UK appoints consortium to help emerging economies calculate low carbon pathways

The UK government has appointed a consortium of businesses and academic bodies to deliver its International 2050 Calculator programme, which aims to support developing countries in rapidly reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and shifting towards more sustainable economic models.

Consultancy Mott MacDonald announced on Monday it will be leading the consortium, which also includes partners Ricardo Energy & Environment, Climact, and the Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine.

The 2050 Calculator was originally developed in 2010 as an open, transparent, and interactive energy and emissions model to help plan the UK's transition to a low carbon economy. It allows policymakers, businesses, investors, and academics to trial different options for slashing greenhouse gases and building emission reduction pathways to meet long-term climate goals.

Since 2012 10 developing countries have also been given support and technical assistance towards creating their own calculators, with the aim of lifting more people out of poverty while aligning national emission pathways with the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The programme is now being expanded further, with the consortium helping to develop five new calculators in emerging countries "where there is great potential to accelerate climate change action and develop partnerships with the UK", Mott MacDonald said.

Minister for Energy and Clean Growth, Claire Perry, said the Calculator could play a key role in helping countries shift towards a more climate-friendly future.

"Data which would have taken technical experts months to work through, can be crunched in seconds by the calculator to help countries map a route to cleaner future," she said. "So far, we've helped India, Vietnam and Colombia plan and accelerate their efforts to tackle climate change using the latest science, driving sustainable and clean economic growth."

Madeleine Rawlins, Mott MacDonald's programme leader, said the International 2050 Calculator programme would be completed by September 2021.

"The programme has a real impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by supporting governments to assess technology and development pathways in some of the largest emitting economies in the developing world," she added. "We are also excited to work with the calculator community globally to shape the next stage of this innovative programme."