Professor Fionn Stevenson
School of Architecture
Professor of Sustainable Design
f.stevenson@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 0301
+44 114 222 0301
Full contact details
Professor Fionn Stevenson
School of Architecture
School of Architecture
- Profile
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I am passionately interested in an underpinning ecological approach to sustainable design in order to address climate change. I studied architecture at the Universities of Cambridge and Sheffield before working in practice as a community architect in Lancashire and Scotland.
My interest lies in the deep tacit knowledge that people have in relation to buildings and the means of accessing and utilising this in design through occupancy feedback in order to make building work better.
A key aspect of this is reducing unnecessary resource consumption in buildings at every level and finding new ways to do this. I have previously held academic appointments in five Universities in the UK and act as visiting lecturer, critic and external examiner internationally.
I am currently the director of Postgraduate Research in the School, co-director of the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Design (Royal Academy of Engineering) and a member of the Design, Engagement and Practice (DEP) research group.
- Research interests
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My research aims to situate the sustainable design of architecture within a bioregional context integrating people, processes and place. This relates directly to the inhabitants experience, and focuses on sustainable housing as a typology.
I am interested in low energy design, carbon positive buildings and environments, occupancy feedback, and the ecological specification of materials and products. This has established my approach to evidence-based design and building performance evaluation (BPE). This is situated within a developing understanding of the way people interact with technology and applied principles of design in relation to specific physical and cultural environments.
Postgraduate Research Supervision Interests
- sustainable design
- building performance evaluation
- housing occupancy feedback
- occupant behaviour
- bioregionality
- ecological construction materials and products
- design for usability
- deconstruction and re-use
- Publications
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Books
- Housing Fit For Purpose Performance, Feedback and Learning. Routledge.
- Sustainable Housing Design Guide for Scotland (revised 2007). Edinburgh, Scotland: Communities Scotland, Scottish Executive. View this article in WRRO
- Sustainable housing design guide for Scotland. Stationery Office.
- New from old.
Journal articles
- A relational approach to understanding inhabitants’ engagement with Photovoltaic (PV) technology in homes. Architectural Science Review. View this article in WRRO
- Service controls interfaces in housing: usability and engagement tool development. Building Research & Information, 47, 290-304. View this article in WRRO
- Development of a multi-level learning framework. The Learning Organization. View this article in WRRO
- Housing performance evaluation: challenges for international knowledge exchange. Building Research & Information, 46(5), 501-512. View this article in WRRO
- Embedding building performance evaluation in UK architectural practice and beyond. Building Research & Information. View this article in WRRO
- Domestic photovoltaic systems: the governance of occupant use. Building Research & Information, 46(1), 23-41. View this article in WRRO
- Exploring the Efficacy of Facebook Groups for Collective Occupant Learning About Using Their Homes. American Behavioral Scientist, 61(7), 757-773. View this article in WRRO
- The role of lobbies: short-term thermal transitions. Building Research & Information, 45(7), 759-782. View this article in WRRO
- Mechanical ventilation in housing: understanding in-use issues. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Engineering Sustainability, 170(1), 33-46. View this article in WRRO
- Field studies in occupied buildings and the building performance evaluation (BPE) approach – Polish and British practice. Architectus, 49(1), 3-14. View this article in WRRO
- Overheating in retrofitted flats: occupant practices, learning and interventions. Building Research and Information, 45(1-2), 40-59. View this article in WRRO
- Co-producing neighbourhood resilience. Building Research & Information, 44(7), 695-702. View this article in WRRO
- Resilience, redundancy and low-carbon living: co-producing individual and community learning. Building Research and Information, 44(7), 789-803. View this article in WRRO
- Temperature in housing: stratification and contextual factors. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Engineering Sustainability, 169(4), 125-137. View this article in WRRO
- User learning and practices in relation to innovative technologies: a case study of domestic photovoltaic systems. Energy Research and Social Science, 246. View this article in WRRO
- Kathryn Findlay: 1953–2014. Architectural Research Quarterly, 18(1), 11-14.
