A leading energy academic, who has been chosen to advise the new Climate Assembly, has warned it is “one hell of a job” to decarbonise the UK economy by 2050.
Climate Assembly UK, which brings together 110 selected members of the public to deliberate on how the UK can achieve cross-party consensus on meeting the net-zero target, kicks off in Birmingham this weekend.
At a briefing yesterday in advance of the assembly’s first meeting, Professor Jim Watson was quizzed on whether the 2050 target is insufficiently ambitious, following warnings by the likes of the Extinction Rebellion that it needs to be brought forward.
But Prof Watson, who is one of four experts selected to advise the assembly members in their deliberations, defended the 2050 date.
Speaking in a personal capacity, he said: “Even if you stick with 2050 and don’t go to 2030 you will have a hell of a job to turn around this economy. The amount you have to do in the next five to six years is huge.
“It is important that we stick to what has been agreed and take that as the starting point.”
Prof Watson was speaking as the assembly’s secretariat outlined how the exercise will work.
The assembly will meet over four weekends in Birmingham until March. After taking evidence from experts on area like housing and transport, its conclusions will be published in a report to parliament in late April.
The aim is then for the select committees which commissioned the assembly to develop its recommendations and present them to government.
The 110 individuals, who were drawn from a total of around 1,800 members of the public who responded to an invitation to participate in the exercise, will make up the assembly.
The membership is weighted to reflect the make-up of the broader population on a series of factors such as age, levels of education and degree of concern about climate change.
Thirty are aged over 60 and 25 are in the 16-29 bracket. Just under a sixth (18) identify as black, Asian and minority ethnic, exactly half are women and one fifth (22) live in rural areas.
Three members say they are not at all concerned about climate change, 16 are not very concerned, 36 are fairly concerned and 54 are very concerned. This breakdown reflects the outcome of polling on climate change concern carried out by Ipsos Mori in July last year.
Of the £520,000 that it will cost to run the assembly, £120,000 has been supplied by the House of Commons research fund with the balance to be provided by two charitable trusts – the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and the European Climate Foundation.
The assembly’s secretariat insisted at the briefing that both charitable trusts will have no influence over its deliberations.
Andrea Leadsom, secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, said: “It’s excellent to see people coming together to tackle this global issue. Having committed to end our contribution to climate change entirely by 2050 we will need input from all across the UK, so I look forward to seeing what conclusions the assembly reaches later this year.”