Climate Change Research at UEA by University of East Anglia

CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH AT UEA

Making a difference in the critical decade.

£8m

Climate Change fundraising target

Professor Robert Nicholls’ research explores the impact of climate change on coastal areas.

THE CRITICAL DECADE IS HERE Tackling climate change has never been more urgent, explains Prof Robert Nicholls.

limate change is no longer something that is going to happen in the future, something we think about but ultimately push to the back of our mind. Humancaused climate change is here, and for many communities across the globe, it is already wreaking devastation.

with policy and decision-makers so that they have the latest information from which to make decisions, and we work hard to engage and inform journalists, the public, and our students, because we understand that the changes we need to make for our planet need to be carried out together, as a global society.

Climate change is finally a top global agenda, with news, films, social media and more all playing a role in highlighting the challenges we face. The 2020s is the critical decade in which we must take decisive action to follow the Paris Agreement and limit the rise in temperature to below 20C.

UEA established the Climatic Research Unit in 1972 and our research has informed policy and public perceptions for half a century. We were amongst the first to show that the world is warming due to human activity. And our climate researchers are amongst the most highly cited in the world.

I have spent the last 30 years researching responses to climate change, and what makes UEA unique is that our research stays at the forefront of climate change as it is happening right now. At UEA, we capture and analyse the latest trends and data, we work closely

We have so much expertise behind us and are one of the biggest interdisciplinary universities when it comes to climate change research. By bringing together world-leading experts in natural science, social science, economics, the humanities, and www.uea.ac.uk/difference

The Tyndall Centre was named after the 19th-century Irish physicist John Tyndall.

GREAT C H A L L E N G E S C ALL FO R D E C I S I V E ACT ION. B U T WE’R E R E A DY. literature, we are leading the charge on researching climate change responses. UEA’s practical Climate Change Action Plan, which you will read more about later in this brochure, will help us find ways to limit the impact of climate change and drive sustainable change into the future. We know tackling climate change will continue to take unprecedented

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co-ordinated action and we know that positive change is possible. Philanthropy at UEA has already allowed us to make monumental scientific strides in other areas of research. Now, with the continued help of our supporters, UEA’s climate research in this critical decade of change will shape the future of our planet. I thank you for your interest in climate change research at UEA and I hope you too will consider becoming part of a visionary community of supporters seeking to create pioneering change in the world. Prof Robert Nicholls Professor of Climate Adaptation at UEA and Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research

UEA’S CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION PL AN In order to tackle the climate emergency, UEA has developed four key research projects that will address the need for data, communication and the vital knowledge required to help change and mitigate human behaviour. The Observatory for Climate Recovery Directed by a world-leading climate scientist, the Observatory for Climate Recovery will exploit the modern-day explosion of data to capture and understand climatic trends in real-time and look at ways that human behaviour can be adapted, where possible.

ScienceBrief ScienceBrief is an ambitious online platform that collates peer-reviewed climate research and data to support politicians, businesses, and the media to communicate and make decisions informed by evidence.

Research Centre for Ecosystems and Climate Sustainability Better protected ecosystems can play a vital role in the fight against climate change. This new research centre will seek to understand the pressures our ecosystems face, how they will evolve and how ‘nature-based solutions’ could mitigate the impacts of climate change.

UEA Polar Initiative Using UEA’s dedicated air-sea-ice chamber to replicate polar conditions and state-of-the-art autonomous vehicles to capture data in the field, our researchers will seek to understand the mechanisms behind sea ice loss and its impact on arctic ecosystems, as well as exploring glacier collapse in Antarctica. www.uea.ac.uk/difference

PIONEERING CLIMATE RESEARCH UEA researchers were amongst the first to show that the world is warming. Now we’re tackling the climate emergency.

