Meet our new Net Zero Fellow!

This Michaelmas, St John’s was delighted to welcome our first Net Zero Fellow to College. Dr Omukuti joins us from the University of York, where she led research on climate finance, and previously worked in international development organizations such as the Green Climate Fund, Mercy Corps and CARE International.

So, what is Net Zero? It means balancing the greenhouse gases humans emit into the atmosphere with emissions that are avoided e.g., through use of renewable energy sources and emissions that are removed directly from the atmosphere, for example through regeneration of natural ecosystems. Dr Omukuti’s work focuses on understanding how global action on climate change through net zero can be inclusive to different groups of people, particularly those in the Global South.

Dr Omukuti said, “Having worked with different organisations over the past 7 years, I have realised that it is very easy for discussions on addressing climate change to overlook the needs of populations who are marginalised and who are usually those who are most affected by climate change”.

As part of the team working on the Inclusive Net Zero for the Oxford Net Zero Initiative, Dr Omukuti plans to work with different partners to understand what net zero means for the Global South.

Dr Omukuti adds. “Our work on inclusive net zero will think about whether and how net zero creates or exacerbates inequalities, and how net zero climate actions can be used to address these inequalities".

The team will be specifically looking to understand how the Global South can contribute towards the global net zero goal, but also what net zero can do for the Global South within the framework for sustainable development.

On the goals of the initiative, Dr Omukuti concludes “we hope to generate research that will be useful for organisations and countries that thinking about their contribution to the net zero debate, and those creating and implementing net zero strategies”.

Please join us in welcoming Dr Omukuti to St John’s!

You can read more about Dr Omukuti’s work here, and the Oxford Net Zero Initiative here.