Delivering Net Zero: The Role of Research, 2021

In June 2019, the UK Government amended its Climate Change Act to become the first major economy in the world to make a legally binding commitment to Net Zero (NZ) emissions by 2050. To meet this target of net zero requires large-scale and extensive innovation across the UK energy system. This will require change within all sectors and industries, fast paced technological advancement and substantive social engagement alongside changes in practices and behaviour. Given the scale of change and investment required it is therefore vital that decisions are taken based on the best available scientific evidence. The aim of this project was to ensure that the research funded by the UKRI Energy and Decarbonisation Programme had the maximum opportunity to inform and guide the response of UK decision makers to climate change. By the end of the project, a shared vision had been developed that outlined a narrative for net zero in the short term (the next 10 years) and the long term (the following 10 years) by leading UK academics and others. It also identified those areas in which consensus could not be achieved, clarifying where further research, wider engagement, or political interventions to prioritise key ethical principles or contested values, might serve to help such conflict. The data collections consists of data collected from a series of workshops with participants with expertise across the climate and energy field. The workshops were organised to explore the extent of consensus around a shared narrative for how NZ can be achieved. We also explored with participants the potential role of research in delivering this narrative. Following a brief overview of our methods, this paper distils 12 ‘conditions’ for delivering NZ which synthesise key messages for multiple stakeholder groups including the public, private and third sector, and the research community.