Tea and Talk with the RSE

To close Series 5 of Tea and Talk with the RSE, we chat to Professor Jim Skea and Professor Camilla Toulmin about the road to a Just Transition to net-zero. Jim is Professor of Sustainable Energy at Imperial College London, co-chair of Working Group III (Mitigation) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a former member of the UK Committee on Climate Change and chaired Scotland’s Just Transition Commission. Camilla is Senior Associate, Climate Change, International Institute for Environment and Development and Professor in Practice at the University of Lancaster. She is a Senior Fellow at the Africa-Europe Foundation, with responsibility for Sustainable Energy and Agri-food systems, an Associate at the Institute for New Economic Thinking and has spent 40 years’ work at the interface between environment and development, spanning local and global scales.

We speak to RSE Fellows Professor Maggie Gill and Professor Colin Campbell about land use and climate change. Maggie is Emeritus Professor in the School of Biology at the University of Aberdeen. She is a former Chief Scientific Advisor, chairs the Scottish Science Advisory Council, which provides independent advice to the Scottish government and has a particular interest in the research/policy interface. Colin is a guest Professor at the Swedish Agricultural Sciences University in Uppala, sits on the Scottish Government’s Forum for Natural Capital and has a long-standing interest in sustainable development.

In episode three of the Tea and Talk Podcast, we speak to RSE Fellows Professor Gordon Masterton and Professor Iain Docherty about transport, mobility and what net-zero means in practice.  Gordon is Chair of Future Infrastructure at the University of Edinburgh and has a wealth of experience advising on transport and infrastructure projects including Crossrail and HS2. Iain is Dean of the Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of Stirling, a leading researcher of transport and mobility and a former non-Executive Director of ScotRail.

We chat with members of the RSE Young Academy of Scotland, Dr Sandro Carnicelli and Dr Leslie Mabon about the impacts of climate change on tourism. Sandro Carnicelli is a Senior Lecturer at the University of the West of Scotland where he leads work and conducts research on Marketing, Events and Tourism. Leslie Mabon is a lecturer in Environmental Systems at the Open University looking at the governance of complex environmental issues and how you balance scientific knowledge with social and cultural considerations.

With COP26 being held in Glasgow, we chat to Professor James Curran MBE FRSE and Professor Duncan Maclennan CBE FRSE about the impact of climate change on Scottish cities, and the policy and lifestyle changes needed in order to make cities more environmentally friendly. James Curran MBE is a former Chief Executive of the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, serves on the board of the Green Purposes Company, and is Chair of Climate Ready Clyde. Duncan Maclennan CBE is Professor of Public Policy at the University of Glasgow, Professorial Research Fellow in Urban Economics at University of New South Wales, and has worked for many years in the areas of housing, infrastructure and neighbourhoods.

“Good integration is not camps, it’s not aid. It’s people living in flourishing communities where everyone can contribute.” In S03E05 of the RSE Tea and Talk Podcast, Dr Rebekah Widdowfield discusses the issues asylum seekers and refugees face in a post-Brexit Britain with RSE Fellow, Professor Alison Phipps, Professor of Languages and Intercultural Studies at the University of Glasgow and UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts.

Studies have shown that living with a disability is more expensive than living without one. As the Covid-19 pandemic has dealt a huge blow to the global economy, what will this mean for those with disabilities and the social care and welfare systems that many rely on? In S03E04 of the RSE Tea and Talk Podcast, Dr Rebekah Widdowfield discusses these issues and more with Professor Nick Watson FRSE, Chair of Disability Research and Director of Centre for Disability Research at the University of Glasgow, and Theresa Shearer, Group Chief Executive of ENABLE Scotland, Vice-Convenor of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and a trustee of Inclusion Europe. Both Nick and Theresa are also members of the RSE Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission’s inclusive public service working group.

Scotland has become a massively more diverse country in the past fifty years. The advent of better birth control methods in the 1960s sparked an attitude shift and offered more freedoms to women in their lives, their place in the labour market and to a person’s sexual identity entirely. However, alongside these freedoms came issues like the gender pay gap, LGBTI discrimination and the distribution of labour. In S03E03 of the RSE Tea and Talk Podcast, Dr Rebekah Widdowfield discusses how Scotland can address these issues with RSE Fellows, Professor Lynn Abrams and Professor Ian Rivers. Lynn is Chair in Modern History and a member of the Centre of Gender History at the University of Glasgow, Ian is Professor of Education for Social Change at the University of Strathclyde who researches bullying behaviour in schools, focusing particularly on the bullying of LGBTI young people and the psychological effects of being a bystander.

