The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK's National Measurement Institute, has appointed environment expert, Jane Burston, to establish a new centre to provide the necessary measurement infrastructure for the UK's transition to a low carbon economy.

Jane Burston

Jane will lead an existing team aimed at successfully launching the proposed Centre for Carbon Measurement at NPL, which, along with our partners, will provide the necessary measurement infrastructure to support government, business and academia in emissions reduction, climate science and low carbon technology.

Jane joins NPL from Carbon Retirement, a social enterprise she co-founded in 2008 that takes an innovative approach to carbon offsetting. For this she has won several awards, including being named in Management Today's '35 high-flying women under 35' list and as Square Mile magazine's 'Social Entrepreneur of the Year' for 2011.

Prior to establishing Carbon Retirement, Jane worked as a consultant in the environmental sector for several years, including on climate change policy for Transport for London and the Mayor of London's office, and as an external consultant to a range of FTSE 100 businesses, public sector organisations and SMEs. She is a regular contributor to business-sustainability magazine Ethical Corporation, a guest lecturer on carbon trading at Ashridge Business School, and in 2009 was a British Council Climate Change Ambassador. She brings a wealth of expertise on climate science and key connections in the climate change and wider sustainability sector across academia, government and business.

Responding to the threat of global climate change requires policies to reduce emissions through low carbon energy generation, improved efficiency, development of low carbon technologies and behavioural change. Key to achieving these policies is putting in place the right supporting infrastructure. Reliable measurements with a sound scientific and technical basis will improve our understanding of the global climate, support policies for mitigating climate change, and accelerate the development of low-carbon technologies.

Jane's work at NPL will focus on three areas:

• Improving climate data: NPL will work with climate scientists to improve the accuracy and consistency of climate data through data auditing, setting standards, developing measurement technology, and instrumentation testing. Improved data will help improve the modelling of climate change and enable better policies for mitigation and adaptation.
• Carbon trading and pricing: As the international community seeks to develop more sophisticated tools for carbon reporting and trading and, as the carbon price rises, NPL will develop the underpinning measurement science and technology to support it. This will enable regulation, ensure a fair and stable market, support businesses in reporting and managing emissions, and provide confidence to establish and operate international agreements.
• Low carbon technologies: NPL will provide access to the best measurement techniques for developers of low carbon technology, which will allow scientific validation of their performance, giving confidence to investors, suppliers and buyers. Such support is key to commercialising advances in areas such as energy efficient technology, fuel cells, photovoltaics and offshore renewables.

Jane said: "Accurate and reliable measurement and scientifically supported standards are a vital part of reducing carbon emissions. Without a robust measurement infrastructure, it is difficult to know the scale of the problem or the adequacy of the solutions – whether those solutions are policies, projects or technologies. NPL is a world leading centre of excellence in measurement science with the expertise to make a real difference in this area. I am very pleased to be leading its work in climate science and low carbon technology."

Contact: Jane Burston