Cabot Institute for the Environment blog

The Atmosphere Gallery, located within London’s Science Museum , was designed to help the public “make sense of climate science” and combines interactive exhibits with specially commissioned artwork. It has attracted 1.7 million visitors since it opened in 2010 and recently hosted a governmental inquiry into the  public understanding  and  policy implications  of  climate change . The inquiry took place in front of the  Science and Technology (SAT) Select Committee , a group of MPs selected to ensure that  Government policy and decision-making are based on good scientific evidence . To undertake the inquiry, a selection of climate scientists were asked to attend and present evidence  in front  of the committee. The Science and Technology Committee in action. The morning session (9-10am) involved Professor Chris Rapley (University College London) , Professor Nick Pidgeon (Cardiff University) and Dr. Alex Burch (Science Museum) and dealt with issues of trust and public eng

On June 18 th , as part of Big Green Week , the University of Bristol ’s Cabot Institute hosted an event entitled ‘ Poverty, energy and Social Justice ’, at Hamilton House in Stokes Croft.   ‘Social justice’ relates to making sure that current and future generations can fulfil their needs, whatever they may be, to live life to an acceptable standard. The term is often linked to ensuring that human rights are maintained and that equality is promoted within society. ‘Energy poverty’ is “a lack of access to modern energy services, defined as access to electricity and clean cooking facilities” (International Energy Agency).   In the UK, a household is said to be in ‘fuel poverty’ “if more than 10% of its income is spent on fuel, to maintain a satisfactory heating regime” (Department of Energy & Climate Change, 2013). Definitions covered, the first part of the event involved presentations from three speakers which provided an overview of poverty, energy and social justice