Lord Smith calls for
‘more engineers’ and Climate Challenge Fund
to meet major challenges
Environment Agency Chairman,
Lord Smith, will today set out the sorts
of measures that Britain must take in the
next 20 years to achieve a dramatic reduction
in greenhouse gas emissions.
Speaking at the agency’s
annual conference today, he said that the
UK needed “more scientists and more engineers”
to develop the technology for a low carbon
economy and that the UK was perfectly placed
to lead the world.
He also called for a
‘Climate Challenge Fund’, with match funding
from business and Government, to co-ordinate
and prioritise research on combating climate
change.
Lord Smith said that
the Copenhagen Summit should be seen as
“the crucial start to a process, not the
end” and that it must achieve political
agreement on cap and trade schemes across
the world.
And he also outlined
a range of other measures that should be
developed within the next 20 years, irrespective
of agreements on world emission targets.
He urged Britain to lead a Green New Deal,
creating more green jobs and technology
to develop:
Carbon-free energy production
– a mixture of renewables, nuclear and carbon-capture
and storage (CCS) for coal and gas.
All cars, buses, lorries and trains running
on electricity rather than petrol or diesel,
supported by a recharging network.
High-speed rail links across the UK and
into Europe, to reduce the need for air
travel.
Minimal waste going to landfill, with emissions-free
energy from waste in every area.
Work to reduce emissions for high CO2-emitting
industries, such as steel.
High energy efficiency targets for all buildings
and all major organisations.
Personal carbon allowances for individuals.
Speaking at the Environment Agency’s annual
conference, Lord Smith said:
“We have to be realistic
about Copenhagen. It won’t solve all the
issues. We have therefore to see it as the
crucial start to a process, not the end.
We need an agreement of principles and commitments
that will at least give us a chance of beating
the worst that climate change will bring.
“I’d like cap and trade
schemes adopted around the world. And part
of the agreement at Copenhagen should be
to take this approach, with further development
by each continent.
“Cap and trade is important,
but it’s not the only show in town. Much
else needs to be agreed. Such as flows of
funds and technology from developed to developing
nations, action to tackle other greenhouse
gases and international research to find
new ways of producing energy, running transport
and dealing with waste.
“And if we’re serious
about a low carbon economy, we will need
more scientists and more engineers. Britain
gave the world Newton, Darwin, Fleming and
Brunel. In the new world of climate change,
we will need science and engineering skills
more than ever.
“How about establishing
a ‘Climate Challenge Fund’ to support, co-ordinate
and prioritise research work on combating
climate change across leading academic institutions?
Why not set it up on the principle of match
funding – where every pound contributed
by business is matched jointly by government
and the universities? It would put Britain
at the forefront of international research
and make a real contribution to the solutions
to climate change”
ENDS
Media enquiries: Environment Agency Press
Office: 020 7863 8710 or outside normal
office hours, please contact the National
Duty Press Officer on 07798 882 092.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Filming and interview opportunities with
the University of East Anglia are available.
The University is a world leader in climate
change. Please contact the press office
for more details.
Lord Smith is speaking
at environment ’09: creating the climate
for change at the QEII Conference Centre,
London. The event will feature numerous
influential speakers from business, Government
and NGOs in the UK and abroad. More details
at www.environment09.com.
Other speakers include:
Richard LeBaron (Deputy Ambassador, Embassy
of the United States), Kunihiko Shimada
(Ministry of the Environment, Japan), Video
address from Yvo de Boer (Executive Secretary,
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change), Lord Adair Turner (Chair, Committee
on Climate Change), Lord Browne of Madingley
(President, Royal Academy of Engineering),
Lord Chris Smith (Chairman, Environment
Agency), Justin King (CEO, Sainsbury’s).
