This is a past event
What can we say about the climate of the 21st century?
UK energy policy is dictated by the 2008 Climate Change Act that aims to reduce UK CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050. Billions have been spent on climate research worldwide and billions more are about to be spent building new low carbon energy infrastructure. How certain are forecasts of future climate change?
Hear from two leading climate scientists on the differing perspectives of predicting our future climate.
Professor Alastair Dawson, presently Senior Research Fellow in the School of Geosciences at the University of Aberdeen, will focus on past global climate change, and how it can help us understand present and future climate, with examples of key geological and historical archives of past climate that shed light on how we understand our present climate.
Dr Jason Lowe, Head of Climate Knowledge Integration at the Met Office Hadley Centre, will speak about climate models, how they are used, and their limitations. He will also explore what the future might be like if we do – and if we do not - significantly reduce man-made emissions of greenhouse gases.