Liverpool partners in £8M research centre on equitable low carbon living
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The University of Liverpool is a partner in a new £8million research centre that aims to accelerate the understanding of a just transition by coordinating research into action at all levels of society.
The Centre for Joined Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) will work closely with communities in five regions of the North of England (West Yorkshire, West Cumbria, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, and Tyneside) while also generating comparative research in other regions of the UK.
Launching in February 2025, the new Centre will collaborate with partners across local, regional, and national government, business, and civil society to co-produce joined-up solutions to meet climate goals while improving citizens’ quality of life.
It will use an innovative mix of data science and participatory methods to research and map existing low-carbon living initiatives and generate evidence about what works where, why, and for whom. This will enable researchers to support better government decision-making and demonstrate to all people and communities the real improvements in quality of life that are possible if we link decarbonisation with regeneration.
JUST is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and UKRI as part of its strategic focus on building a green future.
It brings together a team of interdisciplinary social scientists at the Universities of Manchester (JUST project lead), Leeds, Liverpool, Lancaster and Newcastle. The Institute for Community Studies at the not-for-profit organisation The Young Foundation is the core partner.
Additional partners are Citizens UK, the Local Government Associations for England and Wales, the Scottish Sustainability Network, the British Chambers of Commerce, the NHS Confederation, the Runnymede Trust and the Institute for Government.
The University of Liverpool will be contributing to the JUST project in two ways. Professor Peter North, from the Department of Geography and Planning, will be leading work looking at the contribution of grassroots and community social and solidarity economies.
He said: "Many community organisations and social enterprises are doing amazing work at the grassroots developing solutions to the climate crisis. We want to learn more about what they are doing, and help them do more of it."
Dr Alex Nurse also with the Department of Geography and Planning is the Place Lead for Liverpool, and will be co-ordinating the project’s work across all six themes (Built and Social Infrastructure, Democratic Innovations, Methods Innovation, Principles of Justice, Social and Solidarity Economies, and Policy, Governance and Change) in the Liverpool City Region.
He added: Making sure that nobody is left-out as we deal with our climate transition is really important. We are really excited to get to work on this major project and working on it within the Liverpool City Region.”
JUST Centre Director and Principal Investigator, Professor Sherilyn MacGregor, from the University of Manchester, said:
“By connecting sustainability with justice and research with action, the JUST Centre will accelerate the capacity for transformative action towards sustainable futures for all places and communities across the UK.”
ESRC Executive Chair Stian Westlake said: “The climate crisis is one of the most serious challenges the world faces. To successfully transition to a zero-carbon economy, we need to make sure no one is left behind. The JUST Centre will show us how to include everyone as we transform our country and economy, finding new opportunities and putting power in the hands of local communities.”