21.12.21 - NRI Special - Episode 2 - Climate Change
Welcome to the special series of The GREen Pod, made and hosted by the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) at the University of Greenwich. Tune into this series of podcasts to hear about some of the fascinating sustainability work being conducted by scientists at the NRI as they study insect behaviour, pest and disease control, climate change, gender inequality, social mobility, pollution and plastics, crop disease and food systems and waste.
Episode 2 - Climate change - everyone is talking about it but how much do we actually know and understand? Can there ever be a ‘perfect solution’ or is every positive change fraught with risk? And what was the point of COP26?
Join NRI host Linden Kemkaran as she speaks to Dr Conor Walsh, an environmental scientist at the Natural Resources Institute, and part of the Agriculture, Health and Environment Department at the University of Greenwich.
Conor describes how he and his team are introducing ‘climate literacy’ to the next generation by heading up a brand-new BSc in Climate Change here at the university.
By examining the terminology that is used in the media to explain the phenomenon of climate change, Conor discusses how each individual on the planet will be responsible for how the future pans out. He reframes the outcomes of COP26 by looking back to the Paris summit of 2015 and asking exactly how effective has it been. The importance of ‘carbon sinks’ is explained as is the potential of noticing ‘tipping points’ to indicate the likelihood of extreme weather events occurring.
Fun Fact: So, you’re probably wondering if we’re all doomed or is there hope that we can work to reverse the climbing temperature and ward off disaster? Conor says that yes, there is hope and that acting now, is key.
Fun Fact: So, you’re probably wondering if we’re all doomed or is there hope that we can work to reverse the climbing temperature and ward off disaster? Conor says that yes, there is hope and that acting now, is key.