Prof Kevin Anderson |Worst of both worlds - dire impacts + less carbon budget

In this ClimateGenn episode, I am speaking with professor Kevin Anderson from the Tyndall Centre at Manchester University.

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This is a longer interview with many, I believe, crucial points for consideration.

We discuss our current usage of the available carbon budget for 1.5ºCelsius at just under 1% per month.

Also the dangerous and foolish behaviour of UK Secretary of State for Energy, Kwasi Kwarteng, in trying to reclassify natural gas (methane), as a green gas in order to increase investment.

Download the Phase-Out Paper being discussed: https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/files/213256008/Tyndall_Production_Phaseout_Report_final_text_3_.pdf

Kevin Anderson Quotes:

“Practically and morally, we are obliged to help [poorer nations] leapfrog over their fossil fuel period.”

“Every month we are using just under 1% of the carbon budget.”

“Senior academics are the new climate skeptics in my view!”

“Natural gas - Methane is a transition fuel… to 4ºC”

“We all paint a picture that fits with our world view but as we reassess that world view repeatedly, eventually it doesn’t sit with our world view.”

“It is disturbing and interesting in the law that we will protect things that are causing incredible damage and we will prosecute things that are trying to stop that incredible damage being caused.”

“Particularly academics, we are paid to be honest and direct about our research and we will sweeten the pill, hugely sweeten the pill in public and I think that is deeply arrogant, of often very decent people, fast we think the public can’t deal with it”

“The policymakers are simply not up to the job.”

In March, Kevin and colleagues at the Tyndall Centre released a research paper titled: Phaseout Pathways for Fossil Fuel Production within Paris-compliant Carbon Budgets. I begin by asking Kevin to clarify the critical points of this paper as he can do this much more clearly than I can!

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