Important Information

Maintaining a positive team culture in change: The power of Psychological Safety

• Available to Book via LMS • Online

Are you a line manager who is managing people who are navigating change? Are you exploring ways to build a sense of community to support your team through the changes at the University? 

This bitesize session explores the power of Psychological Safety in helping us all to create an environment where people feel encouraged to share creative ideas without fear of personal judgement, feel ok to admit mistakes, be vulnerable, and to be honest and open with their team and those in more powerful positions. It is key in creating an inclusive, welcoming, innovative community at York.

Places are available on the following sessions:

Monday 4 November, 1400-1530

Monday 18 November, 1000-1130

Find course dates and enrol via the LMS (Login required)

Student Services Team slides link

Following on from Alison Edwards presentation at the Staff Meeting of the new Student Services Team

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nHcLSUJpjcIRaXy68-MAK4hTdXtWW2KWayGkXPelbKM/edit#slide=id.g1e6fc012a8a_0_31

Call for Honorary Degree Candidates

The Constitution and Nominations Committee is seeking nominations for honorary degrees. These awards are presented at Graduation ceremonies in January and July. They seek to recognise extraordinary individuals who represent the University’s vision, values and excellence and will inspire our graduating students.

Criteria for nomination and award of an honorary degree are set out in the University’s Policy on non-academic honorary degrees and fellowships (Section B.2). This year the Committee is particularly keen to encourage nominations in recognition of outstanding academic achievement.

Nominations can be submitted via this link by Friday 8 November 2024 at the latest. The Constitution and Nominations Committee will meet in December to consider the nominations for 2024/25.

Notice please, when requesting Parking Permits

Given the significant reduction in service team capacity, please give as much notice as you possibly can for parking permit requests

Right to Read with York Cares – Volunteer and make a difference to local primary school children

York Cares are recruiting for our Right to Read programme. Volunteer for one hour per week and help to raise literacy standards amongst primary school children. Our next training will be 29th November 12:00 - 1:45pm at West Offices, Sation Rise.
For more information please email Hannah at  info@yorkcares.co.uk

GCSE in Natural History – signatures requested
The Advisory Board for the Natural History GCSE have written a letter asking DfE to fast-track the progression of the GCSE, and are asking for signatories in support. Please see the letter for information and consideration. You can sign-up as a signatory here by the end of November.

Good News

⭐ The department’s Wellbeing Fair, an initiative of the EDI Committee, proved a great success this week and was very much enjoyed by many colleagues and visitors.  We’re appreciative and very grateful to the organisers whose wellbeing stretched to  bring this happy event to our building!

⭐ Piran White is co-author of a paper published in Health and Place on 'Moving from features to functions: Bridging disciplinary understandings of urban environments to support healthy people and ecosystems' https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103368

⭐ UKRI invited Sarah Bridle to the Building a Green Future congress at Westminster discussion the clean energy transition and development of a sustainable green economy

Research Opportunities/Interest

How the UK stores marine rock samples—and how you can help 

From the British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility 

Marine rock samples collected by dredge or remotely operated vehicles (ROV) are an exceptional resource of immense scientific value which help inform geoscience research and contribute to the Natural Environment Research Council’s (NERC) research areas including Earth resources, mantle and core processes, physics & chemistry of Earth materials and volcanic processes - read more. The closing date for receipt of submissions is 18 December 2024.

Submit Your Proposal: TCX-YORK Conference: Organising for Transformations
25-27 June, 2025, University of York

TCX York is being organised by Ioan Fazey, the Transformations Community, YESI and FixOurFood
The first TCX event hosted by the University of York is open for proposals. Join the TCX-YORK conference in York, England, and engage in discussions around the Organizing for Transformations. You can contribute in three ways: present your research or practice-focused study, lead an experiential practice session, or participate in interactive events. This gathering will be intentionally intimate, with a maximum of 100 participants. For more info on TCX-York Call for Proposals.

