CSIC is presenting two events as part of the Cambridge Festival programme that offers a mixture of online, on-demand and in-person events covering all aspects of the world-leading research happening at Cambridge.
Why infrastructure matters and how data helps us to deliver better services from infrastructure
Dr Jennifer Schooling OBE, Director of CSIC, discusses smart infrastructure – what it is and why it matters – at a pre-Festival event on 19 March at 2.15pm, at the Department of Engineering, Trumpington Street.
The Carbon Reduction Code for the Built Environment, launched June 2021, brings focus to our physical asset base and facilitates action and collaboration by relevant parties towards reducing carbon emissions (CO2eq) related to design, construction, maintenance, operation and decommissioning of built assets. However, there are other factors beyond physical assets that cities and communities have to grapple with because the built environment does not exist in isolation. The UK Government’s target of Net Zero by 2050 is a positive step but challenging to deliver because current carbon emissions are so high. Technology will assist in reaching this goal but changes in behaviour are also necessary, influencing people at a professional level, and making a difference through our jobs. This event is part of the Department of Engineering’s Community Open Day.
Inclusive systems mapping workshop – decarbonising transport in Cambridgeshire
Dr Timea Nochta, Visiting Fellow, CSIC and Assistant Professor, Institute of Local Government Studies, University of Birmingham, Dr Li Wan, CSIC Investigator and Lecturer, Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge, and Dr Louise Reardon, Associate Professor, Institute of Local Government Studies, University of Birmingham will lead this interactive mapping event.
Transport is now the UK’s largest carbon-emitting sector, with virtually no progress in emissions reduction since 1990. Transport contributed to 28% of total domestic greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, making it the UK's largest emitting sector. To date the sector is proving a tough nut to crack, with emissions only 3% lower than in 1990 (and higher than in 2013). To be on track towards the UK's 2050 Net Zero Carbon target, we therefore need bold and significant action.
While low-carbon technologies are becoming widely available, research makes it evident that no two towns and cities will have the same mixture of challenges, solution options and therefore pathways to a more sustainable and less fossil-fuel-dependent transport system. Moreover, the reasons why we travel in the first place (and the means of doing so) are a result of complex intersections of social, economic and political factors. The workshop will collaboratively identify the factors that influence transport decarbonisation in Cambridgeshire and discuss options to deal with the issue.
The workshop, which takes place on 8 April at 1pm at the Meade Room, University of Cambridge, Granta Place, is part of the Facilitating Policy Change for Low Carbon Mobility research project, funded by the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS). More information on the project is available at www.creds.ac.uk/facilitating-policy-change-for-low-carbon-mobility-the-role-of-multilevel-governance
• For full programme and registration for all Cambridge Festival events see www.festival.cam.ac.uk
• Also see Eventbrite for the Inclusive systems mapping workshop – decarbonising transport in Cambridgeshire here.