Scotland compares very poorly with other countries in Europe and even within the UK when it comes to health inequalities, but why? In S03E02 of the RSE’s Tea and Talk Podcast, RSE Chief Executive Rebekah Widdowfield talks to Professor Graham Watt CBE FRSE about the reasons and possible answers. Graham is Emeritus Professor in General Practice at the University of Glasgow and a Fellow of both the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He has written extensively on health inequalities and for over a decade has been involved in the Deep End Project, which looks at work in general practices serving the hundred most deprived populations in Scotland.

Launching the third series of the RSE’s Tea and Talk Podcast, RSE Chief Executive Rebekah Widdowfield chats with RSE Fellows, Talat Yaqoob and Louise Macdonald OBE. They look at how the public has been informed and engaged during the Covid-19 pandemic and how we can build on this experience to improve both public debate and participation in decision-making. Talat is a Scottish campaigner and writer focused on women’s equality, race equality and intersectional analysis of policy. Louise is National Director of the Institute of Directors in Scotland, former Chief Executive of Young Scot and among many other roles is Co-Chair of the National Advisory Council of Women and Girls.

Welcome back for another series of the Royal Society of Edinburgh's 'Tea & Talk' Podcast; a series of conversations with some of Scotland's leading authorities on the impact of Covid-19, featuring Fellows of the RSE and members of their Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission.In Episode 5, RSE Chief Executive, Rebekah Widdowfield chats with Professor Niamh Nic Daéid about using the learning from the Covid-19 pandemic to enhance Scotland's ability to effectively utilise data, evidence, and science in preparing for and responding to future challenges. Professor Nic Daeid is director at the award-winning Leverhulme research centre for forensic science at the University of Dundee and an authorised forensic chemist working on areas as diverse as fire investigation, clandestine drug chemistry, and explosives. A member of RSE's post-Covid Futures Commission, Niamh chairs its working group on Data, Evidence and Science.

Welcome back for another series of the Royal Society of Edinburgh's 'Tea & Talk' Podcast; a series of conversations with some of Scotland's leading authorities on the impact of Covid-19, featuring Fellows of the RSE and members of their Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission.In Episode 4, RSE Chief Executive, Rebekah Widdowfield chats with Caroline Gardner about using the learning from the Covid-19 pandemic to support inclusive public services and innovative thinking. Caroline was the auditor general for Scotland between 2012 and 2020 during a period of significant growth in Scotland's financial powers; and has the passion for evidence led change to deliver better outcomes. Caroline is a member of the RSE's post-Covid Futures Commission and chairs its working group on inclusive public service. She also sits on the expert panel supporting the independent review of adult social care by Scottish government.

Welcome back for another series of the Royal Society of Edinburgh's 'Tea & Talk' Podcast; a series of conversations with some of Scotland's leading authorities on the impact of Covid-19, featuring Fellows of the RSE and members of their Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission.In Episode 3, RSE Chief Executive, Rebekah Widdowfield chats with Professor Sir Ian Boyd about using the learning from Covid-19 to enhance Scotland’s resilience to deal with large-scale disruptions and challenges of the future. Sir Ian is currently a Professor in Biology at the University of St Andrews and from 2012 to 2019 he was Chief Scientific Adviser at the UK Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He is also a member of the RSE’s Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission chairing a working group on Building National Resilience so who better to speak to us on this important issue.