- Kathryn Findlay: 1953-2014, 18, 11-14.
- Adaptive comfort in an unpredictable world. Building Research and Information, 41(3), 255-258.
- Low carbon housing: Understanding occupant guidance and training. Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies, 22, 545-554.
- Reducing energy demand through retrofitting buildings. Building Research and Information.
- The usability of control interfaces in low-carbon housing. Architectural Science Review.
- Developing occupancy feedback from a prototype to improve housing production. Building Research and Information, 38(5), 549-563.
- Building evaluation: Practice and principles. Building Research and Information, 38(5), 564-577.
- Evaluating housing performance in relation to human behaviour: New challenges. Building Research and Information, 38(5), 437-441.
- Post-occupancy evaluation and sustainability: A review. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Urban Design and Planning, 162(3), 123-130.
- Promoting Wellbeing in Palliative Care. World Health Design(January 2009), 57-63.
- Mapping building materials and products in remote areas: Sustainable supply chains and the specifier. Built Environment, 28(1), 33-45.
- Sustainability and materiality: the bioregional and cultural challenges to evaluation. Local Environment, 3(2), 191-209.
- Temperature in housing: stratification and contextual factors. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering Sustainability.
Chapters
- Understanding Opportunities and Barriers for Social Occupant Learning in Low Carbon Housing, Smart Energy Control Systems for Sustainable Buildings (pp. 61-87). Springer International Publishing
- Demystifying Technological Research Methods In Dye A & Samuel F (Ed.), Demystifying Architectural Research (pp. 3-10). London: Royal Institute of British Architects.
- Evaluation of a planned environment and the quest for environmental sustainability in housing: the UK case In Barbosa Villa S & Walber Orenstein S (Ed.), Housing Projects and Environmental Quality: Methodological Aspects of Post-occupancy evaluation and practical applications Sao Paulo: Oficina de Textos.
- Developing Occupancy Feedback to Improve Low Carbon Housing In Mallory-Hill S, Preiser WPE & Watson CG (Ed.), Enhancing Building Performance (pp. 120-129). Wiley
- Integrating sustainability through imaginative studio assessment In Roaf S & Bairstow A (Ed.), The Oxford Conference (pp. 115-118). Wit Pr/Computational Mechanics
- Greening Architectural Practice in Housing In Gibson MS & Britain CIOHG (Ed.), Housing and the environment Coventry: Chartered Institute of Housing.
- Participatory Design Theory Routledge
Conference proceedings papers
- Designing resilient housing for co-evolutionary adaptivity. Proceedings - Windsor Conference 2014: Counting the Cost of Comfort in a Changing World (pp 434-445)
- Understanding PV Professional Practice and Translation in the UK Low Carbon Community Housing. Design to Thrive Proceedings PLEA 2017 Conference, Vol. 3 (pp 4803-4810), 3 July 2017 - 5 July 2017. View this article in WRRO
- The role of intermediaries in transitioning photovoltaic systems into low carbon housing. Proceedings of 33rd PLEA International Conference: Design to Thrive, PLEA 2017, Vol. 3 (pp 4803-4810)
- Co-production and resilience in a Brazilian social housing: The case of shopping park neighbourhood. Proceedings of 33rd PLEA International Conference: Design to Thrive, PLEA 2017, Vol. 3 (pp 4725-4732)
- Embedding building performance evaluation in UK practice. Proceedings of 33rd PLEA International Conference: Design to Thrive, PLEA 2017, Vol. 1 (pp 867-874)
- Usability Tool - Accounting for understanding and usability in BPE. Proceedings of 33rd PLEA International Conference: Design to Thrive, PLEA 2017, Vol. 1 (pp 623-630)
- Exploring the Relationship Between a 'Facebook Group' and Face-to-Face Interactions in 'Weak-Tie' Residential Communities. Proceedings of the 7th 2016 International Conference on Social Media & Society - SMSociety '16, 11 July 2016 - 13 July 2016.
