World-leading researchers from Finland’s Aalto University will be presenting at the COP28 UN climate conference in Dubai over the next two weeks. They will talk about renewable energy, sustainable food production and the effects of global warming on the Arctic.
Renewable energy solutions
‘I study sustainable renewable energy technologies. For example, I have studied the circular economy of energy technologies, such as material recovery from plastic waste and combining waste-based electricity and heat production with wind, solar and electrolysis-based hydrogen production.’
Järvinen also does research on carbon capture and storage. He is currently writing a textbook about ‘Renewable Energy at the Planet's Edge’ together with a large international team of engineers, ecologists, social scientists and economists. Professor Järvinen leads the Energy Conversions and Systems research group and the interdisciplinary Hydrogen Innovation Centre at Aalto.
Global food production and climate change
‘We study global food system sustainability issues – in other words, how we could produce enough food for a growing population within the carrying capacity of the planet. We’re interested in how food systems affect the environment and how human-induced environmental change affects food systems. We have explored and modelled different solutions, such as more efficient use of food production side streams and dietary changes, to reduce the environmental pressure of food systems.’
Mika Jalava and Vilma Sandström are researchers in the Water & Development research group at Aalto. They recently published a paper in Nature Food mapping the consequences of various disruptions in the global food production system, which is important to understand the vulnerabilities to climate effects and to plan a sustainable and just transition to a more resilient agricultural system.
Ice research
‘I study the changes in sea ice caused by climate change and the impact of these changes on ice loads encountered by ships and offshore wind turbines. This research is important because global warming not only changes ice conditions but will also mean more shipping in the Arctic. This will significantly increase the risk of accidents and environmental disasters.’
Professor Tuhkuri is an ice scientist at Aalto University. He is an experienced field researcher, and his research has taken him to both the Arctic and Antarctica. Tuhkuri was part of the Endurance22 marine archaeological expedition to Antarctica, which successfully recovered the 1915 wreck of Endurance. During the voyage, a submersible was used to investigate the sea ice.
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