Undergraduate participants will be asked in advance to select their preferred challenge topic, and will be placed into an interdisciplinary group of 4 to 6 students (mix of years and schools).

The challenge topics are:

Climate change in the UK

Climate change refers to a shift in the average environmental conditions caused by humans using oil, gas and coal for their homes, factories and transport. When these fossil fuels burn, they release greenhouse gases that trap the Sun's heat and cause the planet's temperature to rise. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has risen by 50% since the 19th century, leading to a 1.2 degree Celsius temperature increase.

While every country in the world is being impacted to some extent, the climate crisis affects some places more acutely than others. We must accelerate the global shift from the dirty fossil fuels that are driving climate change to an economy and planet powered by renewable and cleaner sources of energy.

The United Kingdom declared a climate emergency on 1 May 2019. Just a month later the UK passed into law the commitment of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, becoming the first major economy to do so. To accelerate emissions reductions, the UK announced in Dec 2020 an incredibly ambitious target of cuts of 68% by 2030.

In addition, the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC), an independent statutory body which advises the UK and devolved governments, released their Sixth Carbon Budget in Dec 2020. It provides a genuine roadmap demonstrating how such targets can be achieved and what areas of the economy need to be targeted.

In 2017, the UK powered itself for a full day without coal for the first time since the Industrial Revolution, and has recently announced plans to phase out all coal-fired power plants by 2025.

Scotland in particular has grown into a global leader in renewable—especially wind—energy. In 2019 around 90% of Scotland's electricity consumption came from renewable sources. It hosted COP 26, a summit for world leaders, in Glasgow in November 2021, demonstrating that the UK—and Scotland in particular—are taking global leadership in tackling climate change and shifting towards a lower-carbon, more inclusive society.

The impact of climate change in the UK

The UK is feeling the impact of the climate crisis. "We are seeing a trend towards warmer winters and hotter summers, sea levels around our coast are rising by around 3mm a year, and there is emerging evidence of changing rainfall patterns," the UK government said in a 2017 report to Parliament.

Temperatures in the UK have risen by about one degree since the 1970s, with the top ten warmest years being since 2002. Given the levels of greenhouse gas already in the atmosphere, further warming is inevitable over the next three decades or so. The amount of warming will depend on future emissions. Still, even if emissions are cut quickly and sharply to avoid dangerous levels of climate change, there will be some unavoidable impacts that the UK will have to adapt to.

The Government's latest climate change risk assessment identifies flood risk, and particularly flooding from heavy downpours, as one of the key climate threats for the UK, alongside stress on water resources, threats to biodiversity and natural habitats, and the repercussions for the UK from climate change impacts abroad.

"Over the last decade, summers have been 13% wetter, and winters have been 12% wetter than the period 1961 to 1990", the Met Office states from their key findings from the State of the UK Climate report.

Conversely, it is suggested that the UK could experience warmer, drier summers in the future. While that may bring some benefits, it could mean increased risk of drought, and extreme events such as the 2018 heatwave becoming the norm by the end of this century.

Heatwaves could also heighten pressure on healthcare services because older populations are more vulnerable to extreme heat, and impact transport, as higher summer temperatures bring the threat of rail buckling and associated travel delays.

The UK could also face threats to its water security and supply. Declining summer river flows, reduced groundwater replenishment, and increased evaporation could all contribute to water loss, resulting in water shortages and restrictions on usage.

The Government estimates that 27 to 59 million people could be living in areas affected by water supply deficits by the 2050s, even before considering increasing populations and rising water demand.

Your challenge

Develop a business or service that provides a solution to some aspect of Climate Change in the UK and/or helps to generate revenue for organisations working in this area.

References:


Food Poverty in the UK

Food Poverty is commonly defined as "the inability of an individual (and/or household) to acquire or consume an adequate or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable ways, or the uncertainty that one will be about to do so". (Public Health Scotland, 2020).

Food Poverty is bound up inextricably with other types of poverty with individuals and/or households suffering from acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) food poverty much more likely to also be suffering from fuel and transport poverty.

This may mean individuals and households do not have sufficient resources to pay for essential utilities (for example, electricity and/or gas and telecommunications, including broadband). They become unable to afford essential transport costs (for example, public transport to get to work or buy food) and possibly start living in temporary (guest houses/hostels) or below-standard housing often with very limited equipment/resources to cook food.

While food poverty has been an uncomfortable reality for generations, the emergence, increasing use, and reliance on food banks is very much a contemporary phenomenon (post-2010).

Current food poverty levels are argued to have their origin in the severe austerity driven cuts to public services and social welfare reform started by the Conservative/Liberal Democratic coalition in 2010 as their inequitable response to the 2008 Global Finance crisis (Human Rights Watch, 2019).

The imposed austerity cuts and the associated draconian reforms to the UK social welfare system (and associated eligibility for, type, and amount, of benefits received through the new Universal Credit system) are argued to be at the heart of what is driving year-on-year rises in food poverty with a 74% increase observed in the 5 years up to March 2020 (Douglas et al., 2015; Human Rights Watch, 2019, Trussell Trust, 2020).