- The comfort of thermal variability: Short-term thermal transitions in the lobby space in Higher Education Institutions in the UK. Proceedings - 9th International Windsor Conference 2016: Making Comfort Relevant (pp 713-732)
- Technical and social redundancy for Low Carbon Living, . Sheffield, UK; 10-12 September 2015 pp . ie=UTF8&qid=1443869182&sr=8-2&keywords=architecture+and+resilience. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Architecture-Resilience-Human-Scale-Proceedings/dp/0992970547/ref=sr_1_2? (pp 467-474). http://www.amazon.co.uk/Architecture-Resilience-Human-Scale-Proceedings/dp/0992970547/ref=sr_1_2?, 10 September 2015 - 12 September 2015.
- Continuous Mechanical Ventilation in Housing ⬜ Understanding the Gap between Intended and Actual Performance and Use. Energy Procedia, Vol. 83 (pp 167-176)
- Thermal Memory and Transition in Lobby Spaces. Energy Procedia, Vol. 62 (pp 502-511)
- A Social Learning Tool – Barriers and Opportunities for Collective Occupant Learning in Low Carbon Housing. Energy Procedia, Vol. 62 (pp 492-501)
- Designing comfortable buildings. Proceedings of 7th Windsor Conference: The Changing Context of Comfort in an Unpredictable World
- Designing for comfort - Usability barriers in low carbon housing. Proceedings of 7th Windsor Conference: The Changing Context of Comfort in an Unpredictable World
- Embedding building performance evaluation in a medium-sized architectural practice: A soft landings approach. PLEA 2011 - Architecture and Sustainable Development, Conference Proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture (pp 17-22)
- Thermal comfort in UK housing to avoid overheating: Lessons from a 'Zero Carbon' case study. Proceedings of Conference: Adapting to Change: New Thinking on Comfort, WINDSOR 2010
- Designs on the planet: A workshop series on architectural education and the challenges of climate change. PLEA 2009 - Architecture Energy and the Occupant's Perspective: Proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture
- Examining the interrelationships of microclimate, construction performance and user behaviour to inform design strategies. PLEA 2009 - Architecture Energy and the Occupant's Perspective: Proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture
- The Sigma Home: Towards an authentic evaluation of a prototype building. PLEA 2008 - Towards Zero Energy Building: 25th PLEA International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Conference Proceedings
- The Sigma Home: Towards an authentic evaluation of a prototype building. PLEA 2008 - Towards Zero Energy Building: 25th PLEA International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Conference Proceedings
- The Sigma Home: Towards an authentic evaluation of a prototype building. PLEA 2008 - Towards Zero Energy Building: 25th PLEA International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Conference Proceedings
- The Sigma Home: Towards an authentic evaluation of a prototype building. PLEA 2008 - Towards Zero Energy Building: 25th PLEA International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Conference Proceedings
- Longitudinal evaluation of affordable housing in Scotland: Lessons for low energy features. Sun, Wind and Architecture - The Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, PLEA 2007 (pp 617-623)
- Natural materiality - The people's choice. WIT Transactions on the Built Environment, Vol. 86 (pp 257-266)
- Foreword. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Vol. 329 (pp 011001-011001)
- Learning to improve: An investigation of quality management routines in UK housing development. International Conference for Sustainable Design of the Built Environment SDBE 2017 Proceedings, 20 December 2017 - 21 December 2017.
- Building better homes: Developing a multi-level learning framework for UK house builders. Organisational Learning, Knowledge and Capabilities Conference, Liverpool
Reports
- Method of Analysis of the Resilience and Adaptability in Social Housing Developments through Post-occupancy Evaluation and Co-production Research. Final report. View this article in WRRO
- Co-housing: Shared Futures View this article in WRRO
- Housing Fit For Purpose Performance, Feedback and Learning. Routledge.
