Friday 5 June 2015 | Online

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Nexus2020 is a project that brings together business, academics, policy makers and civil society to determine the most important research questions that need to be answered around food, energy, water and the natural environment to inform business practice.

The project wants to uncover: what are the most important questions around business practice that, if answered, could help companies manage their dependencies and impacts upon food, energy, water and the environment?

To celebrate World Environment Day, the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership and Farming First are inviting you to have your say in our online Twitter Chat featuring panelists from academia, business and research.

Do you want to know how to deliver enough food for more people with less water? Or how to meet increasing demand for energy without exacerbating climate change? What about the allocation of land in the face of these competing demands and increasing pressures to address conservation goals?

We want to know what you think is the most important question around business practice that, if answered, could help companies manage their dependencies and impacts upon food, energy, water and the environment. Got an idea now? Submit it here!

Can YOU submit a question that will feature as one of Nexus2020’s top 10 priority research areas?

Tune in and debate priority research areas that could impact business practices.

Use the #Nexus2020 hashtag, follow our panelists and we will see you on Twitter!

Need some help navigating the #Nexus2020 twitter chat? Download our guide here or for more information email Hannah at [email protected]

Guiding questions:

Q1 How do businesses impact & depend on food, energy, water & environment (FEWE)? 

What can be done to make these impacts and dependencies more sustainable?

Q2 How can research help businesses manage FEWE impact and dependencies?

Research needs to be relevant and practical for business. Should business play an active role in this research design process?

Q3 How do business practices affect other stakeholders operating within FEWE? What research could improve interaction?

Business impacts can have a ripple effect on many other stakeholders and considering these interactions is crucial. Can research alleviate some of these trade-offs and tensions?

Q4  How does policy influence business practices around FEWE? Could research around policy interventions enhance management? 

There are a number of political frameworks in place that help guide business towards better management, but these policies need to be backed by some thorough research.

Q5 How do consumers influence business practices around FEWE? Could research in this space improve management? 

Civil society and consumers also have a role to play in guiding business practices and management. Do we need more research about the dynamics between consumers and businesses?

Expert Panel

Dr Bhaskar Vira, Founding Director, University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute @Bhask286

Bhaskar is founding director at the Conservation Research Institute. Bhaskar has contributed to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the UK National Ecosystem Assessment, and the IUFRO Global Forest Expert Panel on Biodiversity, Forest Management and REDD+, as well as a member of the Royal Society Working Group on Human Resilience to Climate Change and Disasters. Bhaskar is closely involved with groups such as the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, and the Global Food Security strategic research initiative.

Richard Black, Director, Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit @_richardblack

Richard is director at the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit. Richard studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University before joining BBC World Service in 1985 as a studio manager. As BBC Environment Correspondent, his reporting assignments included many UN summits including five UNFCCC meetings and Rio+20. He reported from the field on issues such as carbon capture and storage, nuclear power, amphibian conservation, whaling, forestry, aquaculture and earthquake prediction. From 2012 Richard was Director of Communications for the Global Ocean Commission prior to setting up ECIU. 

Chris Gerrard, Climate Change and Biodiversity Manager, Anglian Water @chrisgerrard

Chris is Anglian Water’s Climate Change and Biodiversity Manager. Prior to that, Chris of was Director of Living Landscapes for the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Chris was also Project Manager of the Great Fen Project, a leading landscape-scale conservation project between Huntingdon and Peterborough. Chris is author of “The Great Fen: Artists for Nature in England” and co-wrote two local Red Data Books.

Professor James Wilsdon, Director, the Nexus Network @jameswilsdon

James is director of the Nexus Network and leads its core team. Based at the University of Sussex, he is Professor of Science and Democracy in the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU). He is also Chair of the Campaign for Social Science, and was formerly Director of Science Policy at the Royal Society.

 

Eileen Hoffman, Director of the Economic Growth and Trade, Chemonics International @Eileen4EGT

Eileen is Director of the Economic Growth and Trade at Chemonics International. Eileen has 14 years of experience in over 20 countries. She has worked on a range of projects, including private sector competitiveness, workforce development, MSME and entrepreneurship development, household economic strengthening, and local economic development in both rural and urban settings.

Gemma Cranston, Senior Programme Manager of the Natural Capital Leaders Platform, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership @GemmaCranston

Gemma Cranston is a Senior Programme Manager at Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. Gemma works within the Natural Capital Leaders Platform, which brings together influential companies with a global reach to work on addressing the impacts of natural capital loss and degradation on business, their customers and wider society.  She is leading projects focusing upon the nexus of food, water, energy and the environment and is involved with the Natural Capital Coalition in the development and business engagement of the Natural Capital Protocol.