Page 39 - Imperial College - Science for Humanity

Sustainable Grantham Institute

Supported by the Grantham Foundation for the
Imperial Protection of the Environment, the Grantham
Institute at Imperial is a leading authority on
climate and environmental science, and a
global centre of excellence for research and
education on climate change. The Grantham
Institute moves the world towards effective
action on climate change and the environment

Towards net zero and further by advancing discovery, converting innovations
into applications, training future leaders
Sustainable Imperial and communicating academic knowledge
to businesses, industry and policymakers.

Our goal: We will set a global benchmark for university literacy to advocate, influence and lead in the fight
sustainability, nurturing graduates who understand against climate change and its impacts. The Imperial
and advocate for climate science, supporting our Institute of Extended Learning will equip individuals
researchers to investigate and respond to planetary and businesses with the skills and business models
challenges and leading by example in our activities needed to deploy new technologies towards
and on our campuses. a net zero future.

Now: Few issues unite our Imperial community With a focus on climate, sustainability and resilience,
with such determination and urgency as our desire one of our new Schools of Convergence Science
to address the interlinked existential challenges of (page 28) will create a new portal to Imperial expertise
climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. and a research community of formidable scale to
imagine and test new approaches, technologies and
Imperial offers a wide variety of education solutions. And we will make our climate expertise
programmes in climate-related science, finance, accessible to a wider community of global policy
technologies and policy. Our research portfolio makers by providing on-campus deep-dive climate
is among the strongest in the world. Through our Science Policy Fellowships.
partnerships, including the Rio Tinto Centre for
Future Materials, the Tata Steel Centre for Innovation The new Imperial Zero Index, along with our Socially
in Sustainable Design and Manufacturing and the Responsible Investment Policy, will allow us to pursue
Hitachi Centre for Decarbonisation and Natural an ‘engagement for change’ ethos with fossil fuel
Climate Solutions, we are using our expertise and companies – only engaging where our research is
research to accelerate a sustainable transformation strongly aligned to decarbonisation and if our partner
for industry and society. demonstrates a credible strategic commitment to
achieving net zero by 2050. “We will deliver evidence-based
Imperial experts are working with governments,
industry and civil society to advocate for urgent We will make huge investments to transform our solutions, embrace new
change, including Professor Jim Skea, Professor in campuses and working practices. The university’s Right: Dr Cristina Banks-Leite, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Natural Sciences technologies, challenge
Sustainable Energy at Imperial and the current chair of Decarbonisation Plan is a comprehensive roadmap
the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. to reach net zero for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by conventional thinking and
2040 at the latest. Alongside this our Sustainable open new debate, driven by
Next: By 2025, Sustainable Imperial will be Procurement Policy will enable us to minimise
established as an Imperial-wide strategy to deliver our Scope 3 emissions in collaboration with our commitment to solving
evidence-based solutions, embrace new technologies, our suppliers. at Silwood Park, Imperial's eco-campus. the urgent and complex
challenge conventional thinking and open new debate
in our efforts to solve this growing global crisis. Sustainable Imperial is a remarkable opportunity for challenges facing our planet.”
the university to live its commitment to environmental
The Imperial Class of 2030 programme (page 10) sustainability and responsible climate governance Professor Nigel Brandon, Chair,
will equip all our graduates with the climate science within, and far beyond, our campus. Imperial Sustainability Committee

36 37