What makes current food poverty even more difficult to comprehend than previous manifestations is the associated rise of in-work poverty where households are still deemed to be living in relative poverty despite one or more members of the household working.

The underpinning drivers are: low pay, the number of hours worked (and increasing use of zero hours contracts), and the interaction between earned income and the rate at which benefits are withdrawn (Scottish Public Health Observatory, 2020).

The Trussell Trust, the UK’s largest food poverty and emergency food charity, released figures that estimated around 14 million people, including 4.5 million children (21% of the total UK population as of 2021) are living in food poverty.

They also reported that between April 2019 and March 2020, issuing 1.9 million emergency food parcels in the UK, an 18% rise from 2018 to 2019 (Trussell Trust, 2020b).

The ongoing Covid-19 crisis further accelerated this rate with a reported 89% increase in food bank usage in April 2020, compared with April 2019 (Trussell Trust, 2020b) with The Trussell Trust alone issuing 1.3 million emergency food packs between April and September 2020 (Trussell Trust, 2020a).

The Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN), estimate there are 2,000 food banks in the UK (more than there are outlets of McDonalds) with approximately 1,200 run by the Trussell Trust and the remaining 822 represented by IFAN (IFAN, 2020).

The impact of food poverty in the UK

Food Poverty has profound negative impacts on, and costs to, all those it affects, as well as wider society. People living in food poverty are more likely to suffer from acute and chronic physical and mental health problems.

These can include:

  • Malnutrition, caused by a diet which does not provide enough nutrients or the right balance of nutrients for optimal health
  • Depression
  • Higher than average levels of stress and anxiety
  • High levels of social isolation and low self-esteem
  • The need (especially in winter) to choose between feeding themselves or their children and/or between food and heat/clothing
  • Living in temporary housing
  • More at risk from domestic and other forms of abuse and intimidation (for example bullying and debt collectors)

The individual and societal costs of dealing with the extent of health, economic, and social consequences of food poverty are profound and signal systemic political and societal failure.

Take Diagram 1 below as an illustration of the profound impact that food poverty has on UK children (remembering that 4.5 million are estimated to be living in food insecure households, Child Poverty Action Group, 2021).

Child Poverty Action Group, Diagram 1: How Poverty Feels to Children. Excluded; constrained; conflicted; embarrassed. Worried about parents; unhappy; frustrated; anxious. Few opportunities; worthless; hopeless; social insecurity. Aspirations; hopes and dreams; resilience. Important; bullied and judged; teachers don't understand; no school trips. Insecure, overcrowded homes; no place for homework or play.
Diagram 1: How Poverty Feels to Children
Source: Child Poverty Action Group, 2020

This is not just about a lack of food but the huge short and long term impact food poverty has on both children or adults in terms of their:

  • Physical and mental health
  • Safety from abuse
  • Sense of self-worth
  • Levels of stress and anxiety
  • Feelings of isolation and embarrassment
  • Capacity to participate in society (for example education, work)
  • Willpower, skills, and ability to aspire to lifting themselves out of poverty

As household food poverty levels have climbed in recent years, we have witnessed increasing levels of child food poverty and growing calls for year-round (school term and holiday) meal services. Covid-19 has shone an uncomfortable and unavoidable light on the role of, and associated gaps in, the school food system.

Your challenge

Develop a business or service that provides a solution to some aspect of Food Poverty in the UK and/or helps to generate revenue for organisations working in this area.

References:


Mental health

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines mental health as "a state of wellbeing in which the individual realises his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community" (2001). In other words, mental health underlies our ability to inhabit our worlds, to feel like we belong, and consequently to flourish, to lead emotionally and materially fulfilling lives. Yet the incidence of poor mental health has been increasingly described as an 'epidemic', both in the UK and worldwide.

Some of the leading causes for a decline in mental health include:

Detrimental work and life conditions

In contemporary society, work is a primary source of income, which allows us to satisfy our basic needs as well as fulfil various other material needs and wants. Additionally, work can help people feel like they are making a positive contribution to society and can then provide a sense of meaning and purpose in life.

For these reasons, poor working and life conditions can cause significant emotional and mental distress. For example, the situation of unemployment and underemployment creates routine stress due to the lack of a means of subsistence.

Moreover, poor working conditions such as casualised and precarious work, long working hours, high stress-low autonomy environments, and so on can cause workers to lose a sense of meaning and purpose.

Social isolation

Human beings have a natural need for connection, to develop relations of mutual recognition and affection, in order to maintain healthy emotional and mental functioning. Of course, the extent of this need varies between people and populations.

However, Western societies especially are becoming increasingly socially fragmented leading to epidemic levels of social isolation and loneliness. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated this situation, with some claiming that the UK is sleepwalking into a mental health crisis.

Young people are a particular vulnerable group that bear the brunt of the brewing mental health crisis due to alack of opportunities for social activity and engagement as well as uncertainty about their futures.

Moreover, digitalisation has brought benefits in many ways but also negative aspects, such as internet addiction, overuse of social media, and social isolation. According to WHO, depression is one of the leading causes of disability, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15 to 29 year-olds.