- Research group
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PhD first supervisor:
- Kate Fewson
- Frances Ziyad
- Alberto Urrutia
- Jenny Brierley
- Grants
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2016
- GLOSS Award. Evaluating the usability of university campus buildings: a case study in Mexico. The University of Sheffield, Co-Investigator with Jack Baker, £1,980.
- Santander Research Mobility Award, POE in Existing Housing in Uberlandia, Lead Academic working with Garrefa, F and Villa, S. Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, The University of Sheffield, £4,000.
2014
- ESRC Seminar Series, in partnership with the UK Cohousing Network and 5 other UK universities (BH148250). Collaborative and Resilient Housing. Principal Investigator Dr.Helen Jarvis,The University of Newcastle. £28,000 total grant. Co-Investigator.
- SURE funding, Matching domestic load profile with on-site Photovoltaic energy generation – case study and action research, The University of Sheffield, £1,230
2013
- EU Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship BuPESA, Host Supervisor, £247,388
- Technology Strategy Board, Building Performance Evaluation Legacy Scoping Study, Co-author, £3,895
- AHRC, Home Improvements: Motivating Collective Custom Build, Principal Investigator, £39,806
2012
- Atelier d'architecture Autogérée R-Urban Project, EU Life Programme, Expert Workshop, £1,011
- TSB, Lancaster Co-housing, Lancaster Co-housing Initial Occupancy Study, Principal Investigator (with Leeds Metropolitan University), £60,102
2010
- TSB, Ecos Homes, Stawell, Initial Occupancy Study, Principal Investigator, £49,613.
- TSB,Homes and Community Agency, Hanham Hall Carbon Challenge Programme, Initial Occupancy Study, Principal Investigator, £46,733.
- TSB, Crest Nicholson PLC, Avante Initial Occupancy Study, Principal investigator, £67,263.
- TSB, Building Performance Evaluation programme, Strategic Advisor, £4,800
- Crest Nicholson plc, Post-occupancy evaluation strategy, Consultant, £9,000
- DCLG and EST, Good Homes Alliance, Monitoring Phase 1, Lead Academic, £57,500 (overall project value with UCL and Leeds Metropolitan Uni, £300,000)
- Oxford Brookes University, Post-occupancy Evaluation, OBU sabbatical to write book for Earthscan publishers, co-author Dr. Rajat Gupta, £15,714
2009
- TSB, AIMC4, Lead Academic in Consortium of six national partners, £288, 000 (overall project value £6.5 million with Crest Nicholson, Barratt Homes, Stewart Milne Group, H+H Celcon and BRE)
- Homes and Communities Agency, Guidance on Post-occupancy Evaluation of Carbon Challenge, Lead Academic with Arups Ltd. as subcontractor. £15, 000
- BSLES, Research Methods and Design-An Open Learning Resource with Dr.Nicholas Walliman, Oxford Brookes University, £12, 208
- Teaching interests
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In architectural education I have consistently innovated appropriate teaching methods and promoting best practice in the pedagogy of sustainable design. My research-led teaching promotes a bioregional and eco-systems based approach to design.
Students are encouraged to explore means of “closing the loop” in terms of resource and energy use in design, using a combination of phenomenological, qualitative, place-bound approaches in tandem with more generic, quantitative technical studies.
Cutting edge sustainable design techniques and tools are continuously introduced as they are developed. Investigations are always close to hand to allow in-depth and richly descriptive research and design to take place.
- Teaching activities
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My current teaching responsibilities in the School of Architecture are:
- Leader for MSc SAS Module ARC6821 ' Low Impact Building Materials: Theory
- Dissertation supervisor for MArch Module ARC 566
- Special Studies tutor for UG Module ARC322 Special Study
- Lecturer on UG Module ARC107 Environment and Technology
- Professional activities
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Administrative roles
- PGR Director
- Co-Director of RA Eng Centre for Excellence in Sustainable Design
- TUoS Engaged University Urban Strand Leader
Professional standing and distinctions
- Visiting Professor, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of British Columbia, Canada, 2017
- Visiting Professor, School of Architecture, Technical University of Wroclaw, Poland, 2016
- Invited guest lecture and workshop, School of Architecture, Federal University of Uberlandia, Brazil, 2016.
