Professor Tony Ryan, Director of the University of Sheffield Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures, said that, despite the announcement, it is vital researchers continue to work with colleagues in the US to build the evidence base for climate change and develop mitigating technology.
“This recent announcement leaves the civil society aghast, but at the same time safe in the knowledge that President Trump’s view is not representative of either his great country or the rest of the world” said Professor Ryan. “We will continue to work with our colleagues in the USA to build the evidence base for climate change, develop mitigating technology and work to decarbonise the economy through renewable energy generation, storage and distribution. It is encouraging to see the cities and states of the US uniting in their aim of fulfilling the Paris Climate Accord, whilst the rest of the world progresses to a low carbon future led by the ultimate superpower – the sun.”
Matthew Bilson, Programme Director of the University of Sheffield’s Energy 2050, added that the Paris Agreement was the culmination of years of negotiations by governments across the world and that its success gives companies and innovators a clear vision for developing new energy technologies and low-carbon solutions to transport and cities. By withdrawing, President Trump will cause uncertainty and confusion for American businesses – damaging American industry, thereby having exactly the opposite impact he hoped for. The world will still need steel, and cement, and glass, but with commitment, investment and innovation, these industries can also move to a low-carbon future.
Leading academics and PhD students from the University of Sheffield’s Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures and Energy 2050 attended the Paris Climate Change Conference in 2015 to share their research and expertise on food security and sustainable energy. This added to the evidence base that helped to secure the global deal to prevent global temperatures rising more than two degrees above pre-industrial levels.
The University of Sheffield’s Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures is a hub of outstanding interdisciplinary research and innovative sustainability solutions. The research conducted at the centre focuses on two immediate issues. The first of these concerns the need to ensure people everywhere have enough clean water and nutritious, safe and appropriate food as well as reliable, affordable and clean energy to meet their needs. The second issue concerns the need to reduce global consumption - slowing the depletion of natural resources and emissions of greenhouse gases, to make sure that society's needs are met without compromising the needs of future generations.
The centre was launched after the University of Sheffield was awarded £2.6 million from Jeremy Grantham – a world-renowned investment manager and co-founder, with his wife Hanne, of the Grantham Foundation.
The University of Sheffield’s Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures is pioneering research and real-life solutions to urgent issues facing today’s society. It also runs an innovative PhD programme that is building a global community of future sustainability leaders.
The University of Sheffield is committed to a shared effort to tackle climate change and fossil-free investment. Its Energy 2050 institute is one of the UK’s largest energy research institutes, focusing on energy innovation and knowledge exchange and bringing together more than 120 academics and 250 PhD students. It's a research institute that goes beyond traditional research boundaries by delivering innovations to power producers and major consumers with technology providers, focused on competitiveness and the de-risking of large-scale investment in new technologies both in the UK and internationally.
Next week Professor Mohamed Pourkashanian, Head of University Energy Research, will be visiting the Clean Energy Ministerial 8 (CEM8) in Beijing. The annual meeting of 24 member countries and the European Union will provide an opportunity to leverage high-level political will and private sector leadership to drive ambitious, real-world clean energy policies and actions.
Image: University of Sheffield
For additional information:
Grantham Centre of Sustainable Futures
Clean Energy Ministerial 8 (CEM8)
How the University of Sheffield contributed to the Paris Agreement negotiations