n 1972, UEA established the Climatic Research Unit. Shortly after, our researchers proved that the world is warming due to human activity. Some 35 years later, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Al Gore, aided by the University’s substantial and sustained research contributions and expertise. At UEA, we understand that collaboration is critical to provide the vital research, solutions and insight needed to understand and minimise human impact on Earth’s climate and ecosystems. Which is why we founded the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in 2000, as a partnership between prominent universities, now including China. Together we have broken new ground in understanding the global climate system and its implications for society, and together we are driving forward sustainable responses to climate change. 05

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Our reputation for climate research excellence has drawn together some of the world’s leading climate scientists, such as Professor Corinne Le Quéré CBE, Royal Society Research Professor of Climate Change Science; Professor Robert Nicholls, Director of the Tyndall Centre; Professor Timothy Osborn, Professor of Climate Science; and many more. We are also deeply honoured to have HRH the Prince of Wales as Royal Patron of UEA’s School of Environmental Sciences. Climatologists, social scientists, energy analysts, engineers and economists are now working together to help address the climate emergency. From constructing the world’s first Global Temperature Record, which maps surface air temperatures up to the present day, to leading the Antarctic expedition investigating the “Doomsday Glacier” in 2022, our scientists have been at the forefront of climate change research for over 50 years.

£8m

Our history of climate change research hasn’t been without its media controversies. In 2009, our Climatic Research Unit’s IT server was hacked, and thousands of our researchers’ emails and files were stolen. Climate change deniers were quick to misrepresent the emails; however, “Climategate” — which became the subject of BBC drama ‘The Trick’—only made the evidence for climate change stronger. The rigorous scrutiny process and four independent reviews that followed, including a Parliamentary Inquiry, reinforced the work that the CRU had carried out, validated our data, and reasserted the importance of science communication.

Climate Change fundraising target

In an era of “fake news”, transparency and challenging misinformation is crucial. This is the inspiration behind UEA’s ScienceBrief, which you can read more about on page 9. ScienceBrief is just one of four visionary projects which form part of UEA’s Climate Change Action Plan. We need to raise £8 million over the next five years from foundations, corporations, charities, our alumni and generous individuals and philanthropists from all over the world to make this Action Plan a reality. With your help, we can collect and analyse the data the world needs, inform global decision-makers, journalists, and the public. We must all play our part to tackle climate change. Your contribution could start here with UEA.

The Grade II listed Lasdun Wall is an iconic and important part of UEA’s history.

£2.4m Observatory for Climate Recovery fundraising target

UEA researchers will gather vast amounts of data from multiple sources.

HARNESSING CLIMATE DATA Project: Observatory for Climate Recovery

e live in an era of unprecedented amounts of data. From the phones in our pocket, which track our steps, our calls, our purchases, to sophisticated satellites mapping changes in our oceans, weather, ice and land. The world today is constantly being measured and the huge datasets that result hold enormous potential for understanding climatic trends and the human role in climate change as they unfold. UEA is gathering a team of experts to exploit huge amounts of data from multiple sources, including container ships navigating the Arctic, submarines exploring our oceans, satellites mapping our planet from space, and the smart devices tracking our everyday behaviour. We are already working with Google to explore how we can use their extraordinary quantity and history

of GPS data to track events such as wildfires - how they start and how they spread. While officials in cities such as Milan contribute their findings from transport policy shifts towards cycling and away from motor vehicles. Armed with this data and building on existing expertise in the UEA Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, scientists at the UEA Observatory for Climate Recovery will carry out analysis to address specific climate change issues and inform practical steps to alter and mitigate human behaviour. But we urgently need your support to assemble the team needed to make the Observatory possible. Your gift could help us recruit the Chair in Climate Recovery and five post-doctoral fellowships needed to help drive our vital research forward at speed. And with climate change research, every second truly counts. www.uea.ac.uk/difference

THE EVIDENCE FOR CHANGE Project: ScienceBrief

avigating the wealth of climaterelated information out there can be challenging. And fake news posted by deniers poses a real threat to effective, coordinated global action by undermining trust in climate science. UEA’s solution? A free, online platform that brings together the most up-to-date, peer-reviewed scientific evidence in one place. ScienceBrief will become the goto resource for those interested in translating scientific evidence into public action and policy, and to directly combat climate denial. It might be collating separate data sources onto a single map, listing the factors that have been shown as causes of climate change – and those that have long been disproven. Or showing which policy responses have already been tried and tested elsewhere in the world. ScienceBrief will provide a blueprint for decision-making.

