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ESI Challenge of the Month

Dr Eunice Oppon (Senior Lecturer in Sustainability and Business Analytics), has taken up the ESI Challenge of the Month for June 2025. 

View her profile page

Relevant research: 

Oppon et al. (2024) — "Sustainability performance of enhanced weathering across countries: A triple bottom line approach," Energy Economics

Oppon et al. (2023) — "Macro-level economic and environmental sustainability of negative emission technologies; ; Case study of crushed silicate production for enhanced weathering" Ecological Economics

Oppon et al. (2023) — "Towards sustainable food production and climate change mitigation: an attributional lifecycle assessment comparing industrial and basalt rock dust fertilisers," The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment

Acquaye et al. (2018) — "A quantitative model for environmentally sustainable supply chain performance measurement," European Journal of Operational Research

Oppon et al. (2018) — "Modelling multi-regional ecological exchanges: The case of UK and Africa," Ecological Economics

Learn more about Enhanced Weathering Africa Partnership Project.

Dr Eunice Oppon will deliver the ESI Challenge of the Month talk "Climate, Crops, and Crushed Rocks: Mapping the Sustainability of Enhanced Weathering from Mine to Field" on Monday 30 June 2 - 3pm in the ESI Trevithick Room.

Enhanced weathering (EW)—the application of crushed silicate rocks to agricultural soils has emerged as a promising climate solution for carbon dioxide removal, while potentially improving soil fertility and crop yield. But how sustainable is this process across its full life cycle, from mineral extraction to application on farms?

In this talk, I explore the multi-dimensional sustainability of enhanced weathering using quantitative modelling techniques such as life cycle assessment (LCA) and multi-regional input-output (MRIO) analysis. These methods allow us to map environmental, economic, and social impacts across sectors, geographies, and stages of the EW value chain.

Drawing on recent case studies from both developed and emerging economies, I will examine:

  • The climate mitigation potential and trade-offs of large-scale crushed rock deployment
  • The resource demands and emissions linked to mining, processing, and transport of basalt
  • The social and economic dimensions, including labour impacts and implications for smallholder farmers
  • The broader question of ecological unequal exchange, where Global South regions bear environmental burdens for Global North climate goals

This interdisciplinary talk invites geologists, soil and agricultural scientists, mining researchers, economists, and sustainability scholars to reflect on how enhanced weathering intersects with global efforts to deliver just, viable climate solutions.

#esiChallengeOfTheMonth

Please email esidirector@exeter.ac.uk if you would like a Teams link to join this talk remotely.

Previous challenges