The Bowman Lecture 2021 - The Path to Net Zero: data, evidence and policy

Chris Stark & Keith Bell, UK Climate Change Committee, Monday, 18th October 2021, 6pm

Climate change is one of the world's most pressing issues. At COP26 in Glasgow in November, many of the world's heads of state will meet to try to reach agreement on how to mitigate its effects. In the UK, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) is a high profile body which was established by Government to provide independent advice on how to reach 'net zero'. In this public lecture, two members of the CCC will review what needs to be done and progress so far in achieving this. High quality data and clear quantitative thinking lie at the heart of the issues.

The lecture will be delivered live in the University of Glasgow campus, although numbers will be restricted. It will also be broadcast on-line simultaneously. Registration is required at https://bowman-lecture-2021.eventbrite.co.uk 

Chris Stark is Chief Executive of the CCC. He led the work to recommend a ‘Net Zero’ target for the UK and has since directed detailed analysis and advice on the UK’s path to carbon neutrality over the coming decades. He speaks regularly on the transition to a zero carbon economy and the need to confront climate change with urgency. Chris has wide experience in government. He has designed economic policy in Whitehall, including in HM Treasury and the former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. He was previously Director of Energy and Climate Change in the Scottish Government, leading the development of the Scottish energy and climate strategies.

Keith Bell FRSE is a member of the CCC. He holds the Scottish Power Chair in Smart Grids at the University of Strathclyde, having previously worked as an electrical engineering researcher in Bath, Manchester and Naples, and as a system development engineer in the electricity supply industry in England. He is a co-Director of the UK Energy Research Centre, is involved in CIGRE, the International Council of Large Electric Systems, and has advised the Scottish, UK and Irish governments and the UK’s office of gas and electricity markets, Ofgem, on electrical energy and power systems issues.

The Bowman lectures aim to highlight the crucial role of the science of Statistics, and the Mathematical Sciences more generally, in addressing major issues of public importance.