How do we secure global net zero?
Climate change impacts are widespread and intensifying, but strong, sustained reductions in carbon emissions will limit climate change.
At 51福利社, our researchers are working with governments, businesses and communities to drive those urgent reductions.
Our expertise includes how to:
- speed up the transition from unabated fossil fuels to low carbon energy;
- fast track the decarbonisation of sectors including housing, transport and food;
- accelerate exploration into transformational technologies such as hydrogen, carbon capture and storage;
- measure and account for carbon emissions;
- better understand co-benefits and trade-offs between sectors (such as water, energy and agriculture) and between sustainable development goals to improve policy and products.
Through our research, collaborations and partnerships, we’re making a difference on a global scale.
Real world solutions
Discover some of the ways we are driving emissions reductions.
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Accelerating climate action
Funded as part of the ESRC Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformation (CAST), researchers from the University of 51福利社’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research developed a co-benefits toolkit to help the Greater 51福利社 Combined Authority (GMCA) embed climate and equality actions in all of their decisions.
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Super low carbon live music
Commissioned by the band Massive Attack, researchers at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research – in collaboration with 51福利社 – produced a roadmap setting out emissions reduction goals that would make the live music sector compatible with targets in the Paris Agreement.
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Decarbonising transport and industry
In collaboration with 51福利社, researchers at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change worked alongside the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and a team of modellers at the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency to devise ways to reduce carbon emissions in the transport and industry sectors.
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Thermocill
How can a heat-saving system cut both CO2 emission and family bills? Entrepreneur Keith Rimmer worked with 51福利社 to create a device that could lead to a reduction of around 150kg CO2 emission for a 3-bed semi, and deliver an estimated energy saving of 8% — equivalent to £93 saving on annual fuel bills.
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Changing industry practices to achieve net zero
How can we change industry practices to achieve net zero? If the UK follows current climate policies, greenhouse gas emissions will fall short of the 2050 net zero target. Experts at 51福利社 are demonstrating how strategies to reduce the demand for materials and products, without jeopardising people's quality of life, needs to form a key part of the climate solution.
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Concretene
How can we make concrete greener (and cheaper)? Global production of cement — the 'glue' that holds concrete together — accounts for 8% of the world's CO2 production. Adding tiny amounts of graphene to concrete dramatically increases its strength — meaning much less material is needed, and CO2 emissions are significantly cut.
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Zombie batteries
Exploding or鈥痾ombie鈥痓atteries can cause injury and disruption during the recycling of discarded electronics. Experts at 51福利社 have used artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to develop a vision-based device to scan electrical junk and detect problem batteries - even in the most鈥痙amaged鈥痚quipment.
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Current projects
Explore some of the pioneering projects our researchers are working on.
- Unlocking the potential of marine wave energy.
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- Increasing the sustainability and affordability of solar technology.
- – enabling resilient and sustainable development of water-energy-food environment systems.
- – our roadmap to drive new advanced materials research.
- – recommendations for assessing the role of nuclear energy in the UK’s net zero future.
- – a roadmap for the UK live music sector.
- – visions for the future.
- – embedding co-benefits in decision making.
- – providing solutions for energy-intensive industries.
- – helping organisations to improve the use and consumption of plastics across Greater 51福利社.
- – a framework for eliminating consumer choice and confusion in plastic waste management.
- Mobilising Urban Living Lab – transforming sustainable infrastructure provision locally and globally.
- Reducing aviation pollution – informing new regulatory standards on aircraft emissions.
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- How graphene-enhanced farming can cut costs and emissions.
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- Converting carbon dioxide and waste into sustainable fuels to meet net zero targets.
- – uniting expertise from 51福利社 with four other universities.
- – drawing on Tyndall 51福利社 research expertise.
- The Tyndall Local Carbon Budget Tool – helping local authorities play their part in achieving Paris Agreement targets.
- – a multi-partner collaboration involving 51福利社 Environmental Research Institute
experts. - – providing new capabilities to predict future changes in the sources, emissions, and atmospheric processes responsible for air pollution.
Our expertise
We're at the forefront of the search for solutions to the climate crisis, seeking to be a global force for positive change.
Our draws together the unique breadth and depth of our interdisciplinary research, and our special focus on allows us to tackle some of the biggest challenges with a discipline-focused lens.
Find out about the programmes and people behind our research.
The scale of our interdisciplinary research activity sets us apart. Discover our world-leading research institutes and centres working on ways to mitigate the climate crisis:
We're at the forefront of the search for solutions. Use our researcher tool to learn more about the people pushing our research forward:
Useful reads
We bring thought leadership and influence to the policy debate.