Early Submission Deadline: 30 November 2024

Enhancing Research Culture Workshops – Next session Friday 8th November, 11am-1pm in B/T/019 [titled PhD students and Postdocs research culture lunch] 

Postgraduate researchers are the key drivers of research, and this session is for you! We invite all PhD students and Postdocs to this research culture lunch for an informal chat about research culture across disciplines, how we can shape it, whether  ‘Lab Handbooks’ (or ‘Research Team Charters’) could help and how to get involved in developing one.
This will be an informal session where we provide lunch, some insights into what Research Team Charters are and the space for discussions and chats.

To attend: please sign up via this google form and we will send you a calendar invite.  Hot drinks and a buffet lunch will be provided at the start of the session, please bring your own cup.  

Please note this workshop will only take place in-person and will not be recorded. 

Events

A Life of Adventure: Celebrated Explorer John Blashford-Snell in Ripon

Colonel John Blashford-Snell CBE, one of the world’s most celebrated explorers who was responsible for helping to provide challenges for thousands of young people around the world, will be speaking at Ripon’s Holy Trinity Church on Friday 1 November.

Organiser Roger Chapman feel it is imperative for young people to hear John's remarkable stories and tales, at a time many young people are feeling uninspired and unmotivated, and is reaching out specifically to young people who may be interested in hearing about John's inspirational life, where he will talk about his adventures down the Blue Nile, Zaire River, and the notorious Darién Gap (amongst others). John also founded Operation Drake and Operation Raleigh, which have involved thousands of young, international people travelling to remote parts of the world. 

Tickets for under 20s are just £10, but we are willing to offer further discount for a group of over 10 young people. Tickets available from The Little Ripon Bookshop, Westgate, via markenfield.com or call 01765 692303

Towards a liveable planet: land, energy and food system transitions

With Professor Paul Behrens, British Academy Global Professor, Oxford Martin

Thursday 28^th November, 12pm – 1pm GMT

Professor Behrens will describe his work in land use, food & energy systems, and climate change, ranging from “how much mining do we need for the energy transition” to “how much land in the UK and worldwide could we spare through dietary shifts”, including his legal and political advocacy, and new Global Professorship programme on rapid food transformations in a rapidly changing world.

Register to watch live online on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/towards-a-liveable-planet

To watch later: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRMzGXuBGqg

Register to attend in person in Oxford:

https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/events/towards-a-liveable-planet

Upcoming Oxford Martin events

'Crafting a new global order? The United Nations and international politics in the 1990s' with Prof Fabian Klose – 30 Oct

Book talk: 'As If Human: Ethics and Artificial Intelligence' - Nigel Shadbolt in conversation with Charles Godfray – 12 Nov

'Chinese global messaging campaigns on Western social media platforms' with Dr Naima Green - Riley – 19 Nov

'How innovation in the private sector can help address major 21st century challenges' Warren East in conversation with Charles Godfray & Soumitra Dutta – 20 Nov

"Fighting misinformation on social media: the role of economic research" with Prof Sergei Guriev – 21 Nov

**DEG Email contact list**

 View the full list of Dept PSS contact details on the Wiki.

  Do you have an item to share in our next newsletter?

Great! Add it to the relevant tab on the Research, Teaching, Outreach and Good News Spreadsheet or email it to environment-pa@york.ac.uk by close of play next Thursday.

Thank you for your help in making the newsletter a great way to catch up on all of the Department's latest news and activities!

Important Information 

☃️Festive Party - we need YOU! 🥳 - Thursday 12th December

We are looking for volunteers across all staffing groups to help set up an all-staff festive event. This will take place on Thursday 12th December, with a festive lecture in ENV/005 from 4-5pm, and a reception (drinks and nibbles) in the foyer afterwards.

Due to low capacity in our PS teams, we need a few volunteers from across the staffing groups to help set up the drinks and nibbles, and clear them away again.

Please email environment-pa@york.ac.uk if you are interested.

