22 Aug 2008
Professor Mohan Munasinghe will head the body which aims to help deliver a revolution in green consumption through providing world class and authoritative research in this area. He will start the role in September 2008.
The Sri Lankan-born academic is Vice Chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s leading scientific body evaluating the risk of climate change caused by human activity, and co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
The SCI was established following a £25 million investment from Tesco.
Professor Munasinghe, who will work part-time for the SCI, will be lead author on key research reports produced by the Institute and conduct research related to sustainable consumption and sustainable development.
He will also supervise research projects and conduct discussions with governments, top level business leaders, policy makers and NGOs in the UK and abroad.
Spanning the Faculties of the University, the Institute will lead and co-ordinate a wide range of research programmes, bringing together the world's leading experts in the field.
It will also become a focal point for the next generation of researchers, policymakers and advisers in the area of sustainable consumption through an extensive postgraduate training programme.
Professor Munasinghe is the author of over 90 books and 300 technical papers on economics, sustainable development, climate change, power, energy, water resources, transport, environment, disasters, and information technology.
On a recent world lecture tour, he warned of dire economic, social and environmental consequences of global warming.
Unless governments act quickly to curb greenhouse emissions, he said, climate change may lead to a "fortress world" in which the rich lock themselves away in gated communities and the poor - who are most vulnerable to climate change impacts - must fend for themselves.
Nevertheless, he was optimistic that we knew enough about both climate change adaptation (reducing future vulnerability to climate change) and mitigation (reducing the future intensity of climate change) to meet the challenge.
One major goal of SCI would be to show practically how we could immediately begin to make development more sustainable, and address climate as well as other sustainability issues like poverty, energy, water and food scarcity, together.
Professor Munasinghe said: “I see SCI pioneering the research framework that would exploit positive synergies between sustainable consumption and production, thereby breaking the present ‘vicious cycle’ of unsustainable consumption and production. Soon a ‘virtuous cycle’ would emerge, where sustainable consumers would demand sustainable products and processes, and in turn, sustainable producers would encourage more sustainable consumption patterns and lifestyles. Role models and champions of both sustainable consumption and production would accelerate this trend.”
Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, Acting President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Manchester said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Munasinghe who will lead a world-class team addressing the key issues of green consumption and climate change.
“He will be the driving force behind the SCI’s aim of achieving a more sophisticated understanding of consumer attitudes, and how consumers can be encouraged to buy green products and services.
“The Institute will also look at how retail businesses can adapt their supply chains, their premises, and their practices to reduce the overall carbon footprint.
“It is an unprecedented opportunity to help embed green consumption in the UK and abroad.”
Sir Terry Leahy, Chief Executive of Tesco, said: "We need a revolution in green consumption if we are to create the low-carbon economy that we will need to defeat climate change. I believe the SCI can make a significant contribution to this task through its research, innovation and collaboration.
“I am therefore delighted that Professor Mohan Munasinghe has been appointed as Director-General of the SCI. Given his world-renowned work in the IPCC and elsewhere, I am confident that he will bring huge knowledge and insight to the task of building and leading an Institute that will help define the pivotal role that consumers and businesses can and must play in finding solutions to climate change.”
Professor Mohan Munasinghe is also currently Chairman of the Munasinghe Institute for Development (MIND), a Colombo-based international centre of excellence, and Senior Advisor to the Government of Sri Lanka. He has also served as Senior Advisor/Manager for Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy at the World Bank, Senior Energy Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka, and Advisor to the United States President’s Council on Environmental Quality (PCEQ), Chancellor of the International Water Academy, Oslo and Founding President of the Lanka International Forum on Environment and Sustainable Development (LIFE).
An image is available on request.
For further information please contact:
Jon Keighren
Media Relations Manager
The University of Manchester
+44 (0)161 275 8384
Tesco Press Office
+44 (0)1992 644 645
This website will look much better in a web browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.