Sustainable Earth

Geoscience is essential for the green energy transition: from location of energy sources through to their safe, reliable extraction, use and subsequent disposal or recycling of wastes.

In a changing world, geoscience plays a vital role in the effort to build resilience by improved management of natural resources, for instance land, energy, water, minerals. Read more about our work on renewables and critical metals below.

Geology_for_Soc_SusEarth_1jpg	Improving lithium sourcing for the green energy transition Working with industry, we’re leading breakthrough research in the imaging and analysis of lithium - an element critical to the green energy transition – in geological materials at previously unseen detail. Read more here.
Geology_for_Soc_SusEarth_2.jpg	Exploring solutions for the geo-disposal of radioactive waste Nuclear energy is a low-cost and reliable source of energy with a very low carbon footprint, and for these reasons is likely to be a key player in the green energy transition. Our scientists are testing the conditions under which nuclear waste can be safely stored underground. Read more here.
Geology_for_Soc_SusEarth_3.jpg	Using the latest technologies to ensure safe disposal of radioactive waste Meet our PhD student, Emma Perry, who is part of a team using the latest techniques in atomic-scale imaging to study how nuclear waste breaks down over time. Read more here.