Professor Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, says:
“I am pleased to see the international agreement was published today at COP28 after two weeks of intensive discussion, having included a firm commitment to move away from fossil fuels. Our world is already at a tipping point that requires our global leaders and our generation to transform the world from an economy driven and enabled primarily by fossil fuels to one powered by renewable sources of energy.
“As engineers we have a solemn responsibility to future generations to create a sustainable society in which our own economic development does not compromise their ability to meet their own needs. Transitioning to net zero, in both high- and lower- income countries, is in fact an opportunity to create new markets, innovative technologies and opportunities from which everyone can benefit. For example, offshore floating wind has enormous potential and could provide a practical route for oil and gas workers to transfer their skills to renewable energy.
“Engineering will be at the heart of the net zero transition and the commitments made today can only be achieved using a systems approach that considers this as a holistic environmental, social, policy and technological challenge.”