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Information from the all staff meeting

• Presentation on changes to PS teams (Alison Edmonds, Lucy Orange)

• Presentation on summary of Engagement and Partnerships activities (Truzaar Dordi)

• Presentation on The Wellcome Trust and CRUK requirements (Jason Snape)

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Recruitment Announcement: Co-Leads Needed for the YESI Food, Water and Waste Research Theme (1) and Environment and Health Research Theme (x1)

The YESI Research Themes are a reflection of the critical environmental challenges facing humanity, while also leveraging York's academic strengths in sustainability research. Currently, the Research Theme leads are as follows:

• Environment and Health – Professor Pete Coventry (outgoing) and Dr Katherine Brookfield (see Theme Lead advert for full handover details)

• Food, Water, and Waste - Professor James Chong (outgoing) and Dr Liz Rylott  (see Theme Lead advert for full handover details)

• Resilient Socio-Ecological Systems – Professor Rob Marchant and Dr Judith Krauss

We are in search of a new Co-Lead for our Environment and Health theme and our Food, Water and Waste theme, as the current position holders’ three-year terms are nearing an end. Successful candidates will become integral members of the YESI team, contributing to shaping the institute's strategic direction under the leadership of Professor Lindsay Stringer.

You will be an internationally recognised researcher with expertise in the broad area of either food, water and waste systems or environment and health (commensurate with your career stage). You will be an inspiring, collaborative interdisciplinary leader who can harness these research strengths. Applications are welcome from permanent academic and research staff across all three Faculties, and at all career stages from lecturer to professor, including permanent research fellows at Grade 7 or above.

Applicants should upload a CV and a statement (up to 2 pages) identifying how they fit the role description and person specification and outlining both a short-term (initial 6 months) and longer-term vision for the theme. Full details about the theme lead roles can be found here: Environment and Health and Food, Water and Waste.

For informal enquiries: please contact YESI Director Prof Lindsay Stringer, or the current role holders: Prof Peter Coventry or Prof James Chong.

Apply by 4 November 2024

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The return of GeogSoc

We are thrilled to announce the exciting return of the Geography Society. GeogSoc is open to everyone, including all students and staff members. We want to create a fun and inclusive space for those that have a passion for social and physical dimensions of geography and the

environment. We would also like to take this opportunity to welcome any new students to the Department of Environment and Geography.

We will be hosting regular social events, including pub and bar visits, cafe outings and even trips further afield, for a variety of natural and cultural explorations in the area, offering a great way to meet new people from all backgrounds and year groups both in and outside of the DEG. Additionally we hope to provide group study sessions, guest speaker events, and volunteering opportunities, which can even help to boost students’ experiences for CVs.

Membership is only £4 for the whole year, giving you access to all of our events and activities. Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of our welcoming GeogSoc community.

P.S. See our Instagram, @uoygeogsoc for the latest information on all of our events.

Good News 

⭐Laura Harrison and Piran White's work with HEY Smile foundation to improve collaboration between healthcare and conservation organisations in the Humber region has been featured on Natural England's blog

⭐Sam Buckton is a co-author on a column about plant galls in the latest issue of British Wildlife magazine: Buckton S, Bowdrey J (2024) Plant galls (Wildlife reports column). British Wildlife 36(1), 58-61.

⭐ On 14 October, Sam Buckton gave an invited talk to LCAB's ABC (Anthropocene Biodiversity Conversations) lunchtime talk series about his research on regenerative systems.

Events and Training

DEG Wellbeing Fair - Wednesday 23rd October 2024, 12-4pm, DEG Foyer

Event Details:

Date: 23rd October, 2024

Time: 12:00pm – 4:00pm

Location: DEG Foyer

This half-day event is designed to promote mindfulness and community engagement. Here’s a preview of what to expect:

Wellbeing Fair: Featuring a variety of stalls including:

• Pet Therapy

• Pot a Plant

• Crochet & Knitting

• Zone of Contentment

• Foodie Challenge: Guess the Ingredients

• Laughter Yoga

• A mural wall for collaborative poetry

We have also initiated a collaborative poetry writing and your poetries will be displayed on the mural wall in the foyer. You can take part in the collaborative poetry in two ways:  

• Visit the Padlet Page and start a poem by writing a first line or adding a line to someone else’s poem that is already there, or, write a three line poem on your own. These are short Haiku style 3 line short and sweet poems. Be inspired and keep the focus on Wellbeing. Full instructions are shown on the Padlet Page.  

• Start a Haiku poem or add to someone else’s poem directly on the evolving mural wall in the Foyer. You are also encouraged to release your inner artist to add a mural or drawing inspired by the poems appearing on the wall – pens and materials are there.  

