Vacancy: Project Coordinator (AgileOx Environmental Science and Local Impact Project)

School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford

Grade 7: £30,434 – £37,394 p.a.

AgileOx is a new initiative promoting interaction between university scientists and local businesses and other organisations. Oxfordshire has the potential to be an international player in the green economy and show societal and lifestyle leadership in the environment. AgileOx – co-ordinated by the Environmental Change Institute – will contribute to this potential through enhancing the local impact of the University’s environmental-related science. We are seeking to appoint a Project Co-ordinator to be responsible for overseeing and implementing the day-to-day activities for Agile-Ox. The postholder will also be responsible with others for planning, implementing and monitoring overall strategy.

You will be expected to increase the local profile of University environmental-related research and create, implement and monitor a programme of engagement with Oxfordshire-based organisations and individuals. You will be developing relationships with internal and external stakeholders, seeking a shared vision for the University and its Oxfordshire partners to promote the green economy and stewardship of the county’s environmental resources.

The successful candidate will hold a relevant degree and significant understanding and interest in a wide range of environmental issues and related science, in particular with relevance to Oxfordshire’s environmental futures. You must possess excellent and creative communication skills and experience with organising a wide variety of events.

This post is fixed-term until 30 September 2015 in the first instance. Part-time working requests will be considered.

Applications for this vacancy are to be made online. You will be required to upload a CV and supporting statement as part of your online application.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on Friday 12 September 2014, and interviews will be taking place week commencing 29 September 2014.

For more information and how to apply, please see the job details on the Oxford University Recruitment website.

Safe enough? Proportionate climate change adaptation in London’s water supply system

London faces increased risk of water shortages in the future due to climate change and population growth if no actions are taken to increase supply or reduce demand, according to a new study led by Edoardo Borgomeo and Jim Hall at the Environmental Change Institute. The research presents a new methodology for water managers to incorporate climate change uncertainties into water resources planning.

Water resources managers have significant experience in planning and operating their systems in the face of hydrological and weather variability. The reality of climate change, however, poses new challenges for water resources managers. Whilst the precise impacts of climate change for temperature, precipitation and water availability remain uncertain, water managers still need to take into account these uncertainties in their water plans. In the UK water companies are now legally obliged to evaluate the impacts of climate-related risks on their systems.

To help water managers address this challenge, this study develops a methodology for incorporating climate change related uncertainties in water resources planning. The methodology uses a risk-based metric to compare different water management options on the basis of their ability to reduce risks of water shortages under continuously changing climate conditions.

This methodology responds to the need in the UK and worldwide for a way of identifying water management investments which are proportionate to the risks the water systems are facing. Supply-side and demand-side management strategies can be compared based on how cost-effective they are at reducing risks to acceptable levels.

The risk-based methodology was applied to the London water supply area to characterise the most important uncertainties and identify water management options that are capable of reducing the harmful impacts of climate change. Results from the study demonstrate that without further supply or demand interventions, the combined effects of climate change and population growth are projected to increase the risk of water shortages in the future in London.

This research, led by Edoardo Borgomeo and Jim Hall, was carried out in partnership with Thames Water and the Environment Agency. The study contributes to the ongoing discussion in the UK water sector on whether the current approach to water resources planning should change for the next round of water resources management plans in 2019.

Reference

Borgomeo, E., Hall, J.W., Fung, F., Watts, G., Colquhoun, K. and Lambert, C. (2014) Risk-based water resources planning: Incorporating probabilistic nonstationary climate uncertainties. Water Resources Research. DOI: 10.1002/2014WR015558

Harry Verhoeven speaks about the water-food-energy nexus

Dr Harry Verhoeven was a speaker at the international conference on the water-food-energy nexus in drylands held in Rabat, Morocco on 11-14 June 2014. In a video interview, he highlights the politics behind how the nexus is defined and addressed.

The conference ‘Water-Food-Energy Nexus in Drylands: Bridging Science and Policy‘ gathered international experts to discuss the impacts of climate change and water scarcity and potential solutions in the fields of agriculture, water management, agro-business and energy. Speakers provided analyses and recommendations on how to address the interrelations between water, food and energy in global drylands, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.

Dr Harry Verhoeven gave a presentation on the nexus and the Nile. Using the example of Egypt, he argued that politically crafted interconnections between water scarcity, food production and energy security have been the foundation of modernist dreams, state-building projects and regime consolidation strategies for generations.

The conference was organised by the OCP Policy Center in partnership with the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB), King’s College London and Texas A&M University.

Dr Harry Verhoeven teaches African Politics at the Department of Politics & International Relations, University of Oxford, and he is a Junior Research Fellow at Wolfson College. He is the Convenor of the Oxford University China-Africa Network and the Oxford Central Africa Forum.