A NOBEL prize-winning climate change scientist is set to open a £500,000 research laboratory at Bangor University.
Sir John Houghton will officially unveil the Wolfson Carbon Capture Laboratory at the Brambell Building on Deiniol Road at 5pm tomorrow.
He said: “The work that is being done at the Wolfson Carbon Capture Laboratory in Bangor University is vital if we are to try and control levels of dangerous greenhouse gases.
“By locking up stores of carbon – which produces carbon dioxide – we can limit the damage we cause by continuing to burn fossil fuels.”
The research suite aims to develop ways of fighting climate-change by preventing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
Sir John, who was raised in Dyserth, was the co-founder of the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
The 12 scientists working at the suite will focus on ways to enhance and maintain the huge stores of carbon found in Europe’s peatlands.
The suite was funded The Royal Society and Wolfson Foundation, which supports scientific, medical and educational projects.
Laboratory director Professor Chris Freeman said Bangor was the ideal place for the research thanks to its reputation for in the field environmental science and the peatlands available in the surrounding area.
He added: “We’re really excited to be embarking on this new venture, and are all looking forward to tackling the challenges posed by our changing climate.”