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York Climate Connect News

York Environment Weeks 2024 was very successful - read all about it on our website. We received some National Lottery funding to help with publicity and organisation and the YEWs2024 committee have asked for feedback about our events to help them with future applications for more funding like this. We would be really grateful if you could spend a few minutes to tell us about your experiences at any of the events you attended via tinyurl.com/YCC-events.

Upcoming events:

Cli-Mic night hosted by XR York on Tues 12 November, 7pm at Spark

  Nature rides, walks and workshops are continuing as part of the York Bike Belles’ Take the Green Route programme into the winter months.

The next People Planet Pint sustainability meetup is scheduled for 3rd December, 6pm at Brew York

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Pre Retirement Seminar 3 & 4 December: Planning For The Future

Are you considering retirement? Join our information seminar running over two part-day sessions in December.

The People and Organisational Development team have developed an online programme to support colleagues who may be considering retirement. The aim is to assist individuals to plan more effectively and manage the key stages of the retirement process.

This seminar will enable colleagues to consider aspects of life upon retirement and the kind of adjustments they might make after they retire. Invited speakers from Planned Future will lead discussions on a variety of retirement-related topics.

Day 1 - Financial Planning For Retirement

This event will provide you with an introduction to the issues affecting your retirement. It will help you to plan financially for the next phase of your life. Research has shown that both financial considerations and social and emotional impacts are important when planning for retirement. Session includes information on: financial planning including investments and taxation, and your occupational pension benefits.

Day 2 - Planning Your Retirement Lifestyle

This session focuses on adjusting to your retirement lifestyle including discussions around physical health, mental health, relationships and hopes and desires for the future.

To register interest in a session please complete this google form to enrol on the course.

Please note that this seminar will benefit staff looking to retire within the next 18 months. The intended / potential retirement date should be no more than 2 years away as pension legislation changes so quickly.

If you have any questions, please contact learning-development@york.ac.uk

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Webinar: the new MSc in Higher Education Management and Leadership: Wednesday 13th November, 12:30-13:30

The newly launched MSc Higher Education Management and Leadership programme is now open for applications. A webinar, led by Rosalind Rae (Course Leader for the new MSc) will be providing an in-depth look at the newly launched course, specifically designed for Higher Education professionals who are eager to expand their leadership and management skills.

Secure your spot in the following link: Webinar: Advance Your Career in Higher Education | Nottingham Trent University.

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YESI - C3SR Joint Seminar Series: Global Perspectives on Climate Change and Sustainability

Mon 11 November 2024, 12 - 1pm GMT/2 - 3 pm (SAST), online & in-person, room TBC, Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Research, University of Eswatini (UNESWA)

Join YESI and the Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Research at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) for a new seminar series aimed at fostering collaboration on environmental sustainability challenges. This series will showcase cutting-edge research from both institutions and offer a platform to exchange ideas and explore future joint projects.Don't miss the opportunity to connect and collaborate!

Session 1: Challenges and Opportunities for Biodiversity Conservation: from an Ecosystem Services Perspective

Join a panel of experts from the University of Eswatini and the University of York as they discuss biodiversity conservation through the lens of ecosystem services. Panelists, including Dr. Meshack Dludlu, Dr. Sara Padidar, Prof. Ara Monadjem (UNESWA), and Prof. Colin Beale (York), will explore the complexities of conserving biodiversity in diverse social and cultural contexts. The discussion, chaired by Dr. Wisdom Dlamini, will touch on the "if it pays, it stays" philosophy and indigenous connections with nature, followed by an open Q&A session for both in-person and online audiences. Register for session 1.

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Ecoscapes: Conservation behaviour change: Thursday 24th October, 12:00-14:00

Please join us for the second in a series of interdisciplinary discussions bringing together a diversity of perspectives on changing biodiversity in the Anthropocene. The series is jointly hosted by the Department of Biology and the Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity.

The Treehouse, First Floor, Berrick Saul Building (BS/104). Register to attend

Behaviour change is essential in delivering biodiversity conservation goals. Most people value nature and agree that biodiversity conservation is important, yet there is a “values-action gap”. What interventions are most effective in delivering conservation that really works?

