Shadow Climate Minister visits Surrey’s Institute for Sustainability

The Labour MP for Bristol East has a broad portfolio and is currently looking at Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan and international climate change, as well as the circular economy, green finance and nature-based solutions. 

The Institute’s Founding Director, Professor Lorenzo Fioramonti, and Director of Innovation and Partnerships, Nathalie Hinds, hosted the meeting, which brought together presentations on research taking place across the University and introduced the Institute’s Innovation Hub and whole systems approach. 

Dr Raffaella Guida, Reader in Satellite Remote Sensing in the School of Mathematics and Physics, presented her work on the United Nations-funded Nereus project, which is helping the authorities in Mauritius to tackle illegal fishing using satellite and shipping data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to track the movement of ships in the waters around the island nation’s waters in the Indian Ocean.  

Dr Belen Marti-Cardona, Associate Professor in Water Engineering in the School of Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering, presented the work she is doing utilising satellite data to support rice farmers to achieve net zero and engage in Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) to reduce carbon emissions.  

Professor Richard Murphy, Professor of Life Cycle Assessment and Director of the Centre for Environmental Sustainability, and Dr Ana Andries, Lecturer in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems, presented on the University’s collaboration with Surrey Wildlife Trust the Space4Nature project, which utilises satellite Earth Observation, AI and citizen science to boost diversity in Surrey.