Wales Studies Research about Wales, for Wales and the World Wales Studies Introducing Wales Studies Wales Studies is the intellectual pioneering solutions for climate not backward-looking clichés; exploration, explanation and change, Wales Studies is an they are assets which set understanding of all things educational and cultural resource Wales apart. relating to Wales and its relations with great potential. with the wider world. Knowing and appreciating Crucially, it can help to project an who we are is vital for our self- It is an emerging field, but image of contemporary Wales awareness and self-confidence. there is a strong body of work to an international audience. This is acknowledged in the new developing within our universities, To do so, we need a stronger national curriculum for schools. research, heritage and cultural awareness of what makes the It was also reflected in the 2016 organisations. From researching nation distinct. Wales’s qualities Welsh Election Study, where over young people’s perceptions of include its culture, values, history, half of respondents said that their communities, their nation bilingualism, the importance of taking pride in Wales’s history, and the Welsh language, to community and cynefin, political heritage or landscape, and its rediscovering forgotten voices and social traditions, diversity culture, literature and arts, was an in literature; from investigating and much more. They are what important part of what it means to the legacy of heavy industry to epitomise the nation. These are be Welsh. 04 08 12 16 19 24 28 From coal to Our natural Wales and Improving Towards an The role Exploring decarbonisation environment the world our health inclusive society of national our culture and well-being institutions and languages Introducing Wales Studies Get involved In this booklet, the Learned This booklet is a starting point, not an exhaustive list. Society of Wales highlights We are committed to the continuing promotion and examples of Wales Studies development of Wales Studies, including on our website. across many institutions and academic disciplines. Inspired by • Please email us at [email protected] the approach of the Well-being of if you have other examples of research you Future Generations Act, it reflects would like us to share on the full range of areas needed • Contribute to our ongoing survey: to develop Wales as a sustainable visit www.learnedsociety.wales/wales-studies and dynamic nation. or scan the QR code below This work captures where Wales We would like to thank the Thriplow Charitable Trust for has come from, as well as where it its generous contribution towards the production of wants to go. this booklet. [email protected] www.learnedsociety.wales The Learned Society of Wales Registered Charity Number 1168622 From coal to decarbonisation In the late nineteenth century, a quarter of the coal in the global trade came from Wales; it was exported around the world, fuelling global economic development. Other heavy industries have also played an important role in our history. We now understand the environmental consequences of these industries, and researchers in Wales are leading efforts to decarbonise our energy supply, whilst ensuring its security and affordability. They are also providing important guidance on how the Welsh economy can develop competitively but sustainably. To do so, they are crossing boundaries between science, technology, arts and social sciences – putting people in Wales at the heart of developments. In late nineteenth century, a quarter of the coal in the global trade came from Wales; it was exported around the world, fuelling global economic development. Other heavy industries have also played an important role in our history. We now understand the environmental consequences of these industries, and researchers in Wales are leading efforts to decarbonise our energy supply, whilst ensuring its security and affordability. They are also providing important guidance on how the Welsh economy can develop competitively but sustainably. To do so, they are crossing boundaries between science, technology, arts and social sciences – putting people in Wales at the heart of developments. Wales Studies – From coal to decarbonisation 5 www.flexis.wales Innovation in energy systems FLEXIS (Flexible Integrated Energy Systems) growing importance as energy prices increase to is a £24 million project for energy systems research accommodate complex renewable energy systems. in Wales, building on our existing world-class FLEXIS works to improve public perceptions capabilities. It is led by Cardiff University, Swansea and communication about energy research and University and the University of South Wales, and development, and the associated costs and collaborates with private and public sector research benefits. To solve these diverse and interdependent organisations in Wales and worldwide. challenges, an interdisciplinary approach is essential. FLEXIS is rooted in a Welsh context, applying its FLEXIS aims to create a culture of research and technological research at a demonstration site at innovation across Wales, developing the nation Tata Steel Port Talbot. This contributes to the local as a leader in energy systems technology. Focus council’s strategy for decarbonisation and renewable areas include hydrogen energy storage, carbon energy. Workshops with the Port Talbot community sequestration, and low carbon energy infrastructure. have explored how everyday life may change with a decarbonised energy system. Their findings will The project also considers socioeconomic issues help FLEXIS projects avoid risks and provide better around the transition to a low carbon future. Fuel value to the project’s stakeholders, including the poverty, particularly amongst the elderly, is of wider community. The Learned Society of Wales www.learnedsociety.wales 6 Wales Studies – From coal to decarbonisation www.welshcopper.org.uk www.hafodmorfacopperworks.com www.welsheconomicchallenge.com Swansea copper: The Welsh A global phenomenon economic challenge Between 1830 and 1870, the Swansea area became Researchers from Cardiff Metropolitan University the hub of the world copper industry. Swansea’s are leading efforts to solve the ‘Welsh Economic copper smelters, who often accounted for 50% Challenge’ – especially the question of why Wales of world output in these decades, drew ore from lags behind other countries in productivity. Australia, Chile, Cuba and elsewhere. Professor Chris Evans, University of South Wales, has led a Wales remains the poorest part of the UK; economic research programme into Swansea copper – a global output per head is only 72% of the UK average. The phenomenon which involved mining on different researchers ask whether that is inevitable, and what continents and the mobilisation of capital, labour and might be done over the next decade to start to catch technology across immense distances. up. They seek to identify the best measures and policy options for triggering transformational change The industry was in decline by the beginning of in the Welsh economy. This will need Wales to be the twentieth century, and copper works were ambitious: setting challenging targets, encouraging gradually abandoned. At the Hafod-Morfa works, an entrepreneurial culture, and working to achieve Swansea University and the city council lead an consensus between businesses and policymakers. award-winning regeneration project – breathing life back into the site of the former “crucible of the An interim report in 2019 found that Welsh firms global copper industry”. As well as restoring the see productivity as important, but do not always site and researching its history, the project reaches understand it well. Better strategic leadership is out to the public, schools and community groups – needed, alongside stronger investment in human reconnecting people to their local and global history. capital and intangible capital (like software and intellectual property), and more stable businesses. There are also positive moves by some firms to link their strategies to the national Well-being Goals. www.learnedsociety.wales The Learned Society of Wales Wales Studies – From coal to decarbonisation 7 www.dis-ind-soc.org.uk storytelling.research.southwales.ac.uk/research/rice Experiences of industry Storytelling and disability approaches Recent research projects have considered the The RICE project is led by the George Ewart Evans legacies of heavy industry in Wales. For example, the Centre for Storytelling, University of South Wales. Disability and Industrial History project looked at It captures stories from people working to change how understandings and experiences of disability our industrial carbon emission technologies, within were affected by industrial development from the industry, policy, energy innovation and the wider late eighteenth century until the end of the Second community. These stories generate meaningful World War. understanding of the dynamics of changing carbon emissions strategies and technologies. The Learned Society of Wales www.learnedsociety.wales Our natural environment The people of Wales care about their natural environment. In the most recent National Survey for Wales, 77% of respondents were concerned about climate change, and 45% were concerned about future changes to biodiversity. Researchers across many disciplines are contributing to our understanding of Wales’s natural heritage, through scientific investigation of landscapes and ecosystems and