Tackling global warming demands a fundamental transformation of the world economy. Our latest e-magazine ‘Frontier Focus’ explores a range of issues.
The clock is ticking
The latest report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change paints a grim picture of the near-term consequences of rising global temperatures. Without economic change to reduce carbon emissions on an unprecedented scale, the world risks intensifying coastal flooding, droughts, wildfires and food shortages within a generation, the scientific panel warns. The report underlines the urgency of adopting decisions to ensure full implementation of the Paris Agreement which was discussed at the UN climate change conference, COP24, in Poland.
We all need to adapt
If society is serious about heeding the scientists’ warnings, people will need to change their lifestyles; from eating less meat to swapping cars for bicycles. Attitudes and behaviours will have to adjust. And practically every sector of the economy will face wrenching changes, which we explore in our articles.
Heating, industry and transport will be under pressure to shift to carbon-neutral green gases. New technologies will enable smart cities to optimise everything from traffic management to garbage recycling. Regulators will have a key role to play in implementing carbon abatement and water usage schemes. But even if the technical solutions are at hand to arrest climate change, will voters and the politicians they elect be willing to embrace radical change?
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Matthew Bell, Director in our Public Policy practice and former Chief Executive of the UK Committee on Climate Change, speaks about the difficulties societies face in balancing economic development while tackling climate change, and how businesses should be thinking about climate issues.
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