Role-playing with Parliament: Voice of the Future 2023

The Geological Society is committed to supporting Earth scientists, growing interest in the natural world, and connecting science, the profession and society. As the national forum for the debate and development of cutting-edge Earth science, the Geological Society has a special responsibility to communicate this science and its importance to society, the Government, the media, and the general public. As part of this commitment, the Society has been involved with Voice of the Future for several years. The Voice of the Future event is an opportunity for young people who are interested in science and politics to engage with MPs and Ministers about the topics that matter the most to them. In this blog post, we explore the Geological Society’s participation in in Voice of the Future 2023. 

Voice of the Future is organised by the Royal Society of Biology on behalf of a wide group of science, technology, engineering, and maths organisations. It provides an opportunity for young people to ask questions of Members of Parliament and Ministers as well as other Government officials about science policy and the role of science in society. The event is held annually and is attended by students and early-career scientists from a wide range of disciplines. 

“This is a unique event – in no other part of Parliament is the normal select committee format completely reversed so that MPs have to answer questions rather than ask them. It is important that policy makers use reliable evidence in their decisions, and today’s young scientists and engineers will be vital for this in the future.” 

Viscount Stansgate Dr Stephen Benn, the Royal Society of Biology’s ex-Director of Parliamentary Affairs

The event provided an opportunity for early career geoscientists to engage with MPs and Ministers on topics where geology intersects with society. The Society’s representatives have a unique opportunity to highlight the contributions that geology makes in developing modern public policy.  

This year, the Society was represented by Sebastian Rowe, a marine geoscientist from Atkins. Sebastian applied to take part in the event, which takes the form of a reversed Parliamentary Select Committee session where early career reps posed questions to a variety of panellists including the Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP.

 Sebastian asked,  

“Geothermal heat has the potential to offer a sustainable heating and cooling for households reliant on carbon-intensive gas heating and, and provide reliable, domestic supply. The absence of clarity surrounding ownership and rights to subsurface heat has the potential to discourage research and development. What could the Government do to minimise this barrier to sustainable, reliable heating for homes throughout the UK?” 

In responding to this question, Phillip Dunne commented on the growing volume of evidence in support of the potential of geothermal heat across the UK. Acknowledging challenges with high initial costs, Phillip noted the increasing frequency of discussions within Government supportive of greater funding to further research and development in this area. In response to the question’s comment on lacking subsurface frameworks to ownership and rights, Philip did not believe the main challenge to deployment lay in policy but in the technical difficulty of extracting heat over other sources of energy. 

As is the nature of parliamentary events, a number of panellists including Shadow Minister Chi Onwurah (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) were called away last minute or otherwise occupied – and were therefore unable to take part in the sessions.  

Sebastian reflected on the event:  

“I had an incredible experience attending the Voices of the Future event 2023 where I had the opportunity to represent the Geological Society on a select committee panel in the Houses of Parliament with the Royal Society of Biology, where I asked what the government are doing to minimise the barriers to geothermal heat. What I appreciated most about the event, was the opportunity to ask questions directly to MPs. This was a rare chance to engage with elected officials and get their take on the issues that matter most to early career researchers today such as nuclear energy, COVID-19, GM crops, gender disparities in maths, illegal sewage waste, renewable energy sources and much more. A huge thank you to the Geological Society for the opportunity and organisers for providing a platform for young people to have their voices heard.” 

The Geological Society’s involvement with the Voice of the Future 2023 event is a testament to the Society’s commitment to promoting the role of geology in society, and we are grateful to Sebastian for his professional and exemplary representation.   

The Society’s policy work aims to communicate technical geoscience information as and where it relates to public policy, to raise awareness of geoscience considerations in UK policymaking for the benefit of science, profession and society, and to seek out and maintain relationships with organisations both in the UK and around the world. By facilitating discussion on the public policy topics that matter the most to geoscience through our early career representatives, the Society is helping to ensure that young geologists can engage with policymakers about the topics that matter the most to them and their profession. The Society’s involvement in the event is an important contribution to the ongoing evolution of science policy and the role of science in society. 

Find out more about the Geological Society’s policy work or contact us at [email protected].