German-British Embassy Talks 2.0 on Smart and Sustainable Cities - April 2021

As one of the largest contributors to CO2 emissions, the built environment sector is witnessing momentum towards responsible construction practices and advanced technical upgrades to make the sector resilient and future-proof.  The Transition to Zero Pollution initiative, Drees and Sommer and the British Embassy in Berlin hosted the second iteration of German-British Embassy Talks, where experts from a wide range of fields explored tangible solutions around ecological construction, smart technologies in infrastructure and mobility, and their impact on our communities. Dr Ana Mijic, Co-Director of the Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation provided one of the keynote talks and Imperial researchers Professor Peter Childs, Dr Tilly Collins, Professor Robert Shorten and Dr Aruna Sivakumar took part in the expert panel discussions. Watch a recording of the event.  

Transition to Zero Pollution: Towards Resilient and Sustainable Societies in Japan and the UK - April 2021

Imperial launched the TZP initiative in Japan with an online event alongside Japanese friends and collaborators on 27 April 2021. Given the growing importance of climate change and the environment to both the Japanese and UK governments in a post-Covid world, the event will emphasised the growing opportunities for future collaboration between the UK and Japan in this important global challenge. Ms. Margaret Tongue, Economic Diplomacy Minister-Counsellor at the British Embassy Tokyo, provided the opening remarks, followed by a keynote from Professor Mary Ryan, Vice Dean (Research) for the Faculty of Engineering at Imperial. The keynote was followed by a discussion with an expert panel of Professor Ricardo Martinez Botas (Mechanical Engineering), Dr. Norihiro Suzuki (CTO, Vice President & Executive Officer, Hitachi), Dr. Eisaku Ito (CTO, Senior General Manager, Technology Strategy Office, MHI), and Professor Mary Ryan. 

The role of technology in achieving net zero (panel discussion) - March 2021

A panel of experts discussed the role of technology in achieving net zero, covering topics such as the government's 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, investment in innovation and how to pay for the transition to net zero. Panellists included Dr Ajay Gambhir from Imperial's Grantham Institute, Georgia Berry, Director of Political Campaigns at OVO and former Special Adviser for Energy and Infrastructure in the No.10 Policy Unit and Juergen Maier, Chair of Digital Catapult and Vice Chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership. This was a joint event with the Institute for Government. Watch the event.

Energy from waste (roundtable) - March 2021

The Forum and the think tank Policy Connect co-hosted a closed roundtable on energy from waste. Professor Chris Cheeseman, Professor of Materials Resources Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, gave the opening presentation, offering his perspective on the issues and opportunities associated with energy from waste. He was joined by MPs, peers, civil servants and industry representatives to debate the issues. 

Transition to Zero Pollution and sustainable mobility at Imperial - February 2021

The TZP initiative took part in the College's Sustainability Week (15-19 February 2021) and organised a panel discussion on the future of sustainable mobility. The new Mobility Hub pilot project between Imperial, Enterprise Holdings and Brompton Bikes was announced and the panel discussed the challenges of sustainable mobility. Watch the event on YouTube or read about it to find out more.

Resources and Waste Strategy (roundtable) - January 2021

Imperial experts joined MPs, industry leaders and other officials to debate the future of the government's Resources and Waste Strategy. The event, jointly hosted by Imperial's new Transition to Zero Pollution initiative and the cross-party think tank Policy Connect through the All-Party Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group, analysed the progress of the Resources and Waste Strategy after its publication two years ago.

Chaired by Lord Teverson, Chair of the EU Environment Sub-Committee, opening remarks were delivered by Philip Dunne MP, Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, and Dr Alan Whitehead MP, Shadow Minister for Energy and the Green New Deal. Imperial academics Professor Nick Voulvoulis and Professor David C Wilson joined senior parliamentarians to share their insights on the strategy, two years on from its publication by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Read more.

TZP launch in China - November 2020

The International Relations Office co-hosted an online event on 24 November 2020 with the Huanding Consortium and the UK’s Science and Innovation Network to launch the TZP initiative in China. Given the growing importance of climate change and the environment to both the Chinese and UK governments in a post-Covid world, this event emphasised the growing opportunities for future collaboration between the UK and China in this important global challenge. The keynotes at the event were given by Professor Nigel Brandon, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Professor Cathy Hu from the Huanding Consortium. Further details of the agenda can be found on the event page.

 Imperial.Tech.Pitch: Transition to Zero Pollution - November 2020

The inaugural Imperial.Tech.Pitch event on 16 November 2020 saw researchers and inventors from Imperial College London explain their work and ideas aimed at building a more sustainable society, by reducing the environmental impact of heavy industries all the way through to redesigning the materials used in products across sectors. Watch the recording of the event.

TZP launch in Singapore - November 2020

The International Relations Office held an online event on 10 November 2020 to launch the TZP initiative in Singapore. Given the growing importance of climate change and the environment to both the Singaporean and UK governments in a post-Covid world, the event emphasised the growing opportunities for future collaboration between the UK and Singapore in this important global challenge. The keynote at the event was given by Professor Nigel Brandon, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and further details of the agenda can be found on the event page.

The Forum zero pollution economy roundtable - September 2020

The Forum convened a policy roundtable with Imperial academics, senior civil servants, parliamentarians and think tank officials on the topic of how we can build a zero-pollution economy. Imperial academics Professor Maurizio Zollo, Dr Ana Mijic, Dr Mirabelle Muuls and Professor Robert Shorten introduced their research and policy problems. Issues discussed included: systems approach to zero pollution; business, productivity and skills; poverty and inequality; taxation and policy; natural capital; and consumption and ownership.

Transition to Zero Pollution launch event - September 2020

The launch of Transition to Zero Pollution took place on 23 September. Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and a renowned global climate justice campaigner, gave a keynote address at the online launch, arguing for climate justice – taking urgent action to avoid squandering the futures of our young people. Professor Mary Ryan then chaired a panel discussion with Baroness Brown of Cambridge (Julia King), Professor Mike Berners-Lee and Professor Nilay Shah. Read more about the event or watch it in full online. 

Cradle to Cradle – rethinking the way we design buildings webinar - June 2020

Transition to Zero Pollution initiative launched an online series to bring together experts from across College and industry. The first webinar saw Imperial’s Professor Jennifer Whyte and Professor Mary Ryan host Marco Abdallah, Head of Engineering at Drees & Sommers, as he outlined the ‘cradle-to-cradle’ model of building construction. Read more about the webinar. 

The Forum circular economy policy workshop - May 2020

How to transition to a circular economy, a topic rising up the economic and climate agendas, was the focus of The Forum’s May 2020 policy workshop. Dr Pelin Demirel and Dr Leila Sheldrick, both of the Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial, and researchers from across the College led discussions with partners from government, think tanks, charities and industry to address many of the strategic decision-making challenges faced as we transition towards a circular economy. Professor Robert Shorten introduced Transition to Zero Pollution at the workshop. Read more about the workshop.