OUR WORK
Scotland Beyond Net Zero is a coalition designed to catalyse research collaboration, empower our communities and inform the policymaking and action Scotland needs to reach its ambitious targets.
Scotland Beyond Net Zero’s partner universities, will work to combine our research strengths to build interdisciplinary collaborations around six core themes: Built Environment, Energy, Finance, Food, Natural Systems, and Transport. Read more about each of these themes and meet the related researchers via the quick links below.
From research in modern architecture, urban planning, and civil engineering to the design of energy-efficient buildings and the use of sustainable construction materials, our researchers are considering how the world that we have forged around us holds the potential to accelerate our race to achieving net zero.
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Scotland is a global leader in many areas of renewable energy, especially on and offshore wind, and green hydrogen. From increased understanding of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal power to improving energy efficiency and storage capabilities, research into energy is fundamental to achieving our goal of reaching net zero emissions. We work with other energy initiatives, especially the Scottish Partnership in Energy and Engineering Research & Innovation (SPEERI) to accelerate and coordinate impactful research on energy across Scotland.
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Finance is closely linked to the climate crisis – how can and should global and local financial flows support sustainable technologies, institutions and practices? How to pay for the transition required to mitigate and adapt to climate change? Academic research can highlight the ways that investment practices can align with sustainability objectives. Financial investments could channel efforts towards low-carbon and climate-resilient projects to help accelerate the transition to a net zero carbon economy.
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Almost a third of greenhouse gas emissions are associated with our current food systems. To understand the role food production plays in achieving net zero, we’re bringing together interdisciplinary research that looks at the impact and opportunities across multiple stages of the food supply lifecycle, including issues of justice and fairness in access to sustainable and good food across society.
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Through research into ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural processes, we can unlock the knowledge to develop strategies that harness nature’s potential to sequester carbon, and mitigate and adapt to climate change. Nature-based approaches to climate change can also create opportunities for community benefits and sustainable local development, while also revealing how Scotland’s nature, land and environment is a product of its history.
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With a wave of new developments and advancements in environmental technologies, it’s an exciting and pivotal moment in the transportation sector. Further research aims to understand how cutting-edge technologies can not only mitigate the transport sector’s traditional environmental impacts, but shape the future of how we get around in ways that are fair, accessible and affordable.
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In more recent years, due to wider societal awareness and coverage in the media, the significance of food production within the context of our emissions is becoming more widely known. But with around 21-37% of total greenhouse gas emissions connected to food systems, it remains a major contributor to the climate crisis, with multiple challenges and opportunities at every stage of the food system.
Our researchers engage with agricultural practices, advancements in technology, dietary patterns, improvements in waste reduction strategies and food cultures to lead on a more sustainable food future.
Our research into more sustainable agriculture practices explores new, innovative methods to reduce carbon emissions and enhance overall efficiency in food production. The complexities of this research theme come from the multiple stages or touchpoints of the entire food lifecycle. From land-use to transport to food waste, there are many opportunities for our food systems to have an environmental impact, and our research looks at each of these in isolation.
We’re facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations in an effort to bridge knowledge gaps and identify new research opportunities. Our role in undertaking academic research in this area will be instrumental in shaping policies, cultures and practices that align with the net zero objectives, fostering a more sustainable and resilient food system for the future.
Meet the researchers involved with studies on food systems, and its role in combating the climate crisis.
Senior Lecturer in Global Food Security
peter.alexander@ed.ac.uk
Professor of Food and Environmental Security
liz.baggs@ed.ac.uk
Professor of Metabolic Nutrition and Director of the Centre for Obesity Research and Education
g.bermano@rgu.ac.uk
Chancellor’s Fellow in Environmental Humanities
hannah.boast@ed.ac.uk
Local SBNZ lead for the University of the West of Scotland and Head of the Division of Engineering and Physical Sciences
michele.cano@uws.ac.uk
Associate Professor at Gray’s School of Art and RGU Interdisciplinary Research Theme Lead for Energy, Environment and Sustainability; SBNZ local lead for RGU
j.clarke5@rgu.ac.uk
Professor of Human Nutrition
Emilie.CombetAspray@glasgow.ac.uk
Professor in Strategy and Technology Management
john.crawford@glasgow.ac.uk
Research Fellow in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis
wisdom.dogbe@abdn.ac.uk
Lecturer in Power Electronics and Electrical Power Engineering
mohamed.elgenedy@gcu.ac.uk
Research Fellow, Institute of Aquaculture
lynne.falconer1@stir.ac.uk
Professor of Operations Management and Associate Dean for Research and Knowledge Exchange
c.hannibal@rgu.ac.uk
Local SBNZ lead for the University of the West of Scotland and Professor of Environmental Geochemistry
Local SBNZ lead for the University of Edinburgh, and Personal Chair of Global Health and Nutrition
lindsay.jaacks@ed.ac.uk
Director of the Mary Robinson Centre for Climate Justice
t.jafry@gcu.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Molecular Biosciences
matt.jones@glasgow.ac.uk
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems
jkenned5@exseed.ed.ac.uk
Lecturer in Sustainable Energy
Amarnath.Krishnamoorthy@uws.ac.uk
Principal Investigator Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences
smckim@dundee.ac.uk
Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics
dominic.moran@ed.ac.uk
Associate Dean for Economic, Social and Cultural Development and Head of Sociology School of Law and Social Sciences
n.mueller-hirth@rgu.ac.uk
SBNZ Academic Theme Lead - Food and Professor of Food Security and Sustainability
rachel.norman@stir.ac.uk
Lecturer in Science, Technology and Innovation Studies
eugenia.rodrigues@ed.ac.uk
SBNZ Academic Theme Lead - Food and Professor of Nutrition
b.deroos@abdn.ac.uk
Professor of Consumer Ethics and Sustainability
Deirdre.shaw@glasgow.ac.uk
Director of the Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN)
george.tarvit@ed.ac.uk
Lecturer in Economics
Anna.SchulzeTilling@glasgow.ac.uk
Business Manager, Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems
Darren.watt@ed.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Systems, Power and Energy
Siming.You@glasgow.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Supply Chain Management and Technology
Abraham.Zhang@glasgow.ac.uk
Read the latest articles about food systems from our universities.
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