• Smriti Safaya, Department of Education: Ask Your Teacher to Take You Outside. The role of teachers to expose young people to the transformative magic of nature-related experiences cannot be underestimated. Highlighting research which bridges environmental behaviour psychology, citizen science, nature connectedness, and environmental and citizenship education, I will share key findings about how to encourage pro-environmental behaviour with young people.

• Professor Julia Touza, Department of Environment and Geography: Effective conservation through an economic lens. Novel economic instruments aimed to raise public and private finance for nature conservation are generally perceived as “win-win” investments: a win for the environment and for people. This talk will explore whether the existing evidence supports this aspiration. I will examine programs being implemented as a good idea to be applied, but these are not designed in ways that could generate better biodiversity outcomes.  The talk will also examine the evidence of the findings of a recently published World Bank report on the need to re-design and repurpose biodiversity-harmful subsidies.

• Molly Brown, LCAB, Department of Biology: Beyond the Individual: The Need for Multi-Level Approaches to Conservation Behaviour Change. Many biodiversity conservation interventions that aim to change behaviour focus disproportionately on individuals placing an undue burden on personal responsibility. Drawing from a recent rapid evidence review, this talk explores conservation behaviour change interventions. We will examine how behavioural science can inform multi-level approaches that engage individuals, communities, organisations, and policy-makers to create systemic behavioural shifts. 

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LCAB Christmas lecture with Kate Pickett, Monday 2 December 2024, 17.30-19.45pm

We are delighted to invite you to LCAB's Christmas Lecture by Professor Kate Pickett OBE FRSA FFPH FAcSS.

Merchant Taylors' Hall, YO1 7BX

Visit the event page for more details and to reserve a place.

Among many roles, Kate is Associate Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity (LCAB) and Professor of Epidemiology at the University. In this inspirational lecture, Kate will explore how more equal income, wealth, and political power will help to achieve transformative change and a just transition towards sustainability. When nearly 8 billion people and 5 billion species share the Earth’s resources, they need to be fairly shared.  This lecture will examine the role of consumerism as a major threat to sustainability, the unequal impacts of climate change, the need for political and social cohesion, the determinants of health and wellbeing and the links between these and economic inequality.  As we think about moulding the future, what are the key solutions that can  safeguard our planet and guarantee wellbeing?

We do hope you can join us to hear Kate's vision on this important topic, and will stay after the talk to share some mulled wine and mince pies. 

The event is open to all so please do share the invitation with your wider networks.

DEG Email contact list

Student Services

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  Do you have an item to share in our next newsletter?

Great! Add it to the relevant tab on the Research, Teaching, Outreach and Good News Spreadsheet or email it to environment-pa@york.ac.uk by close of play next Thursday.

Thank you for your help in making the newsletter a great way to catch up on all of the Department's latest news and activities!

Important Information 

☃️Festive Party - we need YOU! 🥳

We are looking for volunteers across all staffing groups to help set up an all-staff festive event. This will likely involve a festive lecture (kindly suggested by Alistair Boxall) and a moving feast/potluck, as in previous years. Please email environment-pa@york.ac.uk if you are interested.

🥼The Wellcome Trust 🟢

Labs are among the most expensive to operate and environmentally intensive buildings of any kind.  Labs use 10X more energy and 4X more water than offices; labs also generate 5.4 billion kg of plastic waste per annum.  In order to address the environmental footprint of their value chain,  the Wellcome have launched a policy outlining how researchers must address the environmental impact of their work; this coincides with the launch of an environmental sustainability concordat from UK research organisations. The Wellcome Trust requires those in lab-based environments to achieve the minimum level of accreditation offered by high-quality sustainability schemes such as LEAF and My Green Lab (MGL) by the end of 2025. At this stage Green Impact is not acceptable to them.  Cancer Research UK has set similar expectations on those they fund and we expect other research funding bodies to follow the same route.  Rebecca Sutton and Jason Snape have been working with the Directorate of Technology, Estates & Facilities team and other departments on the best way forward.  As a result DEG, alongside Chemistry, will pilot MGL.  In the first instance this will be restricted to the DEG Ecotoxicology Research Labs.  The knowledge we gain from these pilots, which will not replace Green Impact, will help target the improvements required to meet the MGL certification and its alignment with Green Impact.  This will help facilitate other laboratories across the university to gain certification.  For further details please see the attached slides.

