date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 16:11:42 +0100 from: "Melvin Cannell" subject: Comments on draft proposal to: Mike, 1. Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research is better - we are not managing climate change. It will be become known as the Tyndall Centre. Are you aware of the Tyndall Forum - set up by a the Royal institution, DETR and ERM - with 3-4 meeting a year - has science/policy debates across a wide constituency of opinion-formers, decision makers and interest groups (you were not at the recent one I contributed to on carbon sequestration). An alternative name, the UK Climate Change Centre is too close to UKCIP 2. The opening statement - the penetration/connectivity point - climate change forces us to think about possible futures, in which climate is one element - the Tyndall Center (at UEA) will embrace some of the features of the World Resources Institute (?), looking at the earth system. I think you should use the phrase' earth system' early on - it has acquired a special significance in the RCs. Opening statement very important - must be pithy. 3. p3. -editorial points - 'through the engaging of' = by engaging' 'need to egage with' = 'need to embrace' 'The practicing of' = ' The adoption of' The 3 elements need to be headings of the bullets. 4. 'Institute of Hydrology' = 'Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford (Institute of Hydrology)' 'Institute of Terrestrial Ecology' = 'Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Edinburgh (Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Edinburgh)' 5. Profesor Melvin Cannell, CEH, Edinburgh (Institute of Terrestrial Ecology) Mr Nick Reynard, CEH, Wallingford (Institute of Hydrology) 6. Yes, some outline of the contributions/strengths of the institutions would be helpful. Attached is a capability statement for CEH, Edinburgh. 7. Research Director. Yes, include the fact that an attractive package may need to be negotiated - eg employment of spouse? Shows we are realistic. Omit clauses like 'if awarded'. Assume that it will be. 8. Management Structure. Third bullet. I think many research projects should be put out to tender - not 'distributed between members of the consortium' and peer-reviewed following RC principles. 9. Yes, add as much detail on the accommodation as you can - the more thought through the better. 10. Challenges I would put 'Greenhouse-neutral Energy' as the first challenge - with some bold statements about sustainable development, population, urgency and the only real solution. I think the nuclear energy point should be first, then the renewables. ITE, Edinburgh has links with Scottish Power (Mr Fred Dinning - expert on climate and energy provision) and Scottish Nuclear. 11. Challenges On the Carbon Management challenge - sequestration should be presented as 'buying us time'. I am unhappy about bio-engineering contributing anything much. Where to store the bio-carbon or liquid carbon so it is secure is the main problem Note, about 100GtC has been lost from forests and soils since industrial times - so only about 100GtC can be put back - compared with, say 500GtC that is likely to be emitted from fossil fuels by 2050 - so forests and soils could sequester only 20% of emissions to 2050, at a maximum - and then would be at the risk of future release (burning, climate change itself etc). We should show that we realize this is not the way to go in the long run - despite the excitement post-Kyoto. 12. Meeting the objectives.... The first bullet - I would say - developing new model frameworks to capture the essential interactions and feedbacks between biogeochemical and socio-economic processes. New models are needed, which are appropriate to address particular questions. Bringing existing models (developed for different purposes) together does not usually work. 13. Attracting funding I think few corporate bodies are worried about Impacts - so UKCIP having little success - but many are worried about regulation of energy use and some are interested in selling new technologies - I would expect the biggest potential sponsors to be in these areas. We should say this. 14 Training In Thematics - about 10% of budget. 15 Costs In thematics - admin is 5% of cost - 20% is OK if it is clear that this will be much more than admin. My secretary - Lucy Douglas - is sending you my cv and the CEH and ITE logos. Melvin Professor M G R Cannell ITE, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0QB, Scotland Tel: + 44 0 131 445 4343 Fax: + 44 0 131 445 3943 Attachment Converted: "c:\eudora\attach\ITEcapability.wpd"