A research programme that claims to put people and communities at the centre of the move to Net Zero is one of two national projects benefitting from a share of nearly £10m investment by UKRI.
The JUST-Systems project aims to develop practical pathways and accelerate action that build on community aspirations for sustainable, liveable and resilient places.
Using a systems approach and looking at the need for a just transition as a whole, the project is setting out to identify opportunities to accelerate decarbonisation while addressing societal challenges on fuel poverty, sustainable local economies, wellbeing and social justice.
Led by the University of Aberdeen, the multi-million pound interdisciplinary partnership brings together early career researchers from six leading universities along with community organisations, businesses, local authorities and governments across the UK to understand how systems approaches can unlock Net Zero solutions at scale, break down the barriers to action and empower communities to take ownership of solutions that support their development.
The project will work across social sciences, engineering, law, geosciences and the humanities in a bid to find systems solutions that address several complex carbon and societal challenges.
The five-year project brings the University of Aberdeen together with Stirling, Strathclyde, Edinburgh, Warwick and Reading Universities, with support from the UK Committee on Climate Change, the UK Government and devolved Scottish and Welsh Government, various local authorities and other regional and civil society partners.
“Net Zero is often described as a technical intervention, a transition from a fossil fuel economy to a mixed renewables based system,” said project lead Professor Tavis Potts, co-coordinator of the University of Aberdeen’s Just Transition Lab and Dean for Environmental Sustainability.
“This has, in part, contributed to a lack of social ownership and engagement with the Net Zero agenda and, in many cases, seen communities express views that climate initiatives are imposed from the top down with little benefit.
“For Net Zero to succeed it must support and deeply engage with people and places. JUST-Systems will develop novel systems approaches that link community engagement with state-of-the-art energy systems modelling. It will unlock local action on decarbonisation, fuel poverty, local economies, wellbeing and social justice by identifying the wider social benefits that come from climate action and building the capacity to harness them.
“It will address the systemic problems that hinder widespread action and place people at the centre of the research on Net Zero with a focus on capacity building and empowerment.”
The project will work in close partnership with five UK case studies to understand how place based, and people-centred solutions can be scaled up to support action on Net Zero across the UK. The case studies are:
- Addressing issues of fuel poverty, local economic development and wellbeing in Torry, Aberdeen in partnership with communities and charities including NESFIT (North East Scotland retroFIT Hub) and Transition Catalyst.
- East Ayrshire Council and The Community Renewable Energy Project (CoRE) that will transform energy systems in East Ayrshire to make rural ex-mining communities better connected, healthier and improve living standards.
- Supporting Clackmannanshire Council and local communities aspirations for a healthier, wealthier and greener future, increasing participation and supporting Net Zero planning and engagement.
- Working with the Welsh Government’s Department for Health and Social Services and Climate Change and Fuel Poverty Division we will explore the challenges in the domiciliary care sector in Wales and how it can align with Net Zero.
- In Reading, we will explore the upscaling of decarbonised heat and the role of local anchor institutions to expand heat networks with an emphasis on public institutions and deprived communities in partnership with Reading Council, Maid Energy and the NHS.
Announcing the new investments, Professor Louise Heathwaite Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Executive Chair and UKRI Executive Champion for Building a Green Future, said: “The journey towards net zero carbon emissions is one of our most urgent and complex national challenges, so it’s important to understand the effects at a systems level of the many different component parts working together.
“Through these projects UKRI aims to drive outputs that support a just, prosperous, sustainable and resilient net zero transition, removing barriers to interventions whilst at the same time avoiding unintended consequences.”
This is UKRI’s latest investment through its ‘Building a Green Future’ strategic theme, aiming to accelerate the green economy by supporting research and innovation that delivers on national priorities and unlocks solutions essential to achieving net zero in the UK by 2050.
