Responding to the challenge of climate change

It has been nearly three years since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its report on global warming, looking at the impact of a rise in temperature of just 1.5 degrees. Meanwhile, the cost of key technologies continues to fall, and the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) Sixth Carbon Budget report sets out what can be achieved through joined up collective action. The next few years will be pivotal in the race against climate change.
Of course, we all know this. But when it comes to practical steps, we need to work together to take action. We are at a unique moment in time when the pendulum could swing either way, and the impact of measures implemented now will reverberate long into the future.
Let’s consider the collective response to the global pandemic as an example. It has been a demonstration of resilience, ingenuity and the power of public and private sector collaboration. We will look back and recognise that not everything we tried worked out as expected, but the willingness to experiment, test solutions and respond means we can, at this moment, see a light at the end of the tunnel. The global community was able to turn to leading experts, healthcare professionals and key workers who had the knowledge, innovation and drive to respond when called upon. Imagine if we could apply this same collective action to the climate crisis?
The Sixth Carbon Budget sets a target of 78 per cent reduction by 2035 for the UK. A global community of innovators, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs have been working on this societal challenge, seeking to bring solutions for both the government and private sector. We need to take inspiration from the global response to the pandemic and make the next ten years count in determining our future for the long term.