The Institution’s programme of work and activities during the run-up to the historic Conference of Parties 15 (COP15) in Copenhagen, is designed to engage in the discussion and debate, make recommendations and provide advice to the policy makers attending the negotiations, as well as confirm our leadership position on climate change among the engineering profession.
The Institution is striving to ensure that it is regarded as a thought-leader in the UK and beyond, and that the ideas and innovations of its membership are recognised as part of the global debate on tackling the challenge of climate change. At the heart of the Institution’s programme is a commitment to supporting and promoting all three approaches to climate change: mitigation, adaptation and geo-engineering. While COP 15 is primarily focused on mitigation through reducing carbon emissions to prevent dangerous global warming, the Institution nevertheless will be taking opportunities to promote adaptation and the assessment of geo-engineering solutions as part of an integrated approach.
Here is an overview of the activities around COP 15 this year:
2 April 2009, SPRU, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
The UK Government is committed to radically reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, yet global mitigation policies and implementations are, at best, inconsistent. Add to this growing scientific evidence that climate change is happening much faster than was previously thought and it is increasingly apparent that regardless of whether the UK mitigation strategy is successful or not, we will have to deal with a far more energetic climate, characterised by more extreme weather events. This SPRU event facilitated debate and brought together invited senior engineers, academics, think-tank representatives and policymakers to discuss the relative merits of the three different approaches to climate change: mitigation, adaptation and geo-engineering. It also looked at how they can be integrated to ensure the UK’s policy approach to climate change is both co-ordinated, effective and fit for purpose in the protection of the nation’s citizens, assets and the economy.
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is privileged to be the UK representative in Future Climate: an international project for participating engineering associations, aimed at helping governments shape realistic and pragmatic policy for reducing the global emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to a sustainable level. The goal of the project is for each association, including the Institution, to develop a technology-based climate plan, and/or highlight specific key technology solutions for its home country for the period up to the year 2050.
The data from the climate plans, technological solutions and scenarios will be used in a joint project report that will be presented to negotiating teams attending the landmark UN Climate Summit, COP 15, in Copenhagen in December this year. They will also provide fact-based evidence for national public debates on energy and climate in the run up to Copenhagen, and beyond.
The initial report for Future Climate has to be delivered by 15 June, while the final report will be submitted by mid-August 2009. The results will be presented at one of the pre-COP 15 meetings to COP delegates.
Great Copenhagen Debate
To get the necessary data to feed into Future Climate, the Energy theme is driving the Institution’s ‘Great Copenhagen Debate’ which is about canvassing views on approaches to carbon emissions from all members working in the fields of environment, energy and transport. More specifically, it is an engagement and consultation programme to encourage Young Members to submit their thoughts, ideas and supporting evidence on engineering approaches to carbon emissions reduction strategy which will be contributed to the Future Climate project.
Participating Young Member Panels are encouraged to organise events that engage members in the technology, policy, regulatory, financial, supply chain and/or skills issues facing the UK in reducing its carbon emissions in the “post-Kyoto” period of 2013 to 2020 (by at least 26% by 2020 from 1990 levels).
The event(s) can be focused on:
- Particular issues (eg transport, built environment, power generation, skills needs) or
- Specific technologies (eg solar PV, bio-fuels, carbon capture & storage) or
- A broader overall look at carbon reduction options
Specific areas of interest include (but are not limited to):
- Development of renewables
- Encouraging low carbon transport choices and the development of fuel-efficient road vehicles
- Energy efficiency in industry and the domestic sector
- Decarbonising centralised power generation (eg nuclear and coal/gas with carbon capture and storage)
- The potential for de-centralized, community and domestic-scale power, heat and transport fuel provision
In order to feed in to the Copenhagen conference, the events will need to be held before end May 2009. Each event would need to be written up in a 2-3 page summary document, describing the participants, major discussion points and recommendations. The key objective should be to engage as many members as possible and encourage them to contribute their views and ideas.
For further information or to register interest
The Institution is extremely well placed to provide UK government with trust-worthy facts and recommendations to shape policy on climate change. The Institution currently has made policy recommendation on Climate Change Adaptation, Geo-engineering and for COP 15 specifically.
IUSS Select Committee Report
The Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee published its inquiry into engineering on 27 March. The 135 page report, Engineering: Turning ideas into reality, is culmination of 12 months of the Committee’s work. The report looked at a number of different aspects of UK engineering, including skills, innovation, engineering advice in policymaking and inspiring young people. To do so the report conducted four case studies into nuclear engineering, plastic electronics, geo-engineering and engineering in Government. Several of the geo-engineering recommendations made by the Institution were adopted and are included in the report.
Adaptation Breakfast Briefing
Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Nick Herbert MP chaired a breakfast briefing on adapting to a changing climate at One Birdcage Walk on 17 March 2009. The event allowed the Institution to communicate the findings of its recent adaptation report to policymakers.
Adaptation Report
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ environment theme report Climate Change: Adapting to the Inevitable? considers the possible climate changes which we may expect over the next 1,000 years due to continuing CO2 emissions, and recommends what engineers need to do to adapt to our future world so that we can cope with these changes.