Abstract

Geoscience and engineering play critical roles in tackling the climate crisis and enabling sustainable development. Rapid growth in subsurface technologies such as geological CO2 storage, hydrogen storage and geothermal are anticipated to deliver and live in a Net Zero future. However, there has been a long-term downturn in student uptake of geoscience subjects in higher education. There is already huge demand for engineering graduates which is set to increase. Might our ability for geoscience applications to contribute to Net Zero be hindered by a future skills gap? Further, minority groups and marginalised communities are poorly represented in STEM and particularly in geoscience, and, globally, the energy sector is one of the least diverse. If this isn’t addressed, might growth in subsurface net zero technologies for the energy transition drive inequalities?

In this talk, Jen will explore these challenges and their interaction with the transition to a fair and sustainable future for all. She will also present evidence of recent shifts in geoscience degree programmes towards sustainable geoscience problems (with particular focus on structural geology and the energy transition) to make the discipline more attractive to STEM -engaged students.