President of the Royal Society comments on UK government's 2050 climate change pledge

In light of the UK government's pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, the President of the Royal Society, Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, says:

“The UK is leading the way in policy making to tackle climate change and today’s upgrade to the Climate Change Act is another very welcome contribution. We must now press on with how we deliver a cleaner, more prosperous economy that sets a global standard.

“There is rightly debate about the costs and practicalities of delivering on decarbonising our economy but that debate must also be informed by the costs of not taking action. We must also think about the potential benefits of being a world leader in developing the new technologies that will deliver a low carbon future.

“The UK is at the heart of this global debate because of political leadership and the outstanding quality of our science. That is where we want to stay.”