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#2050Challenge

Through the #2050Challenge researchers, industry professionals and scientists from all walks of life have been sharing the ways in which they are working to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and achieve ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. Each person who has taken part in the challenge has provided a 70 second video, highlighting a specific issue in 20 seconds, and then using the remaining 50 seconds to describe their work, research, or actions to help overcome it.

Watch one of our Partnership Grant teachers, Meryl Batchelder, in her #2050Challenge video about why she feels it is important to have environmental issues at the heart of the curriculum

Find out how to get involved and share a video from your school via social media using #2050Challenge. We are keen for teachers and students to share their research from any school based climate or biodiversity based projects - such as those undertaken via the Tomorrow's climate scientists scheme - to ensure their voice is heard as part of the scientific community.

Sample videos

Below is a small sample of videos that have been posted on social media for the challenge. This small sample has been picked for their broad links to science topics within the curriculum and to show the breadth of subjects and scientists featured in the challenge so far. Do search #2050challenge on Facebook or Twitter to view all the videos posted.

  • Sir Patrick Vallance FRS, Government Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Government Science and Engineering profession, tells us about his work looking at all the different elements that have to be considered when looking at the country reaching netZero by 2050.
  • Professor Corinne Le Quéré FRS from the University of East Anglia tells us about her work modelling and monitoring how much oceans absorb carbon dioxide to help reduce climate change.
  • Dr Susan Fitzer from the University of Stirling tells us about her work looking at ocean acidification. 
  • Dr Tarciso Leão from Kew Gardens tells us about his work on modelling habitat loss and the negative impact of climate and land-use change.
  • Dominique Gonçalves manages the Elephant Ecology Project in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, and she tell us about her work to build a more sustainable world by supporting the education of girls and women.
  • Professor Christian Jakob from Monash University in Australia tells us about his work developing more accurate climate models to predict how weather will change as the global average temperature rises. 
  • Professor Jim Hall from the University of Oxford tells us about his work looking at measuring the risks and determining potential solutions to the effects of extreme weather caused by climate change.
  • Dr Caradee Wright from the South African Medical Research Council tells us about her work looking at technological solutions to the effects of temperature change due to global warming.
  • Professor Sabine Fuss from the Murcator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change tells us about her work looking at the most viable ways to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere alongside reducing our emissions.

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