University System of Maryland’s Post

TCD's climate chair sponsored, brand sponsored, by CRH, the Irish head-quartered global cement manufacturer, that is busy buying up cement assets around the world, leaves the head spinning. Cement and concrete accounts for 8% of global emissions, three times aviation, and CRH is a multi-billion corporation with quite the history here in Ireland. It was Ireland’s third largest industrial emitter of carbon dioxide last year, its two plants in Limerick and Drogheda between them producing more than 1.7 million tonnes of carbon. Only Ryanair and ESB’s five power stations combined emitted more. if CRH wanted to support research it could have made a quiet donation but when it sought a name branded climate chair, excuse me for thinking this looks a lot like facilitating corporate greenwashing? When cement manufacturers get this access it is little wonder that Ireland still has regulatory and planning barriers to the use of alternative materials, like timber or hempcrete, compared to other EU countries (Paris uses hempcrete in public housing and Scotland has 75% timber framed housing compared to 25% here). Of course we need concrete/ cement - but Ireland remains slow to implement mandatory embodied carbon measurement or mandate use of low carbon concrete - so TCD facilitating a big polluter to look like a climate activist - seems odd. Would they take an oil company ? Worth noting this report from just two years ago when CRH was challenged on the reality of its climate goals and emissions by shareholder investors https://lnkd.in/e5qiEJ2v Of course CRH has a sustainability plan and the new European building regulations will move to decarbonise building and gradually force an EU-wide mandate on measuring embodied carbon emissions, life-cycle assessments and low carbon materials; but this seems opportunistic by CRH (no matter how much research independence is given in the commitment). Scientists and research, and the public, deserve better. It's wonderful to see this outstanding scientist joining TCD, but where the funding comes from does matters. Multi-millions of public money is being put into the new climate co-centre, headquartered at TCD, yet it is a cement producer that ends up, through a small stream of funding, getting a brand name on the first climate chair in TCD. The balance is wrong and prompts a false public impression. It is not a good governance look that the Chairman of CRH Board is on the #TCD Provost's Council. Academia taking commercial sponsorship without a detailed analysis of the true cost and value of that benefit is a dangerous ethical minefield. TCD Students took action earlier in year https://lnkd.in/eWYAKhCH Good also to see how Irish Independent's Caroline O'Doherty reported it : https://lnkd.in/eh-uw_Xu - She reports CRH pays TCD €1.5 million over 10 years. Works out about €150,000 annually - pittance in advertising spend. DRH closed 2023 with net cash, on operating activities, up 32% at $5 billion dollars.

Well Done

I just had the great fortune to mentor Brendan Chen a SciPol intern from the National Science Policy Network. Here's his blogpost that summarizes the work he did with the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists! https://lnkd.in/gg_UDv2x

Want to know more about the Department's new MSt in Climate, Environmental and Urban Policy? Read a Q&A with the Course Director, Professor Jorge Viñuales, explaining what students can expect from the course: https://lnkd.in/e6pPAsmm #LandEc #LandEconomy #ClimatePolicy #EnvironmentalPolicy #UrbanPolicy

One of the highlights of my AAAS STPF Fellowship has been participating in the drafting of this The White House #EnvironmentalJustice plan under the leadership of an inspirational, interagency team, alongside fellow Fellows including Sierra Jackson, Ph.D. Monika Roy, PhD, MSPH and Samuel Kay! Today, the Biden-Harris Administration releases a first-of-its-kind government-wide #EnvironmentalJustice Science Data and Research Plan to ensure science is leveraged to tackle environmental inequities and improve community health across the country. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy-led plan will support federal agencies in advancing environmental justice through identifying and addressing longstanding gaps, barriers, and missing science, data, and research relevant to environmental justice. Federal science, data and research play an important role in advancing environmental justice across the country, and the new Research Plan provides a critical roadmap: https://lnkd.in/e8qGSxRg #EnvironmentalJustice #EJ #SciencePolicy #FederalScience

🌍 Exciting News! Our paper on "Methane Mitigation and Global Temperature in Permafrost" is now out in Global Environmental Change Advances! 📖 We explored the methane mitigation scenarios while considering the massive potential of a permafrost feedback. Check out the full paper [https://lnkd.in/ePRrYqVH]! Hannah Bäck and I worked on this in the summer of 2022 at Arizona State University, and it is finally published! We definitely could not have done it with our mentor Steffen Eikenberry.

Meet UWL's newly added major: Environmental Science! 🌎 🌱 Over the next decade, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 6% increase in jobs for environmental scientists and specialists nationwide, with demand expected to outpace supply in the Midwest. Learn more about the Environmental Science major and why UWL is the perfect place to pursue it ☀️:

''This initiative transcended a simple tree-planting exercise. By actively involving students from both schools, the NSF fostered a sense of environmental responsibility and ownership among the younger generation..'' Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eeaQ68Y2 #MakeTheWorldBetter

It's #EarthDay 🌎, a global day of awareness to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Everyday scientists at the MBL Ecosystems Center strive to learn more about our planet and how we're affecting it. The Ecosystems Center was founded more than four decades ago with the mission of investigating the structure and function of ecological systems and their response to changing environmental conditions, and applying that knowledge to the wise management of natural resources. This work is more and more urgent as societies mitigate the effects of climate change that are already evident, and work to advance sustainable solutions for managing and restoring ecosystems into the future. mbl.edu/ecosystems

Earlier today, we held a meeting to discuss partnership between Meru University of Science and Technology. Areas of mutual interest 1. The launch of the International Institute of Culture and Climate Justice. To be supported jointly by PACJA and MUST and other partners. 2. Development of the University Industrial Park 3. Joint hosting of the Nairobi Summer Sch on Climate Justice with Chuka University and other Tertiary institutions in the region 4. PACJA's participation in the university's Annual Scientific Conference slated for 26-28th June 2024. 5. Need to involve the NSSCJ participants in the University's Edu- tourism initiative. The university to co share costs with PACJA. 6. University involvement in Climate Justice curriculum development to enrich summer school's climate justice modules. 7. Explore collaboration on Locally Led Climate Action through the university's innovation centre to: condubt seed bulking, Research on appropriate seed cultivars and Value addition. The meeting resolved to sign an MoU to solidify the engagement of PACJA and MUST. Present were, Prof. Simon Thuranira DVC Meru University, Hon Eruaki of KEPHIS,Mithika Mwenda Pan African Climate Justice Alliance PACJA (PACJA). Others PACJA representatives in the meeting were; Fathiya Al Majid, Charles Mwangi and Kanyi James.