A new online ‘Challenges Tool’ created by the The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) will allow environmental science professionals to ‘articulate the key knowledge gaps and evidence needs pertaining to a set of future environmental policy and practice challenges’. Through a series of workshops throughout England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and overseas territories, the policy and practice, academic, business and third sector communities helped to identify 65 future environmental evidence challenges arising from the UK’s separation from the EU. Broadly, the challenges comprise:
- climate change, air quality and energy
- environment, conservation and wildlife
- food, farming and timber forests
- overseas territories
- water, fisheries and marine
NERC has now asked the wider environmental sciences community to validate these challenges, and outline broad research areas that have the potential to meet future evidence needs. Input through the Challenges Tool will inform a proposal for a large-scale transformative research and innovation programme.Find the Challenges Tool and respond to the call for evidence here.
