After running a commercial fishing boat from the Isle of Wight and working in the boatyards of Southern California, Simon McQueen-Mason has spent most of his academic career developing ways to produce sustainable bio-replacements for petroleum in the fuel and chemical sectors.

One such alternative, fittingly, involves the gribble, a marine animal that eats holes in wooden boats.

But he and his team at the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products are also making remarkable discoveries that could enable rice producers in South East Asia to transform the quality of air in their neighbourhoods and make a significant contribution to cutting global carbon emissions. The secret lies not only with the gribble, but also in the stubble.

This lecture was given at YorkTalks 2016. Styled on the highly successful TED Talks lecture series, YorkTalks features short, accessible 15-minute presentations on some of our most innovative and thought-provoking research.

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