Research centre launches at Imperial College London with the aim of enabling scientists and innovators to come together to create solutions for the climate emergency, reports Ellen Buchan
With the aim of driving creative solutions for the transition to net zero pollution, Imperial College London has partnered with Hitachi and Hitachi Europe to create the Hitachi and Imperial Centre for Decarbonisation and Natural Climate Solutions.
“The aim of the new Centre… is to be a connection point, not only across Imperial, but also together with Hitachi to find those leverage points where we can really make a difference to this challenge,” said Dean of Imperial College Business School, Francisco Veloso.
The joint venture aims to enable scientists and innovators to come together to create solutions for the climate emergency. This will be done through collaboration on research projects, reports and white papers on technologies. The first projects of the centre are to focus on carbon management, the decarbonisation of energy and transport, the removal of carbon dioxide, and the creation of greater biodiversity.
“This Centre will bring together different disciplines, from engineering and systems thinking to economics, new business models and policymaking. More than ever, it is clear that we cannot solve climate change in isolation,” said Mirabelle Muûls, Assistant Professor in Economics at Imperial College Business School and Co-Director of the Centre. “We need to think about the implications of energy security and dealing with climate change, in allocation, mitigation and leading to a zero-carbon society. This will have implications for democracy and the wellbeing of the generations after us. It is not a small task,” Muûls added.
The partnership comes as part of Imperial’s Transition to Zero Pollution initiative, which was created to connect research, industry and government.
This article is adapted from one which originally appeared in Ambition – the magazine of the Association of MBAs.