- Invited guest lecture and workshop, Postgraduate School of Architecture, UNAM, Mexico, 2016
- Invited guest lecture, School of Architecture, Monterrey del Technico, Queretaro, Mexico, 2016.
- Listed as one of 12 Royal Institute of British Architects ‘Role Models’ for diversity in 2015. http://www.ribaj.com/intelligence/riba-role-models
- Listed in 2013 as one of Top 20 Most Influential Women in Sustainable Architecture in UK’ by Architects Journal
- Invited key-note speaker including: 3rd International Conference for Teachers in Architecture (2000), Construction Industry Environmental Forum UK (2000, 2001),Scottish Federation of Housing Associations National Conference (2000, 2001),World Renewable Energy Congress –Regional Meeting, Aberdeen (2005), WIT International Eco-Architecture Conference (2006), Celebrating CIRS, Vancouver (2011) Velux Healthy Building Day 2018
- Board Director Good Homes Alliance, UK 2014-2015
- Invited guest editor for special issue of Building Research and Information (top level international research journal on Co-producing Neighbourhood Resilience, October- November 2016
- Invited guest editor for special issue of Building Research and Information (top level international research journal) on Adaptive Comfort in an Unpredictable World, May-June 2013,Volume 41, No.3
- Invited guest editor for special issue of Building Research and Information (top level international research journal) on Housing Occupancy Feedback: Linking Behaviours and Performance, September 2010,Volume 39, No.5 – two of my papers were in ‘Top 10 Downloads 2011’ for BR&I.
- Architype Architects awarded ‘Cut the Carbon’ National RIBA award in 2011 on the basis of the TSB KTP project Embedding a capability for post-occupancy studies of buildings for which I was Lead Academic.
- Invited sessional Chair for major international conferences: Sustainability in Energy and Buildings (2014), Passive Low Energy Architecture (2007, 2008), The Oxford Conference: 50 Years On – Resetting the Agenda for Architectural Education (2008), Windsor Conference (2014, 2016), Architecture and Resilience at a Human Scale (2016)
- Awarded “ the highest grade” for DTI final report on Low Cost Earth Brick Construction: 2 Kirk Park, Dalguise, Monitoring and Evaluation in 2005
- Invited to be inaugural assessor (one of only three) for Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland Sustainable Design Accreditation Scheme, which included devising criteria marking scheme in 2003 –this is internationally recognised as the first evidence-based scheme of its kind in the world.
- Peer reviewer for International Research Journals: Building Research and Information, Building and Environment, Architectural Science Review, Facilities Management, Architectural Engineering and Design Management, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers journal Construction materials, Housing Studies, Open House International, Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, International, International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies, Journal of Design and Nature, Eco-Architecture.
- International Scientific Committee member: Architectural Science Association (2015,2016), Windsor Conference (2014, 2016),SEB (2014, 2015, 2016),SustainableBuildings13 Vancouver (2013),
- Peer reviewer for EPSRC panel
- Book reviewer for Wiley-Blackwell, BRE (Building Research Establishment), Routledge publications
- External examiner for PhD candidates at University of Adelaide, Australia (2016), University of Nottingham (2014), UCL (2012, 2016), University of Sheffield (2007), University of Brighton (2006)
- Internal examiner for PhD candidates at Oxford Brookes University (2009), The University of Sheffield (2012).
- Successful completions as First Supervisor for 2 PhDs: Gloria Vargas (2016), Rafael Eurfrasio Espinosa (2016).
- Currently supervising 4 PhD students at The University of Sheffield as first or co-supervisor.
