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Sustainable Futures seminar series

04 Feb 2022

The event will see separate talks from Dr Ian Mell and Professor Kevin Taylor

This Sustainable Futures Seminar will bring together researchers from across UoM and key external stakeholders to discuss sustainability activity at UoM. We invite internal and external delegates to attend this event consisting of two 25-minute presentations, each followed by an interactive Q&A.

  • Thursday, 10 March at 2pm to 3:15pm

Dr Ian Mell, Reader in Environmental and Landscape Planning, Faculty of Humanities, Manchester Urban Institute

Presentation Overview: The increased focus on parks and greenspace due to Covid elevated the political currency associated with Green Infrastructure planning. However, there remain misconceptions regarding the costs, benefits, and value of urban greening in local government decision-making. Alternative pathways for intervention are however visible linking policy, finance, and he creation of greener and more sustainable places. However, the evidence based used to support investment is often fragmented and requires greater alignment between natural and built environment professionals. Evaluating existing Green Infrastructure in the UK provides scope to identify who, what, and how investment in urban greening be achieved. Taking a purposely multi-partner approach to assessment enables advocates to navigate the complexities of policy formation, ratification and implementation whilst also making robust economic arguments for intervention. Reflecting on existing practice allows us to set o  ut further opportunities to integrate of green infrastructure within urban planning debates.

Professor Kevin Taylor, Professor of Sedimentology and Tectonics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Dalton Nuclear Institute and Manchester Environmental Research Institute 

Presentation Overview: Short- to medium-term storage of energy, particularly heat and hydrogen, within rocks in the subsurface provides opportunities for wide-spread and large-scale decarbonisation of heating and power generation. Recent research has shown that ample storage is available in the UK, both onshore and offshore. However, the efficiencies and impacts on system behaviour as a result of repeated injection and extraction of the stored energy (fluids, gases, heat) are poorly constrained. This talk will provide an overview of multi-scale imaging (2D and 3D lab and synchrotron X-ray tomography) and characterisation (pore networks, mineralogy, water-rock-gas interactions) research that we are undertaking in order to better constrain these uncertainties.

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