The environment is everyone’s business. We rely on it for shelter, heat, light, food
and water – all provided by globally interconnected trade, transport and communications.
The world’s population continues to grow. More than half of us live in cities and more
than half of our rural land is used for agriculture.
Humans are no longer bystanders examining a natural world – we are the dominant
source of change.
For half a century the Natural Environment Research Council – NERC – has funded world-leading
science that reveals the physical, chemical and biological processes that support life
on our planet – and what happens as these processes are changed by humans.
Today NERC is the driving force of investment in environmental science.
NERC scientists study the planet from pole to pole, from the deep Earth and oceans, to
the atmosphere and space - using the latest technology to monitor environmental change
on a global scale.
We invest around 330 million pounds each year in cutting-edge research, postgraduate training
and innovation, in universities and research centres in the UK and overseas.
NERC maintains research infrastructure for the whole UK environmental science community
We support state-of-the art research ships and aircraft, and have bases in some of the
most hostile parts of the planet, including the Halley research station in Antarctica.
The research we fund helps us understand how we can benefit from natural resources, how
we can protect lives and livelihoods from natural hazards, and how to live with environmental
change.
Some of our research is driven by curiosity about how the world works. Some directly addresses
particular challenges facing society. Most of our research is designed and carried out
in collaboration with scientists from other disciplines and other nations.
And we nurture future generations of environmental scientists, through PhD training developed
with universities and employers to make sure graduates have the skills we need to generate
innovation and growth in the UK.
NERC scientific data and models are fundamental to the UK’s ability to predict extreme weather
events like floods and storm surges. Being able to respond quickly to these events means
we can save lives and protect businesses and infrastructure. This knowledge will become
increasingly important as our environment changes.
We have developed world-leading technology and sensors so researchers can study remote
and sometimes treacherous places. Our underwater vehicles can go deeper and further
than comparable commercial and military models. We work with UK businesses to find commercial
applications for our technology.
Over decades NERC expertise has revealed how geological processes shape the distribution
of our natural resources, including oil and gas. Our expertise is now helping the UK reduce
its dependence on fossil fuels, for example through environmental impact studies that
demonstrate the feasibility of wave and tidal energy.
NERC science has been critical to cleaning up our air since the 1970s, when research
began to reveal the problem of acid rain. The evidence we provided was crucial to new
international protocols that have now cut sulphur pollution in the UK by 80 per cent.
saving billions of pounds in healthcare costs.
For decades our research into insect pollinators has supported the UK's agri-food industry, which
employs around four million people. Working with partners, including farmers, government
agencies and other research funders, we are helping to understand and halt the decline in
our vital crop-pollinators.
NERC has invested 90 million pounds to exploit the unique ability of satellites
to study changes in our environment, some of which are impossible to monitor
in any other way. Our input enabled the UK to lead the European Space Agency’s CryoSat-2
mission, which helps us understand rapid changes in the Arctic.
Sensors on CryoSat-2 can detect changes in sea-ice thickness to centimetre accuracy.
NERC plays an important role in the UK’s innovation system. As well as supporting research,
we work directly with policymakers, business and wider society
to make sure the information and expertise it generates is accessible and easy to use
so everyone can benefit from it.
NERC is working to make sure we can look forward to better living standards and economic growth
while living within Earth’s limits.
Our vision is to place environmental science at the heart of responsible management
of our planet.