Imperial College Sustainability Week 2021
Towards decarbonisation: Engaging with fossil fuel companies to drive a cleaner future
NOTE: This event is for Imperial College staff & students only. Please register using your College email.
How does the College engage with fossil fuel companies to strongly influence the rapid decarbonisation of their businesses? What criteria and methods should we use to monitor progress? How should fossil fuel companies demonstrate that they are actively participating in the energy transition?
In early 2020, we asked staff and students about their views on defining a Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Policy. With the policy in place, the College’s Socially Responsible Investment Engagement Group have launched a new consultation seeking views from staff and students on how we should engage with fossil fuel companies to help them to achieve decarbonisation targets that we believe are challenging and achievable.
Join us for this panel event exploring how the College should hold fossil fuel companies to account through engagement, as companies change their business models and operations in order to become providers of decarbonised energy over the next few decades. Get involved in the conversation by submitting your own questions and comments for the panel. Alternatively, you can respond to the consultation by emailing the SRI Engagement Group by Monday 22 February. Find out more about the consultation
Speakers
Abhijay Sood (Chair)
Abhijay Sood is the elected President of Imperial College Union and is the Student Representative on Council. Abhijay is a member of the Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Policy Group, which was responsible for developing the College’s SRI Policy (launched in March 2020), and the SRI Engagement Group.
Professor Mary Ryan
Professor Mary Ryan leads the Transition to Zero Pollution initiative. She is Professor of Materials Science and Nanotechnology at Imperial, and Vice-Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Engineering. Mary leads a large interdisciplinary group focused on understanding nanoscale materials, and nanoscale interfaces in and between materials and their environments. She has a particular interest in the development of operando approaches and has pioneered nanoscale methods in synchrotron science. She was elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2015 and is a Fellow of IoM3 and of the Institute of Corrosion.
Matthew Okenyi
Matthew Okenyi is a member of Divest Imperial, a student-led campaign which asserts that Imperial should withdraw its investments from the fossil fuel industry and end its research in the extraction and exploitation of fossil fuels.
John Anderson
John is Director of Financial Strategy at Imperial and has played a key role in the evolution of the College’s Financial Strategy since 2000 including the establishment of the College’s Endowment Fund which now stands at just over half a billion pounds including the development of the Non-Core property portfolio (£8m in 2005 to £125m in 2020). The strategic objective is to maintain a viable financial strategy for the College to achieve its long-term growth ambitions. Most recently John initiated the Imperial White City Campus, leading the College’s acquisition of the various land assets and supporting consents for over 4 million sq ft of mixed use development to date. This includes the development of the GradPad Postgraduate student accommodation portfolio; ThinkSpace’s co-location operation in White City; the delivery of 88 Wood Lane and sale and development agreement for Centre House to create a meaningful allocation of apartments for College Key Workers; and the Scale Space Joint Venture.
Sustainability Week
Imperial College London and the Imperial College Union have teamed up to host a week-long celebration of sustainability from 15-19 February. Join us for five days of panel discussions, interactive online events and social media takeovers on everything from energy and waste to sustainable food and active travel. Find out how Imperial College researchers are helping to build a greener, more sustainable world and learn how you too can get involved!
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More Sustainability Week events:
- 15 February Sustainability Strategy Launch Event
- 15 February The Energy Challenge: Building a Sustainable Energy Future
- 16 February How can we all make Imperial more Sustainable?
- 16 February Water & waste: reducing Imperial’s consumption and preventing pollution of our natural environment
- 17 February Imperial College Sustainability Ideathon
- 18 February The Ecological Crisis: Science, Scary Stuff and Solutions
- 19 February Transition to Zero Pollution and Sustainable Mobility at Imperial
Find the full programme here.
Register your interest in being part of our sustainability network