UK’s outgoing climate business expert, Nigel Topping has said that if governments set more stretching goals and make bold policy decisions, the world could reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions in the early 2040s, significantly ahead of the mid-century climate target.
Topping held the position of high-level champion for the UK’s chair of the UN Cop26 climate conference for two years before handing over to Mahmoud Mohieldin of Egypt late last year during the Cop27 meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Read also: Pakistan seeks help with $16 billion flood rebuilding at U.N. conference
Topping noted that his interactions with businesses had convinced him that governments could act much more quickly without endangering national competitiveness or causing concern within the business sector.
According to him, the Climate Change Committee’s feasible scenario could make the UK achieve net zero by 2042.
“Given that we’ve now got California and Germany saying 2045 is their target, I think you can argue quite strongly that the whole world could get to net zero in the early 2040s, and in many sectors in the late 2030s,” he said.
Story was adapted from The Guardian.
