In 2015, UN member states adopted the ‘The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ which outlines a framework to encourage ‘peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future’. The agenda document emphasises that sustainable development requires a balance of ‘the economic, social and environmental’, recognising the interdependence between reducing poverty and inequality, improving education, healthcare, employment and quality of life, and improving economic prosperity, preventing climate change and other environmental protection, conservation, and remediation activities.
Research at the ERI has previously been organised into three themes: Environmental Contamination and Ecological Health (ECEH), Renewable Energy and the Environment (REE) and Carbon, Water and Climate (CWC). Recognising the requirement for a broad and holistic approach to sustainability research, going beyond specific or localised environmental impacts, Environment, Economy and Society (EES) theme has been established. EES will cut across the other three themes and develop core expertise in sustainability assessment across the three ‘pillars’ of sustainability, carbon footprint analysis and circular economy.
The EES theme will leverage existing ERI capabilities and strengths to develop parallel and complementary research activities exploring wider sustainability issues. However, the theme will embrace its broad scope in order to capitalise on other opportunities – especially in relation to issues affecting rural, remote, coastal and island regions/communities, owing to the location of the ERI in the northern Highlands and in line with the UHI mission to ‘have a transformational impact on the prospects of our region, its economy, its people and its communities’.
Through ERI wide engagement, four priorities have been identified for development of the theme:
Health, Water and Sustainability – life cycle sustainability assessment of novel water and wastewater treatment systems and exploring the relationship between health and water/wastewater including links with the ‘One Health’ concept (linked with ECEH).
Plastics and Society – analysis the economic and societal viewpoint(s) relevant to plastic use, disposal and damage caused to the environment and to ecosystems with emphasis on solutions that contribute to the circular economy (linked with ECEH).
Sustainable Land Use – development of an understanding of the economic and societal impacts linked with land use and land use change, especially peatland degradation, restoration and conservation both in a Scottish (e.g., Highland estates, traditional land use and its cultural importance) as well as an international context (linked with CWC).
Sustainability and Renewable Energy – assessment of sustainability issues surrounding both mature and developing renewable energy technologies with foci on marine energy, off- & onshore wind, and off-grid/community energy systems (linked with REE).