#COP21: Centre for Alternative Technology, Zero Carbon – Making it Happen

The Centre for Alternative Technology has today launched a report exploring the barriers to achieving zero carbon emissions in the UK.

Speaking at a side event during the UNFCCC climate talks in Paris today, Paul Allen, coordinator of the Zero Carbon Britain research project at CAT said: “Our initial findings show that there is a wealth of research, and insights, from a wide range of disciplines on the barriers to achieving a zero carbon future – and how we overcome them. It must be said, and it is not unexpected, that there is more clarity and conviction about the barriers than the solutions. The initial findings explore a range of disciplines including psychology, sociology, economics, politics, media and communication and the arts and ways that barriers to change can be overcome.”

Adrian Ramsay, CEO of CAT said: “The climate science could not be clearer. The world must plan to move rapidly beyond fossil fuels and eliminate our greenhouse gases by mid-century. We know that we have the technology to do this. The initial findings of Making it Happen show that it is time to go beyond talking-we must now make it happen.”

In order to stabilise the world’s climate and stay below the globally agreed limit of 2ºC with high certainty, the world urgently needs to eradicate fossil fuels and adopt renewable based energy systems. Tackling such a complex global challenge requires a new kind of approach, and “Zero Carbon: Making it happen!” seeks to explore cutting-edge thinking from those working across a wide range of disciplines in order to identify barriers to action, and explore the means by which we overcome them.” The Zero Carbon Britain team at CAT have been encouraging dialogue between researchers working in fields as diverse as economics, psychology, sociology, community, history, politics, law, democracy, arts, culture, business & the media – to explore the barriers to tackling runaway climate change.

Download the report here.