Calling new members for Environment and Geography’s student-led Green Impact team

Geographers and Environmentalists for Managing Sustainability

(GEMS) is the Department’s student-led Green Impact team, who last year won an NUS Green Impact Gold Award for our project mapping sustainability hubs in York. 

This year we are committed to updating and extending the map, but there is no limit to the number of projects and teams we can run, from smaller projects aiming for a Bronze Award, to big projects aiming for Platinum. Whether you are a first year undergrad or putting the finishing touches to your PhD, all students are welcome. Staff and current GEMS members can talk you through the process of designing and running a Green Impact project, or you can assist with the Department’s staff-led Labs Team, who last year won a  Platinum Award to add to their many previous Gold Awards. The Department has also had two students win Green Impact Student Leadership awards - a great addition to any CV.

Our first meeting for new members is at 1pm Wednesday 16th October in ENV/005, or see our instagram page, or email the team on arch586@york.ac.uk 

Good News 

⭐ Congratulations to Lindsay Stringer who is a coauthor on a paper published with colleagues from Beijing Normal University: Wenxin Zhou, Changjia Li, Bojie Fu, Shuai Wang, Zhuobing Ren, Lindsay C. Stringer, 2024, Changes and drivers of vegetation productivity in China’s drylands under climate change

vol. 19, issue 11. Environmental Research Letters.114001. DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ad7a0e

⭐ Tabitha K. participated in the PAGES DiverseK workshop: Data-Driven Decisions - enhancing mountain ecosystem management through the integration of long-term data held in Innsbruck, Austria on 3-4th Oct 2024. Tabitha presented on ways in which we can use historical datasets to enhance management of mountain ecosystems and also participated in the development of a policy brief outline.

⭐ The Yorkshire Post published an article on the exhibition, called Bees: a story of survival, that Oli Wilson contributed to at the World Museum Liverpool.

⭐ Oli Wilson was an invited speaker at the Energy and Environment Institute Colloquium at the University of Hull.

⭐ Darpan Das co-chaired a session on 'cross disciplinary research towards solutions' at the UK Clean Air Conference held in Birmingham on 2nd and 3rd October.

⭐ A page about the Three Horizons framework authored by Sam Buckton has been published on Wikipedia.

⭐ Adrian has published a paper in Journal of Geography in Higher Education entitled "Sustainable and inclusive; transforming residential undergraduate fieldtrips in an age of the climate crisis." The paper focuses on the recent internationalisation of UK residential UG fieldtrips (as an example of wider UK HE climate hypocrisy, patriarchal white privilege & the "international imperative") & the environmental & EDI implications. Through a case study centred on DEG, it shows the carbon impact of residential fieldtrips before setting out the establishment of a sustainable & inclusive framework for fieldtrips.

Events and Training

All Staff Meeting - Wednesday 16th October 2024

Our next all staff meeting will take place on Wednesday 16th October, 2:05 - 2:55pm. The invite should be in your calendar - email environment-pa@york.ac.uk if not.

Do you have an item you would like to present? Please email environment-pa@york.ac.uk for us to add this to the agenda.

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DEG Wellbeing Fair - Wednesday 23rd October 2024, 12-4pm, DEG Foyer

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'Getting ready for the Anthropocene: overcoming obstacles on the development path for municipal water and sanitation services'

With Professor Dale Whittington, Visiting Fellow, Oxford Martin Systemic Resilience Initiative

Monday 21st October, 12.30pm – 1.30pm BST

Lecture Theatre, Oxford Martin School and online

Cities go through three phases on their development path to deliver improved municipal water and sanitation services to their customers. Globally cities can be found in all three phases, but even cities far along on this development path are rarely prepared for what is coming in the Anthropocene.

Municipal water utilities in many locations are facing water scarcity and will need an improved policy mix to reduce their raw water withdrawals and avoid ‘Day Zeros’. The results of a systems optimisation model illustrate the magnitude of the reductions in raw water withdrawals that are possible in a circular urban water system and the trade-offs between reduced raw water withdrawals and system-wide costs.

