Dr Shail is part of the Geology department at Cornwall campus. Image Credit: University of Exeter
A University professor has claimed that an unusually powerful storm which hit Devon during bad weather in early January has caused irreversible changes to the county’s coastline.
Dr Robin Shail, a geologist and senior lecturer at Exeter, suggested that ‘Hercules’ was the worst weather to hit the region in 20 years. He described the storm, which damaged both natural and manmade structures and took the lives of two people out at sea, as having the biggest impact on the county since the winter storms of 1991.
The impact is most likely to manifest itself in the form of geological erosion of the coastline, something that Dr Shail attributes to the relentless pounding it received from waves during the storm.
This would increase the risk of landslides, as the weather gets drier.
Dr Shail added that epic storms such as Hercules will only become more common, thanks to climate change.
Speaking to the Exeter Express And Echo, he said: “What we are seeing within the debate about climate change is that one-in-50-year events are becoming one-in-20 year ones – we are moving to a situation where change is occurring more rapidly – it is like pressing the fast forward button”.
Already, Dr Shail’s widely published predictions appear to be coming true, as geological structures along the East Devon coast have eroded, unveiling rare dinosaur fossils in the process.
Dr Shail reflected: “The landscape which we see and love and cherish is forever changing – people assume it is fixed but it is an ever-moving canvas”.
A rainbow overlooks the River Exe, which nearly burst its banks after the recent storms. Image credit: Niklas Rahmel
The University’s first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is set to kick of on 13 January, with registrations now open.
Titled “Climate Change: Challenges and Solutions”, the eight-week-long course is, as its MOOC classification suggests, available to anyone, and will be administered via the FutureLearn platform, which hosts other UK university MOOCs as well.
In a nutshell, the course seeks to explore the science of climate change, along with the risks and solutions related to it. Specifically, it will cover issues such as the greenhouse effect and global warming.
Such a course is perhaps timely, in light of the recent bad weather the country and region has experienced.
Its material was the brainchild of a team of eight academics from the University, led by Tim Lenton, Professor of Climate Change and Earth System Science, and working in conjunction with the UK Met Office.
Its structure is similar to that of the average university module, with learning resources, tests, and discussion portals made available on FutureLearn. Three hours of study per week is the recommended commitment that students should make.
Upon completion of the course, participants will receive an online record of their achievement. Formal certificates are currently not available, though FutureLearn is looking into the matter.
With the launch of its maiden MOOC, the University joins a growing number of its contemporaries who have taken to offering open online courses via the FutureLearn platform. These include Loughborough University, with its “Innovation and Enterprise” course, and King’s College London, which offers a ‘Causes of War’ course.
Owned by The Open University, FutureLearn is still in a developmental stage, but harbours ambitions of becoming a facilitator of lifelong learning. To start the University’s course on climate change or the MOOCs offered, sign up for an account at futurelearn.com.
Exeposé Comment:Given Exeter’s green credentials, why has it taken this long to develop an environmental society on campus?
Nick Howe: Well, it’s funny you should say that. There actually was one back in my first year, way back in 2011, but they just sort of disappeared without a trace. Apparently there weren’t enough people to keep a committee going. I’m often asked this and I think that it’s in part because of Exeter’s green credentials that it hasn’t happened. Why have a society for something you have already achieved? Personally I think there’s always more that you can do and importantly there needs to be a place for environmentally minded people to come together and meet one another and come up with projects to run throughout the year, which is why I founded the society. Additionally there are so many things under the umbrella of environmentalism that there is the question of what to do with it.
“Personally I think there’s always more that you can do and importantly there needs to be a place for environmentally minded people to come together and meet one another and come up with projects to run throughout the year, which is why I founded the society.” Photo Credit: Exeter Environmental Society
EC:How difficult was it to find support this year?
NH: This was more difficult than I thought it would be, especially given the fact that in trying to find out more information about how to set up a society I had accidentally made one, so then I was under time pressure too! Mostly it wasn’t that there was lack of interest, it’s that everyone I knew was going into their final year and didn’t know if they could realistically make the necessary time commitment. So, I ended up emailing departments and the like and through that I found my committee. Getting people interested has never been a problem. Our generation seems to be very enthusiastic about the environment, climate change and what we can do about it and our membership has exceeded all of our admittedly conservative estimations.