Welcome back for another series of the Royal Society of Edinburgh's 'Tea & Talk' Podcast; a series of conversations with some of Scotland's leading authorities on the impact of Covid-19, featuring Fellows of the RSE and members of their Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission.In Episode 2, Dr Rebekah Widdowfield talks to Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak about launching the Lighthouse Labs, the UK's capacity for testing at such scale, and the need for collaboration between science and industry. Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak is Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Glasgow; Honorary Consultant Physician, Endocrinologist and Non-Executive Member of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board; and Health Innovation Champion for the Medical Research Council.  In 2016, she was awarded a DBE for services to cardiovascular and medical science.Professor Dominiczak is currently seconded to the Department of Health and Social Care in the UK Government as Director of Laboratories for the COVID-19 National Testing Programme.  In March 2020, she successfully led the establishment of the Lighthouse Laboratory in Glasgow (LLiG), part of what will be the biggest network of diagnostic testing facilities in British history, alongside other Lighthouse Lab sites in Milton Keynes and Alderley Park. The Lighthouse Lab project is funded by the UK Government, and has been established to dramatically increase the number of coronavirus tests that can take place each day to support the national effort.  This success led to her current role of overseeing all Lighthouse Labs in the UK.  Check out the Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission.Follow The RSE on Twitter - @news_rseContinue the conversation on Facebook.

Welcome back for another series of the Royal Society of Edinburgh's 'Tea & Talk' Podcast; a series of conversations with some of Scotland's leading authorities on the impact of Covid-19, featuring Fellows of the RSE and members of their Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission.Kicking things off, Dr Rebekah Widdowfield talks to Dame Seona Reid about the impact of Covid-19 on culture and the creative arts.Dame Seona is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Arts from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen in 1995, became an honorary professor of the University of Glasgow in 1999, received an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the University in 2001, received an honorary Doctor of Letters from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2005 and from University of Strathclyde in 2009, all for services to the arts in Scotland.Seona was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours, both for services to the creative industries. Other awards include Institute of Directors, Scottish Public Sector Director of the Year 2013, People Make Glasgow Inspiring City Awards 2013 for Education, Arts and Business Leadership Award 2013 and Institute of Directors Chairman's Award 2015. Check out the Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission.Follow The RSE on Twitter - @news_rseContinue the conversation on Facebook.

Wrapping up this series of Tea and Talk, Episode 7 features Talat Yaqoob — Independent consultant and researcher, and a member of the RSE Post-COVID-19 Futures Commission. We discuss how COVID-19 has highlighted inequalities across various sectors across the country, including the economy, employment, healthcare and childcare. What steps we can take to ensure society is fairer for all in the future?The Royal Society of Edinburgh — @news_RSE Dr. Rebekah Widdowfield — @Rebekah_RSE Talat Yaqoob — @talatyaqoob

Episode 6 of 'Tea and Talk' features Fergus Linehan, Festival Director and CEO of Edinburgh International Festival. Fergus chats to us about the impact COVID-19 has had on Arts & Culture, how the way we have consumed the arts has changed, and what roads to recovery for venues and festivals are possible.Subscribe for a new episode every Friday.The Royal Society of Edinburgh — @news_RSE Dr. Rebekah Widdowfield — @Rebekah_RSE Fergus Linehan — @FergusLinehan | @edintfest

In Episode 5 of 'Tea and Talk' we talk to Nasar Meer, Professor of Race, Identity and Citizenship in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Nasar discusses the impact of COVID-19 on black and ethnic minority groups across Scotland and the UK.Subscribe for a new episode every Friday.The Royal Society of Edinburgh — @news_RSE Dr. Rebekah Widdowfield — @Rebekah_RSE Prof Nasar Meer — @NasarMeer

'Tea and Talk' returns for Episode 4 with Dr. Stella Chan of the University of Edinburgh, and a member of the RSE Young Academy of Scotland. This time we discuss how lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic have affected people's mental health, how mental health services may be impacted post-lockdown, and coping strategies for difficult times like the present. Subscribe for a new episode every Friday.The Royal Society of Edinburgh — @news_RSE Dr. Rebekah Widdowfield — @Rebekah_RSE Dr. Stella Chan — @StellaWYChan

Episode 3 of our 'Tea and Talk' podcast dives into the social science and analysis of public behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic, as Dr. Rebekah Widdowfield chats with Professor Stephen Reicher of the University of St Andrews. How have people reacted to lockdown measures? How did experts expect them to react? Why is a collective mentality so important during crises?Subscribe for a new episode every Friday.The Royal Society of Edinburgh — @news_RSE Dr. Rebekah Widdowfield — @Rebekah_RSE Prof. Stephen Reicher — @ReicherStephen