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As climate change deepens, events such as wildfires could begin to spread to regions where they were previously uncommon. Local decision-makers in these regions will be able to consult ScienceBrief to access the evidence they need to plan for such eventualities and take action. The long-term vision is for ScienceBrief to become an indispensable tool for policymakers, businesses, the media and the public, arming them with the facts they need, when they need them. We believe it could represent one of the most powerful global tools we have in the fight against climate change. The support of generous philanthropists and charities is now required to fund research posts in climate science and public policy, as well as the communications and web professionals needed to ensure ScienceBrief becomes an indispensable evidencebased resource.

Climate change increases the risk and severity of extreme events like forest fires.

£600k ScienceBrief fundraising target

£4m

RCECS fundraising target

Our marine and freshwater ecosystems are being damaged by pollution and temperature rises.

PROTECTING OUR ECOSYSTEMS Project: Research Centre for Ecosystems and Climate Sustainability

limate change is accelerating irreparable changes to ecosystems across the planet. Some may make headlines – the bleaching of the world’s coral reefs, or the desertification of once-lush habitats. Others are less noticeable but potentially devastating, nonetheless. Healthy ecosystems are critical to the future of our planet. They underpin food production, access to water, and the very air we breathe. In many cases, they could themselves be the key to limiting the extent of climate change, such as rainforests and peat landscapes that act as carbon sinks. It is clear that by protecting our ecosystems, we can help slow climate change – and its extreme consequences. That’s why at UEA, we want to create a research centre dedicated to protecting and restoring ecosystems – the Research Centre for Ecosystems and Climate Sustainability (RCECS).

RCECS researchers will seek to understand the pressures some of our ecosystems are facing, as well as exploring nature-based solutions to environmental challenges. With water covering nearly 70% of our planet, the team will also work alongside colleagues at UEA’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science to better model and understand how ocean ecosystems will evolve. And on land, we will bring together research on species diversity and abundance in the Amazonian forests - one of the few ecosystems that can counterbalance the damage we are doing to the atmosphere. To make RCECS a reality, we are seeking £4m to endow a Professorial Chair and a series of leaders in areas such as oceans and rainforests, as well as equipment and fieldwork costs. www.uea.ac.uk/difference

AIR, SEA & ICE Project: UEA Polar Initiative

mages of melting sea ice provide perhaps the starkest illustration of climate change’s impact. Over the past 40 years, summer sea ice cover has shrunk by more than half, with climate models predicting that the remaining half could disappear by 2050. Melting sea ice exposes dark ocean surfaces which absorb rather than reflect sunlight, accelerating warming in the polar regions. The interaction between sea ice and the air above it plays a crucial role in determining the composition of our atmosphere and the exchange of greenhouse gases. And sea ice is host to an array of unique microorganisms which underpin entire food chains and ecosystems. Researchers at UEA’s specialist laboratory, the Roland von Glasow Air-Sea-Ice Chamber, are attempting to unravel the mechanisms behind sea ice loss to better understand its role as a driver of climate change, as well as its impact on delicate polar ecosystems. The facility allows study of the interaction between sea ice, the ocean below and

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the atmosphere above, in a single controlled environment. By replicating polar conditions, we can conduct robust research while avoiding complex, expensive and dangerous expeditions. As part of UEA’s Polar Initiative, our researchers are also pioneering stateof-the-art autonomous vehicles to capture the data needed to understand glacier erosion. The Thwaite’s Glacier in West Antarctica, for example, is on the brink of collapse and has the potential to cause a portent sea level rise. With 40% of the world’s population living within 100km of the ocean, even small sea level rises could threaten homes, infrastructure, economies, and lives. The UEA Polar Initiative will seek to answer questions fundamental to predicting future changes in the polar regions and potentially mitigating their impact. But to do so, this ambitious but vital project requires £650,000 in funding for research fellowships, post-doctoral scholarships, equipment and laboratory costs.

