More than 190 world leaders will meet in Glasgow, between October 31 and November 12, to discuss ways of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and keeping the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius this century.
High profile attendees are expected to include Greta Thunberg, Pope Francis and Sir David Attenborough. Representatives from º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ will also be taking part in a number of events at the global summit.
On November 4, the University’s new £80m STEER research centre will be officially launched and will showcase how it plans to help low-income countries in Asia, South America and Africa access affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy.
Starting today, the University’s press team will lead a media campaign which showcases the best examples of º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ research which echoes the COP26 goals for this year’s event.
The goals are:
- Secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach
- Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats
- Mobilise finance
- Work together to deliver
Over the next few weeks, researchers will appear on broadcast media, in news articles, videos and on social highlighting work which aims to combat climate change.
It will include a number of explainer videos, the first of which will feature Professor Jin Xuan, who will explain how the chemicals used in industry are harmful to the environment and what º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is doing to tackle the issue.
The campaign will also look at the huge carbon footprint of asthma inhalers and a new project which aims to redesign the canisters, so they are more environmentally friendly.
There will be a climate-focused Cuppa with a Scientist podcast being released with Professor Rob Wilby, an expert in hydroclimatic modelling – who will also discuss the impact of exceeding the 1.5C target in a separate news item
Solar, biomass, and water engineering are a few of the other topics that will be explored in the campaign.
And Dr Richard Hodgkins will look at why COP26 is of great importance and how climate change could impact the East Midlands.
Professor Steve Rothberg, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), said: "None of us has faced a challenge so big, so complex or so important. I’m proud to see how º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ researchers are stepping up to deliver the innovations needed to secure the future of our planet.”
COP26 is the next annual UN climate change conference. It stands for Conference of the Parties, and the summit will be attended by the countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – a treaty that came into force in 1994.
Global leaders will lay out their plans on how to hit those 1.5 degrees Celsius targets in the Paris Agreement. COP26 is viewed as important because it will set the strategy for closing out the 2020-2030 decade.
ENDS