Atkins shows leadership in campaign to educate profession ahead of monumental world leader gathering - 07 August 2009
A major feature in today’s New Civil Engineer (NCE) marks the launch of a campaign to educate the engineering and design professions in the run up to Copenhagen's United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15) in December.
Atkins chief executive and Construction Industry Council chairman Keith Clarke is playing a prominent role in the campaign, which will see a series of articles published to help our sector understand the challenges and opportunities presented in delivering a low-carbon economy.
This week's feature includes thought leadership articles by Keith and our non-executive director, Sir Peter Williams.
Keith’s industry comment spells out the challenge facing businesses as they move forward in the low-carbon economy: “As climate change is inevitable, so is more legislation. If you’re not already planning ahead - putting in the right training programmes and the right ways of working, it will not be long before you’re struggling to keep up.”
COP 15 will see world leaders gather to discuss a plan which could safeguard the future of this planet by assessing and reducing the risks of climate change. It is hoped that they will leave the 12-day negotiating session having signed up to a set of binding carbon reduction targets to supersede those agreed in Kyoto in 1997. The hope is also that, unlike Kyoto, these targets and any accompanying treaty will be implemented by all of the world’s leading nations.
According to NCE, without universal action to stem greenhouse gas emissions, average global temperatures could rise by up to 6°C by the end of this century, and it is now widely accepted that to avoid the most globally catastrophic effects of climate change we need to limit the rise of global temperature to just 2°C. This means that COP 15 could prove to be one of the most important gatherings of world leaders ever to take place.
Part 2 of NCE’s Road to Copenhagen series will be published on 20 August and will focus on the Climate Change Act.