News

Prior to the global pandemic, climate researchers identified an uncomfortable truth: the very meetings and events meant to support the fight against climate change were themselves causing vast greenhouse gas emissions through international air travel.

The University of Oxford's #TruePlanet campaign, which featured researchers from across the School of Geography and the Environment, has been selected as a finalist in the Guardian's annual awards. The campaign, which highlighted Oxford's global research on climate, energy, food, water, waste and biodiversity, is shortlisted in the category of marketing and communications.

Inactivity is now one of the top four risk factors for premature deaths. In response to this, the Transport Studies Unit's Christian Brand has helped develop the World Health Organisation 'HEAT' tool, which quantifies the health and carbon benefits of walking and cycling, and is used by local and national governments across the globe.

In an attempt to incentivise people to use cars less often, in favour of greener public transport options, all buses, trams, and trains in Luxembourg were made free of charge at the start of this month. The TSU's Tim Schwanen discusses the initiative, and its political nature, and questions whether it will balance out social and economic inequalities - in an article on the Are We Europe website.

As a step towards achieving the UK's net-zero target, funding announced this week will enable engineers, social scientists and natural scientists to conduct vital research on global energy challenges and their implications for the UK. The fourth phase of the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) will receive £22 million and Dr Christian Brand will co-lead its 'Energy for Mobility' research theme.

TSU researcher Lucy Barker has been awarded a grant from the University of Oxford's Public Engagement with Research (PER) Seed Fund. The grant will support Lucy to make a short public information film on the auto-rickshaws in Bangalore, an idea that came to her during her recent PEAK Urban research.

The idea that electric vehicles, or 'EVs', are new is thoroughly misguided. In a video for The Times, Tim Schwanen explains the history of the EV, from its birth in the early 1800s through to the climate emergency today, being touted "an important part of the future of urban mobility". However, he explains, to make our transport systems truly sustainable "we will need to move away from owned vehicles towards walking, cycling and public transport".