• To register to attend in-person in Oxford: https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/events/getting-ready-for-the-anthropocene

• To register to join live online on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/getting-ready-for-the-anthropocene

• To watch later: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxHyNfVBblA

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Panel discussion: 'Operationalising climate policy for global net zero emissions'

Wednesday 23 October, 12.30pm – 1.30pm BST

Lecture Theatre, Oxford Martin School and online

89% of the world’s population live in a country with a national net zero target but these targets need to be implemented effectively in policy and regulation if the goals of the Paris Agreement are to be achieved. Too often, this is still not happening.

One important gap in climate policy is that it often focuses on domestic emission reductions but does not prevent states from contributing substantially to emissions outside of their borders, for instance by remaining a major fossil fuel exporter. This event will interrogate the consequences of climate policies that fail to look beyond national borders, and discuss best practice from around the world for curbing emissions at home as well as abroad.

Professor Wetzer will introduce the work of the recently established Oxford Martin Programme on Net Zero Regulation and Policy, and explain what the Programme aims to achieve.

Panel:

• Professor Thom Wetzer, Director, Oxford Martin Programme on Net Zero Regulation & Policy (Chair)

• Professor David Karoly, Visiting Fellow, Oxford Martin Programme on Net Zero Regulation & Policy

• More to follow....

• To register to attend in-person in Oxford: https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/events/operationalising-climate-policy

• To register to join live online on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/operationalising-climate-policy

• To watch later: https://youtube.com/live/-4Uhsn2cZls

Also this term

• Book talk: 'The Universal History of Us' with Tim Coulson in conversation with Charles Godfray – 15 Oct

• 'Factors affecting quality of life in adults with epilepsy: insights from South Africa' with Nwabisa Mlandu – 23 Oct

• Book talk: 'Wicked Problems: How to Engineer a Better World' with Guru Madhavan – 28 Oct

• 'Crafting a new global order? The United Nations and international politics in the 1990s' with Prof Fabian Klose – 30 Oct

• 'Chinese global messaging campaigns on Western social media platforms' with Dr Naima Green-Riley – 19 Nov

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🟢 Energy – Thursday 24 October 2024, Bridlington Spa – stallholder invitation

We are writing to you about Energy – an ambitious project engaging over 120 students from across the East Riding. The project explores innovative solutions to the energy and climate crises through brand-new music and classical pieces performed by local school students and orchestra Sinfonia Viva on Thursday 24 October.

We would like to invite relevant colleagues at the University of York, those involved in science, energy and/or the environment, to have a free-of-charge stall in the Royal Hall on the day of the concerts and to join the brilliant young minds of the East Riding as they look, musically, towards a brighter future.

For more information and details of how to book a stall, please see the attached letter and booking form.

If you have any questions, please get in touch at arts.development@eastriding.gov.uk.

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Summit: A Landmark Ecopoetry Festival at York Sculpture Park is on 19-20 October.

‘Summit’s ethos is centred around poetry, community, and action. It will provide a vital space to consider how words, and worlds, are deeply connected, and what role poetry plays as we face up to immense biodiversity losses, habitat destruction, rising carbon emissions and warming temperatures. Summit is more than a festival; it’s a call to action.’ Details of the Summit are here for those interested in attending.

Research Surveys

My name is Luying You, and I am a visiting PhD student at the University of York, supervised by Prof. Paul Wakeling and Dr. Sally Hancock (University of York), and Prof. Baocun Liu (Beijing Normal University). I am conducting research for my PhD project on the professional experiences and career development of precarious staff in UK research universities.

I am seeking British or Chinese nationals working in academic teaching and/or research posts to participate in my study. I have created a short survey designed to gather background information that will guide more detailed follow-up interviews. Please also see the poster for this research.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I truly appreciate your support for this research.

Sincerely,

Luying You

kcm531@york.ac.uk

PhD Student, Department of Education

University of York & Beijing Normal University

**DEG Email contact list**

  Do you have an item to share in our next newsletter?

