Climate Change Committee Chair - Is the UK ready for extreme climate?

In this interview we recorded at COP29, Professor Hugh Hunt speaks with UK Climate Change Committee Chair, Piers Forster.

[Order 'COPOUT - How governments have failed the people on climate' by Nick Breeze]

Piers clearly asserts that Carbon Capture and Storage technologies (CCS), that are forecast to remove emissions from so-called hard-to-abate sectors like aviation and steel, will not be enough to offset the damage causing carbon pollution.

Whether CCS is viable at any meaningful scale remains highly uncertain. At a time when global heating is accelerating and the destructive impacts, such as fires and floods, are making much of the planet uninsurable, phasing out fossil fuels and reducing carbon pollution has never been a more serious issue.

Forster also responds to questions related to Al Gore calling CCS a fraud and whether the UK is anywhere near prepared for the more extreme climate impacts that are coming towards us. 

The UK must take phasing out fossil fuels and protecting nature seriously, to send a signal that we are truly out of the extractive and destructive 20th century mindset that has become an existential threat.

Thanks for listening.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in UK Decarbonisation

Piers Forster confirmed that CCS plays a role in the UK's net-zero strategy, particularly for difficult-to-decarbonise industries and sectors like aviation, which faces major challenges in reducing emissions. He emphasised that "you can't get there all the way with carbon capture and storage," making it clear that reducing emissions must remain the priority. The UK government has earmarked £22 billion for CCS over 25 years, mainly to support two industrial clusters, ensuring a "just transition" without shutting down key industries like Port Talbot and Grangemouth.

Response to Al Gore’s Accusation that CCS “… is a fraud!”

When asked about Al Gore calling CCS a "fraud," Forster acknowledged concerns, stating, "it depends on the context." He explained that CCS should not be used to justify fossil fuel expansion but should be reserved for sectors with no viable alternatives. "As soon as you say you want to use it for generating electricity, that's not a good use of it at all," he said, advocating for renewables like wind and solar instead.

UK Preparedness for Extreme Weather

Forster was clear about the UK's lack of readiness:

"We are absolutely not prepared. We should be. We are encouraging the government to really think about climate resilience, just as it thinks about reducing its emissions.”

He stressed the need for urgent action to protect infrastructure, homes, and lives from increasing climate risks.