Professor Heather Lovell, Professor of Energy and Society at the University of Tasmania, presented her current research programme at the first online seminar for CSaP Policy Fellows in the new academic year, as part of our series, ‘Public Policy and Practice: challenges and opportunities’.

In September 2023 the Cambridge Zero Policy forum met with Zoe Guijarro, Principal Policy Manager, Net Zero Homes, at Citizens Advice to discuss the transition to net zero homes, with a focus on the role of Citizens Advice.

During a recent Policy Leaders Fellowship visit day, Professor Nick Pearce called for governments to adopt a more strategic approach in the face of the multiple interlocking crises of climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and the war in Ukraine.

Professor Sarah Sharples, Chief Scientific Adviser in the Department for Transport, discussed the reasons why the transport sector requires much attention.

In July 2023, Pippa Heylings, Liberal Democrat Candidate for South Cambridgeshire, and Sheryl French, Assistant Director, Climate Change and Energy Services, Cambridgeshire County Council, addressed the Cambridge Zero Policy Forum to discuss the role that Locally Determined Contributions can play in tackling climate change.

Richard Gleave, UK Health Security Agency, and Professor Sharon Peacock, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, discussed the wider implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting on the success of the UK’s COVID-19 Genomics Consortium (COG-UK) in pandemic response and, more broadly, on the evolving role of scientific advice in times of public crises.

We are delighted to announce the names of the successful applicants to the CSaP Policy Fellowship for Michaelmas Term 2023

CSaP partnered with the Natural History Museum (NHM) in July to hold a unique event bringing together Policy Fellows working in climate and sustainability to discuss the challenges of tackling the biodiversity crisis.

In April 2023, the Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP), in conjunction with the the Cambridge Zero Policy Forum and the Centre for Landscape Regeneration (CLR), ran a policy stakeholder visit to CLR, addressing the challenges and trade-offs associated with land use in the Cambridgeshire Fens. This event brought together key academic, policy, third sector and business stakeholders to discuss the CLR’s engagement and collaboration with strategic partners, and to learn about the issues and questions facing policy decision making in the Fens.

A panel discussion chaired by Halima Khan from the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, called for government to invest in infrastructure that supports people in changing their health behaviour, allowing citizens to be more involved in the policy making process, and developing a better understanding of everyday lived experiences.