“Creating Solutions, Inspiring Minds”, that is how the OU is tackling climate change through open research according to Professor Nick Braithwaite.
On Thursday 18 April, The Open University hosted an event at the Wellcome Collection to showcase the University’s teaching and research in sustainability.
The exhibition space and auditorium felt alive with the buzz of people discussing and finding out about OU research and how this has informed BBC / OU co-productions, including landmark documentaries on the natural world.
The exhibition featured some of the OU’s research projects, many of which form part of the University’s Open Societal Challenges programme, which focuses on multidisciplinary, challenge and mission-focused research.
Academics conversed with interested delegates on a range of topics such as sustainable processes linked for an integrated circular economy, connecting communities and heritage against climate crisis.
Following the lively discussion in the exhibition, Professor Nick Braithwaite, Executive Sponsor for Sustainability said:
“This event reflects our recognition that the challenges posed by climate change and net loss of biodiversity call for interdisciplinary, multi-perspective collaborations. The OU was, and still is, a disruptive innovator, founded on a social justice mission and we’re comfortable now with extending that concept into environmental and social justice.
“We’re responding to the climate and nature crises through applying our learning to the protection of people’s rights, to the robust influencing of policy-makers, to the safeguarding of food supply chains, and to improving living conditions now and for future generations worldwide.
“The OU works at scale and with significant reach – we have over 200,000, registered students and our alumni community of over half a million. Our free online learning community exceeds 10 million. And we are committed to aligning our heritage of disruptive innovation with opportunities to create a regenerative future.”
Chaired by Jhumar Johnson, Chief of Staff to the OU Vice Chancellor, a panel of five experts was formed by OU academic consultants Dr Yoseph Araya, Dr Mandy Dyson, Dr James Warren and Dr Philip Wheeler, and Jack Bootle from the BBC. The panel discussion covered topics such as the commissioning of sustainability related OU/BBC co-productions and the important messages about our natural world and the needed efforts to innovate, restore and regenerate for a more sustainable future.
The discussions featured clips from some of the landmark programmes such as Wild Isles, Frozen Planet, Blue Planet II and What they really mean for you.
The event closed with a poignant statement speech from Professor Braithwaite, who solidified the University’s commitment to championing climate and nature in the creation and sharing of knowledge:
“The world has fallen short of its target to limit global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, and we now face the consequences: climate volatility, rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and highly pressurised ecosystems.
“Net Zero Goals are being viewed as ‘out of reach’ on current plans. Confronted with this shocking reality, we must explore radically different ways of living: educating and empowering people to be positive forces for regeneration, and to prioritise regenerative practices in our homes, businesses, and nations. This must be our immediate focus. All of us here tonight have a stake in this.”
