The Grantham Institute for Climate Change is one of four Global Institutes at Imperial College London.[1] The Institute was founded in 2007 with a £12m donation from the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment,[2] an organisation set up by Hannelore and Jeremy Grantham.
The Institute brings together climate and global environmental change expertise from across the College for climate change related research and translation into real world impact. Their aim is to improve the interaction between researchers and decision makers in business and governments, communicating research to help ensure that choices are based on the best understanding of the science and evidence available.
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Research at the Institute is focused on four core ‘themes’:
First, Earth Systems Science, including: understanding and modelling of climate processes, and examination of biosphere-atmosphere interactions and feedbacks
Second, Risks, Extremes & Irreversible Change, including: understanding the likelihood of extreme events in the future, the potential impact of such events and changes on biodiversity and ecosystems, investigating the limits of natural adaptive change, and informing the design of resilient human infrastructure and systems
Third, Sustainable Futures, including: the transition to a low-carbon economy, exploring natural mitigation and the potential for carbon storage in ecosystems, and research into policy & market frameworks to support a low-carbon economy,
Fourth, Vulnerable Ecosystems & Human Wellbeing, including the impact of environmental change on ecosystems, the pressures & consequences of climate change on ecosystems, and investigating potential sustainable management plans & policy mechanisms to manage impacts.
A dedicated Policy Team delivers research projects, publications, partnerships, and events, aimed at communicating the science behind global environmental change and its impacts. The team publishes Briefing Paper documents disseminating the scientific understanding, possible solutions, and outcomes to government, business and NGOs.
The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment also funds two other research institutes: one at the London School of Economics, the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment [3]) and the other at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, the Divecha Centre for Climate Change< ref>http://caos.iisc.ernet.in/divech.html</ref>).
The Institute's Director is Professor Sir Brian Hoskins, professor of meteorology (1981–present) at the University of Reading
The Institute’s partnerships with the private and public sector include:
Climate KIC[4], a consortium of academic, corporate & public partners and part of the Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) initiative set up by the European Institute of Innovation.
Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation[5] Directorate, led by the University of Edinburgh, this Directorate provides leadership to the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) research programme, which aims to improve understanding of how ecosystems function, the services they provide and their relationship with the political economy and sustainable growth.
The AVOID Programme[6], a government-funded research programme on “Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change" (AVOID). The consortium is led by the Met Office Hadley Centre and the other partners are the Walker Institute at Reading, and the Tyndall Centre. Under this programme work is carried out to inform the UK Government’s decision making on avoiding dangerous climate change brought on by greenhouse gas emissions.
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