Talking at a conference at University College London, Professor John Broome stressed that, according to predictions from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there is a non-negligible possibility (just under 5%) of a temperature change of 8 to 10 degrees. At that level of climate change, the extinction of the entire human race is a real possibility.

Nevertheless, while people are, increasingly, recognising that climate change is a serious problem, and that we need to reduce our carbon emissions, there is still considerable resistance to coercive legislation that would impose restrictions on people. Talking at a recent event about low carbon transport, Andy Eastlake, the managing director of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, took it for granted that "forcing people to reduce mobility is politically unacceptable". Similarly, Lucinda Turner (presenting at a TEDx event about transport and the environment) stated that the majority of people considered car ownership to be a right, and only 2% considered their own car ownership to be a luxury.

An important part of the project is the interdisciplinary nature of the project, bringing together philosophers, historians and engineers. Increasingly, moral and political philosophers are focusing on the ethics of climate change, and climate ethics is establishing itself as vibrant area of study for philosophers. Historians also have much to offer, in relation to climate ethics, by considering examples of coercive and liberty-limiting regulations from the past, such as rationing in World War II. Engineers have played a significant role in climate change in the past and, more positively, will be at the heart of any responses to climate change in the future. However, there is relatively little collaboration between these disciplines.

My project will aim to rectify this, by encouraging and facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration, through events, publications, and steering group meetings.

The philosophical work, undertaken by myself, will focus on areas largely neglected by philosophers, focusing on the moral responsibility of individuals, and the responsibility of engineers and the engineering profession.

The historical work will be undertaken by a research assistant, who will explore parallels between historical examples of coercive legislation, such as rationing, and coercive regulation that may be required in response to climate change.

Regarding the engineering profession, I have been teaching engineering ethics for eight years, and have an established history of professional ethics consultancy work with the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), and have connections with the Engineering Council, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). Representatives of the profession will be involved in the project from the start, contributing to the project's steering group, as well as contributing to the workshops and conference, and three of my six planned papers will have a specific engineering focus, and will be published in journals aimed at engineers, such as Science and Engineering Ethics.

Recognising that the current generation of engineering students will be working in an environment where climate change will be at the heart of many engineering decisions, the project will also focus on how the research should impact on the teaching of engineering ethics.

The project will benefit engineers, and engineering students (at Leeds and elsewhere), philosophers working on climate ethics, individual responsibility or professional ethics, and historians working on rationing or those interested in the moral relevance of the study of history, and the outputs of the project will be: 3 workshops and a conference, 7 academic papers, as well as non-academic papers aimed at non-academic audiences.

Potential Impact:
The issues addressed in this project will be of significant importance not only in engineering, but in society more generally, and will be one of the most important considerations in social planning and public policy in the future.

As such, impact activities will not be a mere afterthought, but will be built in from the outset, and will be a core part of the project. This is an area in which the Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied (IDEA) centre and I are ideally placed to have impact.

I have considerable experience of working with the biggest professional bodies in engineering. I contributed to "Engineering ethics in practice: a guide for engineers" for the Royal Academy of Engineering; I am currently editing an e-book, "Engineering in Society", which will be endorsed by the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Engineering Council, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET); and I am currently working with the president of ICE on ICE's president's apprentices scheme.

However, the impact of this project is not limited to the engineering profession. The centre is committed to integrating the three core elements of our work: research, teaching and consultancy. We have our own dedicated knowledge transfer staff, we have established our own Professional Ethics Network, and we have experience of developing work that reaches beyond academia. For example, our Real Integrity: practical solutions for organisations seeking to promote and encourage integrity, produced in partnership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), was submitted as evidence to the Leveson Inquiry. In addition, my mentor Prof. Chris Megone was an expert witness in the Leveson enquiry, and has a career's worth of experience in working in applied ethics and maximizing impact, which will be an invaluable part of his contribution as my mentor.

Regarding the specific pathways to impact:

The project will be overseen by a steering committee, which will include representatives from the engineering profession. I have already discussed the project with the Head of Policy at the Royal Academy of Engineering, Natasha McCarthy, and she has said that she would be happy to be part of the steering group. I have also discussed the project with the Head of Corporate Governance at Marks and Spencer, Amanda Mellor, who has recently agreed to be an honorary Visiting Professor in the IDEA centre, and I am hopeful that she too will be involved in the steering group.

Events and publications will be aimed at the relevant audiences. The workshop on engineering ethics, and the two day conference, will be advertised to the engineering profession, as well as to academics, and I aim to have these events endorsed by the Royal Academy of Engineering. In addition, the conference will include an event open to the public and aimed at a non-academic audience (which will be promoted through our professional ethics network). Regarding publications, I will not only publish in philosophy journals, but will also publish in journals where they will be read by the relevant audience, such as Science and Engineering Ethics. In addition to the academic papers, the research assistant will submit a paper to History and Policy, which "creates opportunities for historians, policy makers and journalists to connect", and I will publish a non-academic summary of my work in a professional publication, such as The Royal Academy of Engineering's Ingenia.

Furthermore, given our commitment to academically-informed consultancy, and our commitment to teaching that is informed both by our research and our consultancy work, this project will continue to have an impact in the years after the project is complete, through the centre's teaching in engineering, business, and environment, as well as in our consultancy work.