Successful transitions under environmental change

Achieving sustainable transitions in an era of unprecedented change and transformation is one of the most significant challenges facing humanity.

Successful Transitions Under Environmental Change (STUEC) brings together a distinctive group of leading researchers from across the Social Sciences, Humanities and Physical Geography working collectively to better understand how people and societies interact with rapidly changing natural and built environments.

STUEC draws together expertise and experience from a wide range of disciplines. Key areas of research include: climate change; water, land and ecosystem science; food and water, security and management; social and economic adaptation; built environment; energy transformation; migration; Arctic science and geopolitics; climate activism; intergenerational justice; environmental communication; environmental humanities.

STUEC is closely aligned with Loughborough University’s overall strategy, Creating Better Futures. Together, which identified Climate Change and Net Zero as a key strategic theme. Our research is key to enabling the university to play a leading international role in responding to the climate emergency and supporting the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals including SDG 7 affordable and clean energy, SDG 11 sustainable cities and communities, SDG 13 climate action and SDG 14 life below water.

View a video on Youtube about Loughborough University's commitment to sustainability here.

For more information contact Dr Duncan Depledge

 

Research highlight: The Future’s Electric

Access to modern sustainable energy services is one of the most important challenges faced by the global community (UN SDG 7), but we are failing to meet the need for cleaner cooking.

Around the world, four billion people continue to rely on wood, coal, charcoal or animal waste for cooking and heating. Indoor air pollution from these types of fuels causes up to four million premature deaths every year, and the burning of biomass is a major contributor to climate change.

The FCDO (formerly DFID) had the foresight to see the need for innovative new ways that this challenge could be met and partnered with the University in leading that effort.

Building on almost a decade of leading research efforts to address the challenge of sustainable energy in the global south, our UK Aid-funded work to revolutionise global approaches to clean cooking transitions under the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme is beginning to yield significant results.

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