Great! Add it to the relevant tab on the Research, Teaching, Outreach and Good News Spreadsheet or email it to environment-pa@york.ac.uk by close of play next Thursday.

Thank you for your help in making the newsletter a great way to catch up on all of the Department's latest news and activities!

Department of Environment and Geography

Staff Newsletter

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4th October 2024

Top Tip of the Week

Good News 

⭐ Congratulations to Maria Gehrels who is a co author on a paper published in Plants People Planet entitled "Tree demographics and soil charcoal evidence of fire disturbances in an inaccessible forest atop the Mount Lico inselberg, Mozambique". This was a project led by Phil Platts which received publicity via the National Geographic a few years ago. Rob Marchant is also a coauthor. Rob's former postdoc Colin Courtney Mustaphi, whom some of you will remember, is the lead author.

⭐ Josh Kirshner visited the Geography Department at the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), in Manaus, Brazil, with support from the YESI International Fellows 2023/24 scheme. Manaus (pop. 2.3 million) sits on the banks of the Amazon River and is the capital of the vast state of Amazonas in northwest Brazil. Josh presented a talk for the Encontro sobre Cidades (Encounter with Cities) seminar series, and gave a keynote for a public workshop, ‘Approaching Urbanization, Energy and Health in the Brazilian Amazon,’ hosted by the Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas das Cidades na Amazônia Brasileira (Centre for Research on Cities and Urbanization in the Brazilian Amazon – NEPECAB) and FAPEAM. He gave a seminar with human geography PhD students and accompanied masters' students on site visits in the peri-urban Cidade de Deus and Cidade Nova communities. All these contributions were in Portuguese.

⭐Sarah Bridle joined the panel for a roundtable discussing what a sustainable diet looks like, organised by MyNutriWeb.

⭐ Oli Wilson ran a pollen-themed outreach session with a group of primary school children for Monday Explore at The Place

⭐ Sam Buckton advised on the evaluation strategy for the Regenerative Investing Academy, a new organisation soon to be launched by Tobias Fechner, Jessica Groopman and others for cohering funders of regenerative initiatives.

Events and Training

Training courses: 

Please see the three upcoming training courses. All are available to book now via the LMS (Login required). If you have any questions, please contact learning-development@york.ac.uk.

💻 Managing Change • Available to Book via LMS • Online.

This webinar aimed at those leading and managing change provides the skills, knowledge and understanding to enable them to deliver change effectively. We will explore Understanding Change, Planning Change, Implementing Change and Embedding Change across three sessions and use a core case study through the programme to exemplify and apply the concepts, tools, and techniques discussed. You can also find further resources on our making change happen webpages.

💻 Problem Solving • Available to Book via LMS • Online.

Where in your daily work do you come across problems? Some of these will be long-standing and will take a lot of effort and time to solve. Some will seem like quick fixes. Very often though, the quick fixes don’t get to the root of the problem, they solve a symptom rather than the root cause or even cause unintended consequences. This workshop will provide a structured approach to problem solving, from identifying the problem, through root cause analysis to implementing a best-fit solution.

💻 What about us? Addressing the emotional impacts of VS  • Book online by Friday 4 October via LMS • Online.

If you are a line manager and you manage people who are impacted by the VS/ VSER scheme who are impacted by the VS/ VSER scheme, and/or who are navigating changes to their role, team and ways of working through ‘changing the work’, this bitesize session (1.5 hours via zoom) will focus on exploring the emotional impact of VS/ VSER and introduce some practical ways to support your team as they navigate this.

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🟢 Energy – Thursday 24 October 2024, Bridlington Spa – stallholder invitation

We are writing to you about Energy – an ambitious project engaging over 120 students from across the East Riding. The project explores innovative solutions to the energy and climate crises through brand-new music and classical pieces performed by local school students and orchestra Sinfonia Viva on Thursday 24 October.

We would like to invite relevant colleagues at the University of York, those involved in science, energy and/or the environment, to have a free-of-charge stall in the Royal Hall on the day of the concerts and to join the brilliant young minds of the East Riding as they look, musically, towards a brighter future.

For more information and details of how to book a stall, please see the Energy letter and stall booking form.

If you have any questions, please get in touch at arts.development@eastriding.gov.uk.

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