In our second year as an independent not-for-profit research institute, we participated in two key environment summits, the UN Climate Conference COP26 in Glasgow and the UN Biodiversity Conference COP15 in Kunming.
We recruited additional scientists to meet the rising demand for expert environmental science, and we invested in new science infrastructure to support the wider UK research community.
Other highlights of the year included:
- At COP26, we announced that we were joining forces with the Met Office and NERC-supported research centres to develop a new national alliance focused on climate solutions for society, called the UK National Climate Science Partnership.
- Our scientists led the research community in the UK in developing and optimising wastewater-based epidemiology in order to improve the four nations’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- We released the first version of the new Hydro-JULES modelling framework, which will underpin future hydrological research in the UK. The model will contribute to better early warning systems for floods and droughts, and help ensure reliable water supplies for the future.
- The UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) commissioned UKCEH and low carbon energy consultants Element Energy to analyse the costs and deployment potential of different greenhouse gas removal options in the UK, to enable the UK to reach net zero by 2050.
You can read more about how scientists across our four sites in Bangor, Edinburgh, Lancaster and Wallingford helped to tackle key science challenges in our Annual Review 2021 at ceh.ac.uk/reviews-and-reports