Need to rekindle spirit of Glasgow COP, says head of new sustainability institute

Dr Nandan Mukherjee, Director of the University of Dundee’s Binks Institute for Sustainability, says that attendees to the 30th UN climate conference in Brazil must be serious about implementing solutions aimed at tackling the global climate crisis.

While thousands of delegates are expected to attend COP30 in the city of Belém, including world leaders, scientists, and non-governmental organisations, Dr Mukherjee says that previous events have failed to capitalise on their promise.

“We have to bring an end to COP tourism,” he said.

“There are too many people who have been attending previous COPs just to say they have been there – to listen but not ultimately act. 

“COP26 was just four years ago. There was a huge amount of optimism that energised the public as we welcomed the world to Glasgow, but much of that momentum has been lost. 

“We need to rekindle that spirit within Scotland and re-energise our society with a renewed urgency to implement real solutions through locally led adaptation, to meet our mitigation ambitions under the Paris Agreement and to confront the residual loss and damage that communities are already facing. That may not be easy, but we owe it to our future generations to act - and to act now.”

As Director of the Binks Institute for Sustainability, Dr Mukherjee will be at the forefront of efforts to transfer world-leading research from the banks of the Tay to the rest of the world.

Drawing on expertise from across the University – including science, energy, hydrology and geography – the Institute will engage with local and global communities, government agencies, NGOs and business to co-develop Net Zero strategies, while ensuring a just transition to a sustainable world.

Dr Mukherjee’s career has been shaped by climate change, with his interest in the subject leading him to create the award-winning climate-resilient homes concept, the first of which have since been constructed in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Designed to help communities threatened by extreme weather, these pioneering homes use an innovative low-carbon brick and are engineered to float. They grow food, provide water and energy security and harness the power of the local environment, enabling them to withstand flood, storms, fire and even earthquakes. Remarkably, the design advances 13 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, making it a model for truly integrated climate resilience and just transition.

“There is evidence that when governments do not respond to the climate crisis, local communities have worked on their own to develop solutions,” said Dr Mukherjee. “That gives me reasons for optimism— finding solutions to the climate crisis isn’t the hard part; changing our mindset is.

“At COP30 I will be showcasing some of the organic food solutions that feature as part of our Climate Resilient Home Project, along with indoor gardening and external organic fish culture.

“We do not need to wait for government action to make a difference — reducing our food waste is one of the biggest steps we can take ourselves.

“We have already put 300 gigatons of carbon in the atmosphere since the industrial age and every year we are adding a further 10 gigatons. If we reduce food waste then 88 gigaton of that problem is solved.

“While it may be impossible to eliminate all residual loss and damage, it reminds us that individual actions when multiplied can create extraordinary impact.”