Source: GovNet

A member of the Comment:Visions team attended the GovNet Communication’s Science and Innovation 2010 Conference at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster, London on 16 June.

 The theme of the event was the need to address the way the UK supports its science and technology talent and turning the support into economic growth. Representatives from all over the industry attended the conference—including businesspeople, academics, researchers, and individuals in the public service.

 Issues discussed in both panel presentations and seminars included:

• How to recruit more students into fields of science
• The need to diversify the talent pool to include more women and other minorities
• How to train people and hone the skills needed to do business in the industry
• How to gain more funding for research and innovation

David Kennedy, CEO of the Committee on Climate Change addressed the need to use science and innovation to create a low carbon economy. It is completely possible for the UK (and humans in general) to keep the same lifestyle we have now but lower carbon emissions, he said.

Kennedy stressed that people cannot wait for governments to act, citing COP-15 as “disappointing” that a more concrete and aggressive agreement wasn’t reached. However, he did say that the UK is making progress in government with the Climate Change Act of 2008 which created his committee and set a goal of 80 percent reduction in emissions by 2050.

“We need to invest in the right technologies,” Kennedy said, challenging science and technology leaders to work toward the emissions reduction goal and create jobs in the process. According to Kennedy, technologies such as electric and hydrogen cars, nuclear energy, clean coal, carbon capture and storage, and the many renewables need to be fine tuned and made available for mass distribution. He also suggested a need for more research and development in agriculture, as that makes up for a large part of carbon emissions all over the world.

The Committee on Climate Change will be presenting a report to Parliament with suggestions for new policies, such as a mandate for electric car battery charging stations, the phasing out of fossil fuels (for both environmental and security purposes) and more funding for innovation in the environmental science and technology realm.

– Eva Posner