RGU team up with Aberdeen Science Centre to deliver net zero exhibition
Friday 14 February 2025
The exhibition, ‘Achieving Net Zero’, will include an engaging collection of artworks featuring interactive information graphics and downloadable information to explain key concepts about net zero.
‘Achieving Net Zero’ opens on Saturday 15 February and hopes to attract a significant number of new visitors, including a number of school children who routinely visit the centre.
The exhibition is the idea of RGU academic, Iain Morrison, a Lecturer in communication design, and James Njuguna, National Subsea Centre Director of Research and Innovation, who are working in partnership with Aberdeen Science Centre.
Iain Morrison, from Gray’s School of Art, explains more: “’Achieving Net Zero’ came about after a long discussion in the summer of 2023 about the country’s energy crisis with my friend Professor James Njuguna [also at RGU].
“It quickly became clear that while there is a wealth of information on sustainability, renewable energy, and net zero, much of it isn’t easily accessible to the general public—or, more importantly, to people like Iain as a parent of two teenagers. This sparked an idea that as a Lecturer in communication design and an engineering Professor, we could use information graphics to explain key concepts in a more absorbing way.
“Aberdeen has a rich history as a global energy hub, and the North East has ambitions to be the powerhouse of the renewables revolution. In order to achieve this, it’s important that we help people gain a more in-depth understanding of renewable energy resources and how they can get involved with the journey to net zero.”
Bryan Snelling, Chief Executive at Aberdeen Science Centre, said: “We are pleased to be hosting the Achieving Net Zero exhibition and look forward to welcoming visitors who come to see this engaging artwork. Our aim is to inspire future generations and instil a lifelong interest in STEM subjects in the future workforce, so we have a key role to play in supporting the road to net zero.
“The exhibition further cements our ongoing partnership with RGU, which has seen students collaborating with our team on projects which use their expertise in areas such as engineering and fashion management as well as design.”
The posters on show will include a wide range of topics related to Scotland’s journey towards Net Zero 2045, and will use engaging imagery and bright colours to grab the viewers’ attention and to encourage them to explore the content.
For those wanting to delve deeper, each poster has a supporting page on the Achieving Net Zero website, with links to research papers to help viewers understand how each element fits into the bigger picture as Scotland moves towards its 2045 target (and the UK towards 2050).
In 2024, Consumer Scotland looked at the public’s perceptions of and engagement with the transition to net zero. Three quarters of consumers stated they are generally concerned about climate change but less than a third (28%) said they knew a lot about what they need to do to help Scotland reach net zero by 2045.
Earlier, in 2022, Scottish Government held a survey to review how much knowledge the Scottish public had about climate change: “When presented with the term "net zero emissions", just under a third (30%) of the Scottish public say that they feel confident that they know what it means."
Situated on Constitution Street near Aberdeen beach, Aberdeen Science Centre is home to almost 65 interactive exhibits, allowing people of all ages to discover topics including Space, Energy, Life Sciences, Engineering, and much more.
Open to visitors seven days a week, the VisitScotland 5-star rated attraction also offers exclusive venue and room hire for corporate, social and private events.