Priestley Centre for Climate Futures’ Post

Last month we hosted an event to celebrate the transition to our next phase, becoming the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures 🎉🌍 Our guests enjoyed an interactive showcase of climate research and initiatives from across the University of Leeds and our collaborators. During the showcase we also asked some of our guests to share what Priestley means to them, summing up their thoughts in one word! Find out more here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eU2UtTkN Kindly featuring in our video: Harriet Thew, C-Capture Ltd., Leeds, James McKay, Leeds University Libraries and Galleries, Sally Chan, Leeds University Business School, Ice Club - Water@Leeds, GENERATE, Sammie's Flowers - Kiddal Quarry Farm, Buena Jill Galleposo, Hina Komiya, Celine Roblin-Robson And in our showcase: Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission, University of Leeds Sustainability Service, Policy Leeds, Global Food and Environment Institute, University of Leeds, UK Centre for Greening Finance and Investment (CGFI), Leeds Institute for Fluid Dynamics (LIFD), Geosolutions Leeds

Opting for plant-based and alternative proteins (AP) is a small change we can make to protect our planet and climate 🌍🌱 The National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC), dedicated to developing planet-friendly alternatives to animal protein, will be hosted by the University of Leeds and funded in part by UK Research and Innovation Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Innovate UK.   Alternative proteins are derived from sources other than animals. They include: 🌾 plants like cereals, legumes, tubers and nuts 🍄 fungus 🦠 algae such as seaweed 🐜 insects 🍃 proteins derived via biomass or precision fermentation and 🍖 cultured (lab-grown) meat You might be wondering, why are these alternatives more environmentally friendly than their meat counterparts? 🤔 Dr Alice Garvey shared some of the key reasons in this informative video as part of our #AskAClimateResearcher series 👇  https://lnkd.in/et2gRkPP NAPIC will be co-led by James Hutton Limited, The University of Sheffield, and Imperial College London and aims to secure a continuous supply of safe, tasty, affordable, and healthy proteins which futureproof the UK’s food and animal feed security. Find out more 👇  https://lnkd.in/en4WeJWF

Air pollution poses a major threat to both human health and the climate - but how can we visualise unseen global air pollution? 💨🌍    Leeds researcher Dr Jim McQuaid has created air quality stripes, which provide a visual way to understand how global air pollution has evolved over time, in collaboration with Dr Kirsty Pringle from EPCC, North Carolina State University, the Software Sustainability Institute, and the Met Office    Inspired by Ed Hawkins’ climate warming stripes, the air quality stripes depict particulate matter (PM) concentrations in 176 cities worldwide since 1850.    ⚪🔵 Light blue represents clean air, while dark red to black indicates high levels of pollution 🔴⚫    The graphics represent both natural contributors, such as desert dust and wildfires which predate the industrial revolution, and human activities like industry, agriculture and vehicle emissions which are significant contributors. 🚗🏙️    The stripes indicate a stark contrast between improvements in air quality across Europe, where stricter air quality regulations and advancements in reducing emissions have been implemented, and alarming air quality deterioration in parts of Africa and central Asia.    This shows that moving away from using fossil fuels for transport and power generation, and towards a net zero future, would improve air quality levels.    By making air pollution visible, the scientists hope to highlight progress and confront ongoing challenges.    Read more 👇  https://lnkd.in/eQxAuZnx

As part of ITV Emmerdale’s transition to a net zero production, the cast and crew have stepped out of The Woolpack and joined forces with the University of Leeds on our Gair Wood project. Last month the 80-strong Green Team, including long-time cast member Chris Chittell (who plays Eric Pollard), Mark Charnock (Marlon Dingle), Tony Audenshaw (Bob Hope), Nicola Wheeler (Nicola King) and many others from the cast and production crew, visited the site to check tree guards and lend a hand in tree maintenance 🌳 Gair Wood is one of the most significant woodland creation projects in the North of England, with 66,000 trees planted in 2023! The wood not only enhances biodiversity and stores carbon, but acts as a Living Laboratory that provides research and teaching opportunities 🌲📚 The team were given a talk by Dr Cat Scott about how our use of land can affect both the climate and biodiversity. Dr Tom Sloan highlighted “They will have played an important part in ensuring these trees settle in and that as many survive as possible.” Read more about the collaboration 🌱👇  https://lnkd.in/ett__M_R

Forests store large amounts of carbon - releasing this through illegal logging has consequences for carbon emissions and climate change 🌲🪓 Illegal logging and associated trade (ILAT) also contributes to the destruction of protected habitats. Although there have been many attempts to prevent ILAT, it has been difficult to measure and target. Professor Professor Oliver Phillips, from the School of Geography, has contributed to a new policy brief discussing this issue. In the policy brief, the researchers highlight the importance of using innovative technology to measure illegal logging, on both a small and large scale, and offer suggestions to identify illegal timber during trade. Read more 🌳👇  https://lnkd.in/e7eMnhmb

In your media roundup this week, our researchers highlight glacial lake flooding in the Everest region, explain how climate change may have amplified the turbulent weather that sank the Bayesian superyacht and launch a new alternative protein research centre 👇 🥩 This week marked the launch of a £38m centre dedicated to developing planet-friendly alternatives to animal proteins, led by Professor Anwesha Sarkar from University of Leeds! Find out more in BBC News ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ejr646Bw Sky News ⬇️  https://lnkd.in/eN5vwJBh   Or listen on Radio 5 Live (interview at 20:02) ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eQiivAc7 ⛈️ If climate change amplified the turbulent weather that sank the Bayesian superyacht, could a wave of 'black swan' events be on the horizon? Professor Douglas Parker shares his thoughts in the Daily Mail ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ea3f5j2m   🧊 Everest's Sherpas fear their homeland is at risk of washing away due to glacial lake flooding. A 2021 study led by Dr Jonathan Carrivick found Himalayan glaciers have lost ice ten times more quickly over the last few decades than the average rate measured since their expansion 400 to 700 years ago ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eygFhzmM 🌡️ The Geosolutions Leeds team have been exploring how we can use geothermal energy to heat buildings across campus. Read more about their promising initial results in Ground Engineering Magazine ⬇️  https://lnkd.in/eqYjdd_y 📊 Translating statistics into colourful diagrams that tell a story makes changing trends more apparent, relatable and relevant. Dr Jim McQuaid's recent research on new air quality stripes is shared as an example of this in The Conversation UK ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eZHcFssp

Climate change will lead to more extreme flooding, but how can we visualise this when the events occur at random? This #WorldWaterWeek we’re highlighting some of the work by Leeds Institute for Fluid Dynamics (LIFD) showcased at our launch event 💧 Wetropolis is a portable model with a weather machine leading to random rainfall onto a river landscape. ⏰ “Wetropolis-days” occur in 10 seconds real time, meaning that you can visualise rare events without having to wait for long periods of time. 🌧️ An increase of ∼ 20% in average rainfall is shown in the model under climate change and a drought can be visualised in the set-up by a drinkwater pipe to the city drying up. Find out more about the project here 👇  https://lnkd.in/ecV2pnxq