Transformative action on climate change
Climate change is an immediate, immense, and inescapable threat to humanity.
Despite the scale of what must be done, we have reason to be optimistic about our ability to face those challenges. Complex connections between people, the economy, and the environment created the threat of climate change, so we can also use them to fight back.
We also know that rapid action will unlock ‘the economic opportunity of the 21st Century’ and will be far more cost-effective than facing the spiralling costs of delay and inaction.
As part of our recommendations to the UK Government for 2024-2029, the IES published this chapter on 'transformative action on climate change', which sets out recommendations on climate mitigation and adaptation.
Our recommendations for the UK Government
- Commit to a ‘transformative change’ approach to reshaping unsustainable systems, addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution together.
- Take an integrated approach to climate adaptation alongside climate mitigation, bringing resilience funding and support in line with the scale of the UK’s adaptation challenge.
- Deliver ambitious action to mitigate UK emissions, closing the gap between current commitments and a plan aligned with 1.5°c, with explicit implementation plans.
- Work with communities and NGOs on a ‘just transition’ away from fossil fuels which fairly distributes costs and benefits so that no communities are left behind.
- Work with businesses to unlock private finance and drive corporate sustainability that supports a nature-positive future.
Find out more
Read our recommendations for other fields of environmental science in 'Our Shared Mission for Sustainable Wellbeing'.
To find out more about the topic, you can read our briefing on COP30 of the UNFCCC, follow our recap on COP30, or find out what happened next at the Santa Marta Climate Conference. To support interdisciplinary climate action, join our Climate Action Community.
If you want to support the work of the IES, you can become an affiliate, or if you’re a professional in the environmental sector working with science, consider joining the IES.
Header image credit: © Kirill Gorlov | Adobe Stock