Grief

While grief is generally associated with the profound pain of personal loss, it is also a social experience. Grief may also be caused by the experience of and bearing witness to trauma. For example during Covid-19, hospital staff, confronted with increasing incidence of illness and death, carry trauma and grief. Some have argued that the pandemic has created grief amongst us all — due to the loss of what has been familiar in our lives and the lack of control we feel in fixing this situation.

Along similar lines, climate change and ensuing environmental loss has been the cause of climate grief — "depth of realisation of that recognised loss of what will never be again" and species loneliness — "the sense of isolation and sadness arising from human estrangement and extinction of other species” (Robert Macfarlane).

The impact of mental health

Improved mental health and wellbeing are associated with a range of positive outcomes, such as better physical health and educational achievement, reduced anti-social behaviour and criminality, improved productivity, and higher levels of social interaction and participation.

In recent years, there has been increasing acknowledgment of the important role mental health plays in achieving global development goals, as illustrated by the inclusion of mental health in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Yet, the incidence of poor mental health is increasing to epidemic proportions both, in the UK and worldwide, leading to substantial economic and social costs. Over 420,000 children and young people in the UK were treated through NHS-commissioned community services in 2020–21 (NHS England, 2021).

Families bear a significant proportion of the direct and indirect costs, also including social costs, such as the emotional burden, diminished quality of life for carers, social exclusion, and so on. In the US, the annual direct treatment costs of mental disorders were estimated to be $148 billion, accounting for 2.5% of the gross national product (WHO, 2020).

This situation is especially severe amongst poorer and socially marginalised communities in the global south that have been at the frontlines of sustainable development and poverty reduction.

Mental health services are widely underfunded, especially in developing countries. Less than 1% of the total health budget is spent on mental health by 62% of developing countries and 16% of developed countries (World Health Organization, 2001).

Your challenge

Develop a business or service that provides a solution to some aspect of mental health to help community and families deal with the challenge.

References:


Social inequality

Social inequality refers to how differences in social location—along lines of class, race, gender, sexuality, ability, age, and so on—produce differential opportunities for and outcomes in people’s ability to lead materially, psychologically, and emotionally safe, healthy, and fulfilling lives.

A major cause of social inequality is a high income and wealth gap. The wealth gap in the UK is significant, with the richest 10% of households holding 44% of all wealth, whereas the poorest 50% own just 9%. Globally, countries such as South Africa, India, China, Brazil, Mexico, and Costa Rica have the highest levels of income and wealth inequality.

In the UK, this situation is further troubled along lines of race and ethnicity. For example, people of Pakistani and Bangladeshi descent have the lowest median hourly pay, and Black African and Bangladeshi households have 10 times less wealth than White British households. Income and wealth inequality affects access to health, education, and employment opportunities.

Health inequality

Health inequalities are the unjust and avoidable differences in people’s health across the population and between specific population groups. Health inequalities go against the principles of social justice because they are avoidable. They do not occur randomly or by chance. They are socially determined by circumstances largely beyond an individual’s control.

These circumstances disadvantage people and limit their chance to live longer and healthier lives. The existence of health inequalities in Scotland means that the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is not being enjoyed equally across the population.

For example, in the most affluent areas of Scotland, men experience 23.8 more years of good health, while women experience 22.6 more years than the most deprived areas. The life expectancy of people with learning disabilities is substantially shorter than the Scottish average; and gender-based violence is experienced unequally, with 17% of women and 7% of men having experienced the use of force from a partner or ex-partner at some point in their lives.

Educational inequality

Educational inequality refers to differences in educational access that impact one’s capacity to learn and achieve social mobility. This is significantly impacted by the increasing income gap and poverty rate, as evidenced in the recent campaign led by footballer Marcus Rashford around access to free school meals.

Inadequate nutrition and hunger have long term impacts on the capacity for educational performance and attainment. Yet 200,000 children in the UK miss meals each day. Further, digital poverty and general living circumstances have meant that the learning gap between poorer pupils and their wealthier peers has widened by 46% during this past year.

Employment inequality

Employment inequalities refer to differences in employment rates and access to safe and decent work. Globally, nearly 60% of the population works in the informal economy without any access to rights or protections.

In the UK, Black and Asian workers have higher levels of unemployment or work in precarious, casual, and zero-hour contracts with little income security or worker protections.

Further, LGBT+ workers may face a hostile work environment. 18% of LGBT+ workers report being the target of negative comments or conduct from work colleagues and nearly 12% of trans workers report being physically attacked by customers or colleagues because of being trans.

Finally, during the pandemic, women have been at greater risk of unemployment and economic uncertainty than men.

The causes and consequences of social inequality are wide-ranging. Those highlighted above provide just a few examples of the conditions and impacts of social inequality in the UK and globally.

Of course, tackling issues of social inequality require both changes in personal and public understandings of, and attitudes towards, people with diverse social histories and backgrounds (for example, undoing interpersonal and public prejudice and discrimination) as well as creating alternative public and private institutions that are concerned with redressing prior harms of inequality and creating more equitable futures.

Your challenge

Develop a business or service that provides a solution to some aspect of social inequality, help local communities address the issue pertaining to social inequality, and create a holistic response that addresses immediate need and future possibilities.

References: