Centre for Sustainability & Critical Infrastructure

Addressing the climate emergency, and minimising the impacts and losses it is predicted to cause, is one of the greatest challenges we face. Meanwhile, bolstering the UK’s energy security and reversing unprecedented levels of damage to our natural environment are both critical to human outcomes from health and wellbeing to economic growth, as well as to biodiversity.

Reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and reconciling often contradictory demands on and priorities for our land and seas, are key to tackling these challenges. Achieving these goals will require wide-ranging action, support and commitment from the private sector, individuals and customers, and the UK Government.

A web of challenges and opportunities

Companies and public sector organisations which provide energy, water, transport, food, waste services and other critical amenities have an essential part to play in reducing supply-side emissions and improving the quality of the environment.

Individuals also have a vital contribution to make through their decisions about how to use services and infrastructure, while providers have the opportunity to influence their customers’ choices, and to encourage or enable more sustainable demand-side behaviours.

Likewise the Government has a crucial role in supporting both providers and individuals through regulation, guidance, incentives and communication.

Finally, public and industry support for and involvement in some of the difficult trade-offs and policy decisions that will need to be made is essential.

In short, positive mutual engagement across the three sectors will need to be facilitated and supported so that all three work together to deliver the change that is so urgently required.

Verian’s Centre for Sustainability and Critical Infrastructure

The Centre brings together insight and knowledge that cuts across these challenges and sectors, and across the varied areas in which action must be taken. It combines expertise from across Verian’s teams, from behavioural science and customer experience to programme evaluation and policy development. It draws on Verian’s research into customer interactions with a wide range of infrastructure systems and services, from smart meters to recycling to the major road network. And it delivers cross-cutting insight that helps Government to support supply-side action, service providers to optimise their customers’ behaviour, and users to make the most sustainable choices both immediately and for the long term.