18 June 2021
•
2 min read
Cleaner air and boosted biodiversity are two of the benefits of the net zero transition | Credit: iStock
Government-backed project will see broad range of stakeholders collaborate on visions for what a net zero future could looks like for six regions around the world
The UK government has launched a project that will bring together academics, businesses, civil society, and citizens from around the world to draw out visions for a net zero future.
Dubbed 'Visions for a Net Zero Future', the project aims to produce "evidence-based visions" of what a climate-resilient future could look like for the UK, India, Jamaica, Brazil, Kenya, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
Issues like electricity generation, agriculture, waste and water management, building design, reforestation and ocean conservation are set to debated and discussed by participants in the project from the six regions during a series of virtual workshops, the government said.
Participants will then be encouraged to explore the evidence around different decarbonisation solutions and share their perspectives as they hash out a collective vision for their region's future, it added.
The initiative is being delivered by a consortium led by Deloitte and facilitated by the University of Cambridge, but will include academic representation from each of the six regions.
The resulting six 'visions' will be published in September in a bid to inform discussions at vital COP26 climate talks being hosted by the UK this autumn, the government said. Findings from the project will also be shared as part of the 'science and innovation' day at COP26, it added.
"This new flagship project brings together the best and brightest scientists with communities around the world, helping drive forward global efforts to tackle climate change by putting their voices at the heart of the green transition," Energy and Climate Change Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said. "The exciting visions developed through this science and innovation project will aim to inspire people across the globe ahead of COP26, improving our understanding of what net zero means for us all and the wide-ranging benefits of achieving it."
COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma said the "wonderfully innovative project" would help communities conceptualise the benefits of shifting towards a lower carbon economy.
"The science is clear that to avoid the worst effects of climate change, we need to put the world on a path to net zero emissions by the middle of the century," he said. "This wonderfully innovative project will help communities around the world visualise how they can help achieve this and inspire the concrete action we need to keep that crucial 1.5C goal within sight ahead of COP26."
