Sir Richard Catlow responds to Senior Science Advisors statement

On 28 October 2021,the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors to the European Commission, together with 37 International Senior Scientific Advisers from around the globe, released a joint statement ahead of the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference COP26, calling world leaders to take action for successfully mitigating climate changes and protect our planet.

As reported by the Royal Society, Professor Sir Richard Catlow believes "this is a timely reminder that the scientific case for urgent action remains clear cut. Science can’t dictate the course that countries should take, but investing in research and innovation gives us the tools we need to respond and inform how they can best be deployed."

The Royal Society, alongside scientific partners from more than 140 countries involved in the InterAcademy Partnership, has been calling on governments to commit to roadmaps for investing in and deploying technologies and policies to limit global warming to well below 1.5°C.

So it is welcome to see so many senior scientific advisors advancing this call for piloting and scaling-up of net zero technologies that will be needed to cut emissions drastically before 2030, and develop those technologies not yet demonstrated or cost-effective at scale.

It also good to see recognition of the need to work in-step with nature, and support and collaborate with middle and low-income countries to build a climate-resilient, net zero future.

Richard Catlow