BGS Geoscience to tackle global environmental challenges

959330b6-de1f-414b-85ff-84ccfe8d0e5b

Active

NERC
NERC
NERC
NERC
NERC

£50,350,970

June 30, 2022

March 31, 2026

Global environmental challenges will be the focus of BGS' research, specifically: strengthening adaptation and resilience to geological hazards and climate change; security and sustainability of resource supply chains; and reduction in risk to urban and rural infrastructure. These are highly complex interconnected issues, all underpinned by the geosciences, and with an international collaborative approach the proposed research can play a role in tackling them.

Our programme will be organised and managed around three interlinked Research and Innovation Challenges (RICs) representing the global environmental challenges above:

RIC 1: Living in multi-hazard environments

RIC 2: Resources for the future

RIC 3: Land use change

Key to success is research co-designed and delivered via equitable partnerships established from both the ODA-NC programme and wider BGS international network of projects. Broadening the international scope enables us to employ UK research expertise in partnerships that best demonstrate the potential to translate research outcomes to additional global settings (Geoscientific knowledge as a Global Public Good). To facilitate this translation and to build-in opportunities for inter-connectivity of projects across the programme, we have framed the RICs to work in three key contexts to realise maximum benefit: (1) The urbanising world, representing areas experiencing rapid urbanisation, (2) Resource research emerging economies, representing countries essential to the global supply chain for minerals, energy and food, and (3) Communities on the climate change frontline, where effects will be most impactful or represent scenarios translatable to other parts of the world.

BGS has extensive experience in geological multi-hazards research and support for national emergency response organisations. In RIC 1 we will (a) develop new methods for characterising, monitoring and forecasting hazards, both natural and anthropogenic, (b) undertake research into hazards and their impacts in multi-hazard locations including Indonesia, the Philippines and the UK Overseas Territories, and (c) investigate how geoscience knowledge and expertise supports disaster preparedness, response and recovery worldwide and how this can be improved.

Geoscience is key to ensuring the sustainable supply of raw materials required to reach net zero, to continue global economic and social development and, along with the supply of food and water resources, to sustain and promote equitable development. Our RIC 2 research will focus on sub-Saharan Africa, the Li-Triangle in South America, and the Philippines. It will: (a) leverage BGS expertise in global raw material supply chain/circular economy research in critical and energy transition raw materials, raw materials for rapid urbanisation and trade-offs associated with mineral waste, (b) develop the geological model structures to facilitate the development of geothermal energy in LMICs, and requirements for sub-surface storage of CO2, and (c) inform strategies for the sustainable use of biophysical resources for food production and utilisation of water resources, for mitigation of environmental degradation and improve supply resilience to support population growth and climate change.

Sustainable land management and climate change adaptation research in RIC 3 will work in south and south east Asia, Mexico and east Africa to investigate: (a) climate and anthropogenic pressures on climate and anthropogenic pressures on soil and water quality and quantity; (b) geoscience solutions for sustainable land management to improve agricultural and groundwater resilience; and (c) urban geohazards which are compounded by rapid expansion, and mitigations to increase resilience to these pressures and from climate change impacts.