EC:What’s your opinion on fracking developments in the UK?
NH: I’m very pleased with the refusal of the public to back such a motion. The protests in Sussex are just the first of many to come. Especially, I feel that as the fracking development moves towards the so called ‘desolate north’ they will encounter plenty more resistance. As a resident of the North I can safely say that we are proud of our countryside and aim to preserve it. Fracking represents another instance of refusing to accept that fossil fuels are running out. There would not be such a drastic proposal otherwise; fracking causes scarring to the landscape and has reportedly caused earthquakes, pollutes water and most importantly is just producing more fossil fuels and keeping us under the illusion that there’s plenty more out there if we just dig further and use more extreme measures to extract them.
EC:With the Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett having given a talk last weekend at the university, to what extent do the views of the Green Party match up with those of EnviroSoc?
NH: The Green Party match up quite well with EnviroSoc; crucially they believe in reducing our carbon outputs. Changing policy and the way we live our lives is the only way to mitigate and prevent further anthropogenic (man-made) climate change, which of course we endorse. Also, it’s nice to see a woman as a leader of a major political party and we wish them the best of luck in the upcoming European elections, as with these there’s proportional representation so there’s a great chance of more Green MEPs being elected and making real change in Europe (they’re actually 12% in the polls which beats the lib dems’ 10%!) The only difference I think between us is that we have a large number of scientists and engineers in our society and we have more people who believe that there can be real answers in technology, whereas the Green Party are more heavily focused on conserving what we have now. Personally I think we need a combination of both to really help protect the planet.
EC:Is EnviroSoc pro or anti-nuclear power? What sources of energy should we be investing in for the future?
NH: I obviously cannot speak for everyone in my society, but I personally do not have a huge problem with nuclear power. The problem with nuclear power is perfecting the technology so that there isn’t a huge amount of waste produced and ensuring that it’s more efficient. Currently, if the technology remains as it is then there’s only about 50 years worth of fissionable materials in the world, which means after then we’re back to square one. It could be an important stop-gap when we’re in the process of creating alternative technologies. The most important thing however, is to reduce how much we actually use now. We need to conserve what we have and make better use of it.
EC:What do EnviroSoc members get for their membership?
NH: Well, other than the opportunity to meet my charming self and my committee on socials and other meet-ups, our members get the opportunity to go on trips! We’re running a trip to Exmouth soon in partnership with the National Trust and in late November we are going to run a trip to the Eden project as well. Next term, we hope to be able to go to the Centre for Alternative Technology, a postgraduate centre in south Wales where they’ll put on talks and workshops for our members. Members will have the opportunity to take part in projects (be on the lookout for our mushroom project!) They’ll meet with other like-minded individuals and we’re going to get in some speakers as well as run a couple of workshops too. For instance, we’re going to run a food foraging course where our members will learn to scavenge from the wild, and when I say the wild I mean everywhere. You’d be surprised what grows everywhere, campus itself is an absolute hive of opportunities to forage for food.
EC: What can Exeter do as a university to lessen its effect on climate change? Will it really make a difference?
NH: Exeter already does a great deal to mitigate it’s effects on anthropogenic climate change, but as I’ve said there’s always more you can do. We’re going to run a petition to prevent the huge wastage of paper during Guild election week and we’re going to attempt to stop various parts of the uni being left switched on for no good reason at night and during the holidays while encouraging people to re-use and recycle as much as they can. In my opinion, moving away from consumerism is not only wholesome but it really makes an impact. As for whether it really make a difference? Well, that’s always the question that irks me when it comes to environmentalism. Does anything really make a difference? The answer is, “Yes, absolutely yes!” Single individuals have made huge impacts on the world so what can you do? Everything. I’m also going to steal a great quote I got from a talk on Environmentalism in Bristol: “When people ask what you are doing and why, you are doing the best you can”.
James Bennett and Dave Reynolds, Online Comment Editors
What can we be doing as a university to improve our green credentials? Is it possible for one person’s actions to make an effect on their environment? Leave a comment below or write to the Comment team at the Exeposé Comment Facebook Group or on Twitter @CommentExepose. If a society or organisation that you are involved in is interested in appearing in this feature, contact us at exepose-comment@xmedia.ex.ac.uk.
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