Membership of Professional Advisory Panels
- 2013- 15 Standing Conference of Heads of Schools of Architecture/Architects Registration Board liaison committee member
- 2013- 15 Standing Conference of Heads of Schools of Architecture/RIBA Education liaison committee member
- 2013-15 Standing Conference of Heads of Schools of Architecture Council member
- 2013- Standing Conference of Heads of Schools of Architecture member
- 2012- Expert member Yorkshire and Humberside Design Review Panel
- 2010- 2012 Expert advisor on Zero Carbon Hub Task Group for Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality
- 2010-2016 Expert advisor for Technology Strategy Board’s Building Performance Evaluation £8m programme. I helped to initiate, design and steer this new national research programme.
- 2010-2016 Technology Strategy Board accredited Building Performance Evaluator
- 2009 Expert assessor for Technology Strategy Board Low Impact Buildings Platform, Retrofit for the Future programme
- 2009 Invited expert for Focus on Behaviour Change, CLG Workshop 23rd October
- 2008-2011 Chair of Technical Monitoring Working Group, Good Homes Alliance
- 2007-2011 Member of Technical Working Group, Good Homes Alliance
- 2005 Expert Advisor on A Guide to Determining Best Practicable Environmental Options (BPEOs) for Recycling Demolition Waste, Concrete Technology Unit, University of Dundee and RMC Environment Fund
- 2005-2007 Member of Mainstreaming Sustainability in Housing advisory board for Scottish Federation of Housing Associations
- 2003-2007 Member of Steering Group for Sust, The Lighthouse Initiative on Sustainable Design for The Scottish Executive.
- This was the first ever national programme for sustainable design in Scotland (£1 million public funding from Landfill Tax)
- 2003-7 Architect Assessor for Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland Sustainable Design Accreditation Scheme
- 2003-2005 Member of Dundee Sun City Advisory Panel
- I helped to establish a multi-partnership initiative in Dundee to promote active solar systems in the city of Dundee
- 2002 Member of National Centre for Education in the Built Environment, Special Interest Group for Sustainability in Architecture
- This group carried out a seminal survey of the teaching of sustainable design in UK Schools of Architecture which has become a policy lever for the RIBA
- 2000-14 Assessor in UK for Civic Trust Awards (various areas)
- 1998 Member of Working Group for Environment and Waste Strategy, Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City Council Joint Strategic Team for Structure Plan
- 1996 Member of Working Forum for Energy, Friends of the Earth Scotland
- 1996 Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland representative on First Symposium on Sustainable Development, Scottish Environmental Education Council
- 1995 Advisor for Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland Practice Information
- 1993 Expert Focus Group on Domestic Energy Efficiency for Scottish Homes
Membership of Professional Bodies and NGOs
- 2015-16 Board Director of Good Homes Alliance
- 2013- Standing Conference of Heads of Schools of Architecture
- 2013- Member of Academic Network, Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
- 2013- Member of Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
- 2008- Academic member of Green Building Council, UK
- 2008- Member of EDGE network UK, sponsored by Low Carbon Trust
- 2007-15 Non-developer member of Good Homes Alliance
- 2005-11 Convenor of Housing POE group, Usablebuildings Trust, London
- 2003-2006 Chair of Scottish Ecological Design Association
- 2002-5 Founder committee member of Educators for Sustainable Architecture UK
- 1995- Member of The Sustainable Building Association (AECB)
- 1991-1997 Founder committee member for Scottish Ecological Design Association
- 1990-2007 Member Scottish Solar Energy Group
- 1988-1991 Director, Woodland Community Development Trust, Glasgow
- 1988 -2007 Associate of Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (ARIAS)
- 1987- Registered Architect, Architects Registration Board
Links
Homes Cause Hurricanes article
Design Seminar: Creating Value Through Quality
Fionn Stevenson, Inaugural Lecture
BuPESA
BPE Poland
ESRC Collaborative housing series
Adding value through engagement
Fionn Stevenson on Building Local Resilience
Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Design
RIBA Role Models
Keynote Lecture: What makes a home really healthy?
Discussion: Carbon Neutral University, 'A Local Solution to the Global Climate …