The Path to a Net Zero UK 2020 Dennis Anderson Lecture

Speaker: Chris Stark, Chief Executive, Climate Change Committee

This lecture will cover ground-breaking new analysis from the Climate Change Committee. It will detail the choices for fully decarbonising the UK economy and advising on a path to meeting the UK’s Net Zero target by 2050 at the latest. The Climate Change Committee’s latest advice will be published on 9 December. The lecture will explore the basis of its recommendations on the UK’s Sixth Carbon Budget - the level of greenhouse gases the UK can emit during the period 2033-2037. Chris will provide a deep dive on how the UK can achieve Net Zero, the landscape as we emerge from the pandemic, and how this feeds into UK climate diplomacy in 2021.

Chris Stark is the Chief Executive of the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC), the public body tasked by the Climate Change Act to be the independent authority on tackling climate change. Chris leads a team of analysts and specialists, offering expert insight into the challenges of reducing UK emissions and adapting to the changing climate. Chris led the CCC’s work in 2019 to recommend a new ‘Net Zero’ target for the UK – now brought into law. He speaks regularly on the transition to a zero-carbon economy and the need to confront climate change with urgency. Chris has wide experience in government. He has designed economic policy in Whitehall, including in HM Treasury and the former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. He was previously Director of Energy and Climate Change in the Scottish Government, leading the development of the Scottish energy and climate strategies.