Sarah Bissett

I studied at the University of Edinburgh too many moons ago, in person, at the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences but Edinburgh and the University has always had a little piece of my heart. I have so many great memories of my time here, albeit my fondness relates as much to the life experience gained as it does the growth in academic skills. With the chance to reconnect again (virtually from North Yorkshire via my laptop), I jumped.

The MSc Carbon Management (Online Learning) (now renamed to MSc Climate Change Management) was especially appealing as I’ve always been fascinated by the natural world and conservation but grew especially passionate about climate action after becoming a mum; increasingly compelled to contribute in any way possible to a brighter future for my children and generations to come.

The School of GeoSciences was a great place to continue my development as it embraces an interdisciplinary approach and I therefore had the chance to explore where my strengths and interests lie. I applied my skillsets developed in social sciences and numerous careers that I’d dabbled in but enjoyed learning about more technical and natural science aspects.

I continued to develop my writing, embraced and confronted the impact of human behaviour, and practiced anchoring arguments in robust evidence, reason and logic.

My cohort comprised of students from across the globe who proved to be a real asset to the programme; their diverse experiences and perspectives were a fantastic source of learning which our tutorials throughout the MSc managed to embrace through allowing plenty of time for discussion. What’s more, academic staff were approachable and openly shared their insights with us, enriching the conversation.

Before the MSc, I tried a bit of everything: law, auditing and accounting, senior executive education plus a taste of marketing and yet nothing seemed to truly fulfil me. Full-time motherhood for four years prior to starting the programme was an incredible, challenging experience but I soon felt ready to supplement this with a career aligned with my aspirations and personal values.

Over the MSc, I was a Programme Representative, advocating the needs of the students, and the Programme Ambassador, where I answered questions and shared my experiences with others interested in online learning. Any spare time I had between these tasks and home-schooling over the pandemic was spent as an active member of Zero Carbon Harrogate, my town’s climate action group. Upon graduating, I developed and managed a Walk to School event every half term across the region, coordinating messaging on climate and health benefits with local media outlets.

Then I saw the job posting for a Project Officer at Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI) - part of the School of GeoSciences. After reading over the requirements, I felt like my experience was an ideal fit. Luckily, the hiring team seemed to agree and my life transferred from Yorkshire to Edinburgh as a result.

The ‘Project Officer’ job description can cover a range of activities: I started in Climate Springboard as a researcher assisting SMEs in Scotland, further studying climate-related behavioural change which is a particular fascination for me and helping organisations grasp the opportunities that come hand in hand with the transition to Net Zero.

Over the course of my studies, my passion for policy flourished and that’s how I became involved with the Scottish Climate Intelligence Service (SCIS). SCIS is a capacity building programme co-delivered by ECCI and the Improvement Service (IS) for all 32 local authorities in Scotland. The service provides data for decision making and knowledge sharing opportunities to help effectively manage area wide emissions whilst delivering on other social outcomes like alleviating child poverty and reducing health inequalities. The team needed someone with experience to immediately start mapping and analysing the Scottish climate policy landscape and so I was seconded to the role.

I’m still working on policy and engagement with Scottish Government, but also researchers and translating academic work on climate co-benefits, plus I’m the programme lead for health.

A particular highlight has been joining the CO-BENS Team at ECCI and the School of Informatics on developing the UK Co-Benefits Atlas – an interactive, engaging platform which enables the exploration of a rich yet complex dataset communicating the social benefits of climate action. The evidence is available across over 44,000 data zones, which can help policy makers at the national and local level with just transition considerations. What’s more, the offering is continually being developed to more effectively meet stakeholder needs and accelerate positive action.

Truly believing in my organisation’s aims and approach that enables equitable outcomes whilst tackling climate change is an incredible position that allows me to act with integrity; a value of great importance to me.

Another recent joy has been setting up the GeoSciences Environmental Justice Book Club with my wonderful colleagues Izi Robe and Killian Bohan; a gathering of staff and students to read and explore inequalities, privilege, and advocate for positive change at every opportunity. I’m supported by all-round incredible group of co-workers, many of whom also studied at the School of GeoSciences and even on the same programme. I feel so ridiculously fortunate to be supported by such genuinely fun and value-driven bunch of folks at ECCI and IS.

Over my studies, I looked at such a broad range of foundational topics for understanding climate change and the action required, from impacts and adaptation, which I used when communicating risk mitigation strategies to SMEs in Scotland at Climate Springboard, through to carbon economics and measurement. The latter have provided me with a detailed understanding of how we can value climate action now and in the future. Given the amount of carbon accounting advice I’ve provided since, in addition to supporting local authorities with managing their own area-wide emissions and translating economic modelling for multiple stakeholders – this knowledge base has proved to be highly valuable!

When I chose my dissertation topic, we were in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new-found focus on a ‘green recovery’ broadly agreed upon by representatives across the UK political spectrum emerged, with this messaging further amplified to the public by media outlets. Unfortunately, the shift was short-lived, but I analysed the link between a range of UK newspaper outlets’ political stance and the way in which renewable energy solutions were communicated within this snapshot of time.

I was academically guided and what’s more, often emotionally supported through the process by the incredible Dr Matt Lane.

I found the process difficult, especially as it was easy to allow other life distractions (of which there were many!) to get in the way over the duration. Therefore, I’d advise students to choose a topic that fascinates them and a supervisor they really get on with. I overcame many obstacles through having a passion for discourse analysis – one of the main methods I utilised in my research – with the help of Matt, who was so knowledgeable but also truly supportive, kind, and open to chatting about all issues throughout.

All meeting up for graduation and celebrating the process in person; after two years of connecting online and providing each other support, it was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the experiences shared and the bonds we’d all developed. We even went out for a curry the night before the ceremony with our dissertation supervisors and my fellow course mate invited theirs: Clare Wharmby, who I’d never met. Fast-forward four years and she’s now my line manager and one of the brilliant minds behind the Scottish Climate Intelligence Service!

The programme is what you make of it as there’s a lot of independent learning involved; embrace the process like you would a job by being regimented with the time you dedicate to it, even if though there’s more flexibility provided by online learning. Show up to tutorials, do at least some of the reading beforehand and make the most of the flexibility provided in assignment briefs to shape your skillset and subsequently, your career.

Luckily, I was fascinated by all the courses plus engaged by the staff and students so I really didn’t find this an arduous process.

Also, don’t be afraid to volunteer for any student roles on offer. I spent my undergraduate years getting by in my studies but I was generally quite shy and avoided putting myself forward for additional challenges. By volunteering to be a Programme Representative this time, I was provided with a more fulfilling experience, additional communication skills, some progression in confidence, and the opportunity to develop connections within the school.

Challenging, Rewarding, Career-changing