Showing articles associated with Helen Gavin
Helen Gavin is a Manager and Knowledge Exchange Researcher for the Oxford Martin Programme on Integrating Renewable Energy Environmental Change Institute
Main area(s) of interest/expertise
Dr Helen Gavin is a sustainability professional, passionate about renewable energy and water resources.
Why is Oxford a good place to work in research related to environmental challenges?
Understanding the changes that face us and finding solution requires knowledge and input from a very wide range of different topics, and hearing from different types of experience. Oxford supports this interdisciplinary thinking, with many networks that bring people together. Staff and students successfully push for more integration on cross cutting issues such as climate change awareness and action, and there is support to reach out and engage with citizens and practitioners, locally and internationally.
What is the biggest environmental challenge facing the planet right now?
I believe that halting environment degermation and species extinction go hand in hand with the challenge to achieving social inequity across the globe. I would rephrase the question to say that it is challenge facing us, not the planet: we need change how we live to minimise our footprint. This is both to minimise the myriad devastating impacts of the climate and ecological emergency, but also ensure everyone in the world has equal access to opportunities where they live, within Earth’s planetary boundaries
Despite the challenges, are you optimistic about our future?
I am cautionary optimistic: there has been a global upsurge in people coming to gather to call for action to address climate change which is incredibly uplifting. However, my caution stems from the fact that there will be many people and organisation resistant to change, there are legal structures that need to be reset, decision made about e.g. new fossil duel energy generation plants that will continue to have impacts for decades to come.
Find out more about Helen
