In this discussion, Adair Turner, Lord Turner of Etchinswell, chair of the Energy Transitions Commission, delves into the urgent need for climate action. He highlights the promising advancements in solar and battery technologies but warns about the political challenges facing rapid decarbonization. Turner emphasizes the role of nuclear power in a diversified energy portfolio, advocates for innovative electricity pricing, and critiques global climate finance complexities, all while maintaining an optimistic outlook on achieving net zero by 2070-2080.

Adair Turner, chair of the Energy Transitions Commission and former head of the UK’s climate committee, dives into the urgent challenge of global decarbonization. He discusses the alarming rise in carbon emissions and the need for immediate action. Turner believes the EU and China can lead a renewable energy revolution, despite setbacks from political leaders like Donald Trump. The conversation also touches on the potential of geoengineering as a last resort and the complexities of implementing equitable climate solutions globally.

Adair Turner, the former chairman of the UK Financial Services Authority and current head of the Energy Transitions Commission, shares his insights on critical climate issues. He warns about the potential risks to U.S. climate goals if Trump returns to power. Turner discusses the challenges of deindustrialization in Europe and supports the need for carbon borders. He downplays fears over reliance on Chinese cleantech and emphasizes that AI datacenters may require regulatory oversight to navigate the energy transition effectively.

Leaders from various sectors, including Andrew Steer and Adair Turner, discuss the urgency of climate action and the launch of Mission 2025. They emphasize the importance of collective action, government-business collaboration, investor engagement, and business leadership for sustainability. The focus is on driving ambitious climate targets, addressing nature loss, and advocating for transformative action to achieve the 1.5-degree climate target.

What now for the world? Governments have reached a climate deal which gets us closer to holding temperatures rises to 1.5C. But a last-ditch effort from India and China to water down pledges to phase out coal has led some to consider COP26 a failure. Yes, COP26 could have achieved more but is this agreement one that could potentially be seen as a strong foundation on which the world can build for the future?To debate the motion we heard from Bim Afolami, MP for Hitchin and Harpenden and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Renewable and Sustainable Energy; Clover Hogan, climate activist, researcher on eco-anxiety and the founding Executive Director of Force of Nature; Caroline Lucas, former leader of the Green Party and MP for Brighton Pavilion; and Adair Turner, Chair of the Energy Transitions Commission.Chair for this week's debate was Helen Czerski, one of the UK’s most popular science presenters.—We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2. And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today.Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices