Search

Non-technical summary. As we consider a transition to a low-carbon future, there is a need to examine the mineral needs for this transformation at a scale reminiscent of the Green Revolution. The efficiency gains of the agrarian transition came at ecological and social costs that should provide important lessons about future metal sourcing. We present three options for a Mineral Revolution: status quo, incremental adaption and revolutionary change. We argue that a sustainable Mineral Revolution requires a paradigm shift that considers wellbeing as a purpose and focuses on preserving natural capital.

As the extent of damage to environmental systems from our business-as-usual activity becomes ever more alarming, Universities as core social institutions are under pressure to help society lead the transition to a sustainable future. Their response to the issues, that they themselves have helped reveal, has, however, been widely criticised for being wholly inadequate. Universities can be observed to engage with sustainability issues in ad-hoc ways, with the scale of attention and commitment dependant mainly on the level of pressure exerted by stakeholders that works to overcome aspects of inherent inertia. Sustainability initiatives can therefore be regarded mainly as bolt-ons. This mirrors how other sectors, including businesses, have tended to respond. As the environmental and social crisis mounts and the window for adaptive change to ensure long-term wellbeing for all narrows, the pressure for deeper systemic change builds. It is in this context that transformation to a “purpose-driven organisation” has emerged as a systemic approach to change, enabling an organisation to align deeply and rapidly with society's long-term best interest and hence a sustainable future. Nowhere has this concept been taken forward more obviously than in the business sector. As business leadership towards purpose becomes more apparent, so the lack of action in this area by universities appears starker. In this paper we clarify what it means to be a purpose-driven organisation, why and how it represents a deep holistic response to unsustainability, and what core questions emerging from the business world university leaders can ask themselves to begin the practical journey to transform their institutions into purpose-driven universities.

Features associated with the Hallaig Fault, SE Raasay, are examined. The fault, which runs along the NW slope of the hill mass of Beinn na Leac, is marked by a narrow trench, running for over 3km NE–SW. About 600m from its N end, the trench becomes almost obscured for 500m by a bench composed of talus. SW of this a ridge of talus up to 5m high occupies the downslope side of the trench for 1.2km. The total volume of talus is estimated at around 90,000m3. In the SW, the trench splits into two, separating discrete bedrock areas from the hillside. Possible mechanisms forming the trench and associated features are considered. It is maintained that the features were primarily the result of the reactivation of a listric fault, triggered by isostatic processes during and following deglaciation and that they reached their present form during the Younger Dryas. Maximum vertical movement is estimated at at least 5m. The unconsolidated sediment comprising the ridge and bench is believed to have been primarily the product of periglacial processes and paraglacial activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]