KEYNOTE LECTURE
Sustainable Development: UK Perspective on the Role of Geosynthetics
There is a growing realisation that the current model of development is unsustainable. In other words, we are living beyond our means. Climate change is the defining crisis of our time, and it is happening even more quickly than we feared. Rising temperatures are fuelling environmental degradation, natural disasters, weather extremes, food and water insecurity, economic disruption, conflict, and terrorism. Sea levels are rising, the Arctic is melting, coral reefs are dying, oceans are acidifying, and forests are burning. The goal of sustainable development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of life of future generations. This paper will provide a perspective from the UK on how geosynthetics can support the global cause of limiting climate change. Examples of sustainable geosynthetic solutions will be given from a team of UK researchers and practitioners.
BIO
Dr Russell Jones is a Commercial Director with WSP UK Limited with responsibility for the company’s Earth & Environment and Planning disciplines. He joined WSP in January 2022 as part of its acquisition of Golder Associates, having spent the previous 29 years with Golder, latterly as a Senior Partner and statutory Director of the UK and Ireland companies. Dr Jones is a chartered civil engineer, geotechnical specialist and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Geological Society of London. He is a former President of the International Geosynthetics Society.