Innovation Zero highlights urgency of climate response

The urgency of the response to climate change was highlighted at the opening of Innovation Zero at Olympia in London.

Event chair Dr Liam Fox MP faced persistent heckling from climate activists questioning his suitability in the role given his alleged connections to the oil and gas industry and support for new North Sea drilling licences. Those interrupting proceedings claimed politicians were ignoring IPCC warnings over the severity of climate change.

Dr Fox championed the role of innovators but also called for a sense of urgency to deal with the problem of the climate emergency.

That criticism for Dr Fox could not be levelled at the event organisers who had scheduled the first speaker as Professor Jim Skea, Chair of the IPCC who reminded the audience that 2023 had been the hottest on record, sparking off extreme weather events and continues sea level rises.

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Skea predicted more such impacts over the coming years as the globe heads towards a breach of the agreed climate change targets. Prof, Skea referred to the loss of hundreds of species due to sea temperature rises and damage to the eco-system that was approaching irreversible.

On a more positive note he pointed to the progress that had been made and the “start of a bend in the emission trend”.

“We have made progress. Twenty countries reported a reversal in emission upward trend and the trends in solar batteries and wind technologies have been a textbook example of climate innovation.” However, Prof Skea said that energy supply was the “easy part” and that we will not realise our climate ambitions without action on the demand side, which requires influencing large numbers of individuals. A 40-70% reduction in emissions could be achieved by 2040 just by demand side management and we have the tools to do this,” said Skea.

Speaking later to the press, Liam Fox expressed some sympathy for the message of the Just Stop Oil protesters who had been disrupting speakers throughout the day, but he said he had no sympathy for their methods, which were preventing the serious debate around the issues.

Dr Fox’s views appeared to diverge from those on the right wing of the Conservative Party when he said that “scrapping net zero would be rejected by voters.”