£650k

UEA Polar Initiative fundraising target

Melting sea ice exposes dark ocean surfaces which absorb sunlight and melt more ice.

UEA’S CLIMATE EXPERTS Introducing some of the UEA researchers pioneering responses to the climate emergency 01 CORINNE LE QUÉRÉ CBE Royal Society Research Professor of Climate Change Science Prof Le Quéré chairs France’s High Council on Climate and is a member of the UK Climate Change Committee.

02 TIM OSBORN Professor of Climate Science Prof Osborn is Director of the Climatic Research Unit at UEA and an IPCC Lead Author. 03 RACHEL WARREN Professor of Global Change and Environmental Biology Prof Warren is Lead Author for IPCC reports leading to the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

04 KAREN HEYWOOD Professor of Physical Oceanography Prof Heywood’s outstanding contribution to oceanography led to the Heywood Glacier in Antarctica being named in her honour.

06 MANOJ JOSHI Professor of Climate Dynamics Prof Joshi uses numerical models to understand the processes underpinning climate change. He is an IPCC contributing author.

â07 ROBERT NICHOLLS Professor of Climate Adaptation Prof Nicholls is Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

05 CARLOS PERES Professor of Conservation Ecology Prof Carlos Peres received Time Magazine’s ‘Environmentalist Leader for the New Millennium’ award for his work in tropical conservation ecology. www.uea.ac.uk/difference

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50 YEARS OF EXPERTISE

1972

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2020

Climatic Research Unit (CRU) established to pioneer world-class research in climate science.

CRU researchers prove that there has been a ‘discernible human influence on the global climate’.

UEA authors make major contribution to 4th IPCC Report, the year the IPCC was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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UEA construct the Global Temperature Record - tracking surface air temperatures up to the present day.

UEA found the Tyndall Centre, a partnership of UK and international Universities, to understand climate change solutions.

UEA launches its Climate Change Action Plan and seeks to raise £8m over the next five years.

UEA’s 145 hectare campus is home to over 5,700 species.

SUPPORT UEA’S CLIMATE ACTION PL AN

Your generosity is crucial to help UEA’s visionary climate change research and driving action to safeguard the future of our planet, before it is too late.

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FIND OUT MORE UEA’s ground-breaking climate change research is moving at speed to drive the change needed for our planet. The Development Office would be delighted to share more in-depth information with you on the science behind the headlines. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? When you make a donation to UEA, you’ll be kept up to date on the impact of your gift and be invited to UEA events with our world-leading research teams and other members of our thriving philanthropic community.

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MAKING A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE AT UEA UEA’s philanthropic community enables the University to create pioneering change in the world. We are harnessing the power of philanthropy to fund and further the University’s groundbreaking work, adding global reach and impact. Together, we tackle the world’s greatest challenges and transform lives. The funding you provide is put to work on visionary research, education, campus development, student support and much more. Thank you for helping to make a difference.

MAKE A GIFT TODAY If you would like to support climate change research at UEA, please contact the Development Office: Telephone: +44 (0)1603 592 945 Email: giving@uea.ac.uk Development Office University of East Anglia Norwich Research Park Norwich NR4 7TJ Donate online at: www.uea.ac.uk/difference This publication is printed on FSC certified paper. The contents of this publication are protected by copyright belonging to the University of East Anglia and may not be reproduced without permission. Cover image: Large iceberg in Antarctica. Climate change threatens unique polar ecosystems. UEA is an exempt charity: HMRC reference number XN423