Meeting commenced at 1pm
Present: Robert McLachlan (Massey), Tim Ryley (Griffith), Ben Neville (Melbourne), Kim Blackmore (Australian National), Sal Lampkin (Massey), Lynda Johnston (Waikato), Brendan Moyle (Massey), Karin Rhoda (minute taking),
Apologies: Gillian Lewis (Auckland), Sylvia Nissen (Lincoln)
Air travel research discussions
Discussion around The University of Melbourne’s – Reducing the University’s Air Travel Emissions. Key points included:
- The university’s target is to reduce their air travel emissions by at least 10% from 2019 levels.
- A forum was held to discuss how this can be achieved, which included looking at three technologies (SAFs, Hydrogen and Battery electric) and their limitations, along with work by Aviation Impact Accelerator.
- To achieve this target UoM must look at consumer behaviour and reducing air travel along with any unintended impacts of proposed solutions.
- A survey in Sept 2022 using Polis, UoM’s online research platform, showed that there are differing views on how to reduce emissions. Offsetting is one area agreed on and this will be extended internally. There is also a need to protect early career researchers.
- UoM has also been working with their travel platform provider to integrate emission data in their booking system.
- Australian National University has put out a notice to the community, a commitment to a 50% reduction in flight emissions.
Opinion piece – leadership in environmental orgs & exceptionism (Robert)
This is a complex issue and the opinion piece on this topic is yet to be drafted.
NZ Funding Bodies meeting
Meeting will be held 14 November 2023. We only have one member from a NZ university attending. Invitations have gone out to the two Australian Research councils, and followed up, with no response to date.
AOB
The chair has been invited by MBIE to speak at the Global Research Council Asia-Pacific regional meeting 18-20 October 2023 on how research can be made more sustainable. The audience is primarily the Asia and Pacific research funders.
The Griffith ‘Aviation Re-imagined’ series will start, tomorrow 5 October.
Once the analysis work on the air travel project is complete, an update will be provided.
Date of next meeting
Wednesday 6 December 2023, 1-2pm (NZST)