Under the Researcher Links scheme offered within the Newton-Khalidi Fund and the British Council, The University of Jordan (UJ) and The University of Birmingham organised a workshop on "Transition towards Zero Carbon Transport".

Held from 24th-27th June, the workshop was coordinated and led by Dr. Hussam Khasawneh, Dr. Ahmad El-Kharouf, and Dr. Martin Khzouz, and was hosted at UJ's main library.

The workshop included a field visit to Al-Ghabawi landfill, the largest landfill in Jordan, to see first-hand the new waste-to-energy system that converts biogas into electricity with a capacity of 5 MW.

The event saw the participation of 35 scholars of interdisciplinary background from the UK and Jordan with representation from academic, governmental and NGO institutions.

The participants displayed a wide range of expertise in clean energy and transport. they also deliberated on the status of the energy and transport sector in Jordan and UK, current national and global policies and trends to reduce carbon emissions, and challenges facing achieving the essential but challenging targets to respond to the threats of climate change from human activity.

The 4-day workshop served as an arena for the exchange of knowledge between scholars in both countries and a catalyst to develop long-term collaborations on this topic.

Moreover, several technological solutions were suggested and resolutions to policymakers were formulated. These will be the basis of a white paper on clean transport to be submitted to the Jordanian government and disseminated to industrial and academic stakeholders.

At the close of the workshop, the participants agreed that it was clear that transition to zero carbon transport requires a dramatic change in the way our society operates.

They also added that the challenge before us calls for the long-term, evidence-based holistic approach; employing intelligently and accurately the technological and societal solutions needed to tackle climate change.