FST JOURNAL

If the UK is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, it will require the simultaneous transformation of several vital, interconnected infrastructure systems, as well as the development of whole new industries and supporting sweeping societal, cultural, behavioural and structural changes. The May 2019 report of the Climate Change Committee set out some of what needs to be done and, in May 2021, the Royal Academy of Engineering published Net Zero: A systems perspective on the climate challenge, outlining some of the challenges and solutions.

The Foundation for Science and Technology held a webinar on the subject on 28 June 2021. The speakers were: Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, and President of the Royal Academy of Engineering; Dervilla Mitchell CBE, Joint Deputy Chair, Arup; Guy Newey, Strategy & Performance Director, Energy Systems Catapult; and Colette Cohen, Chief Executive, OGTC. A video recording, presentation slides and speaker audio from the event are available on the FST website at: www.foundation.org.uk/Events/2021/Developing-a-Systems-Approach-to-reaching-Net-Zero