1.35bn carbon capture and storage facility; and (c) significant public and media debate with a global reach.
By putting public engagement at the heart of our deep-sea research, we have delivered benefits to society of generating inspiration and curiosity about science, raising public awareness of our research insights and their context, and providing cultural enrichment by supporting lifelong learning. We have achieved these impacts through: interactions with print, online, and broadcast media that have brought our research to millions; series of talks and events that have inspired specific audiences of tens of thousands; and a network of interactive online resources that has enabled people worldwide to share in our exploration of deep-ocean environments and their biodiversity.
The Scottish Government is aiming to generate all of its electricity through renewable energy sources by 2020. Research by the University of Aberdeen has produced a freely available tool - the Windfarm Carbon Calculator - that has overhauled the planning process for windfarm developments in Scotland. In changing public policy and planning regulations, and informing the public debate, Aberdeen's calculator is helping the Government fulfil its pledge to become "the green energy powerhouse of Europe" while protecting some of the country's most environmentally fragile areas. It continues to guide the actions of politicians, planners, the wind industry, NGOs and community groups.
The claimed impact therefore is on: the environment, economy and commerce, public policies and services, practitioners and services.