Climate change ‘possible to stop’, says Quaker expert

'If rich industrialised countries were to invest in sustainable energy infrastructure in their own countries and in less developed countries, such as a “Marshall Plan for the climate”, it would be in everyone’s interests.'

Climate change is ‘perfectly possible to stop’, said a leading Quaker environmental expert at Friends House last month.

Paul Ekins, from Wandsworth Meeting, was launching his new book Stopping Climate Change: Policies for real zero at Friends House on 23 November when he made the comment. The event was one of a number organised by the Quaker Arts Network (QAN) and the Quaker Centre to coincide with the Loving Earth Project exhibition on show at Friends House until 22 December.

‘Paul Ekins, an expert on environmental and economic policy, has studied the numbers and firmly believes that it’s perfectly possible to stop climate change and indeed reverse the build-up of carbon emissions, if we (the human race) want to,’ Linda Murgatroyd, founder member of QAN, told the Friend. ‘The technology is there and it would be economically beneficial to do so, as well as an ecological necessity. However, governments and business are choosing [not to] with fossil fuel companies singled out as particularly bad guys (though European ones less bad than others).’

‘Instead, if rich industrialised countries were to invest in sustainable energy infrastructure in their own countries and in less developed countries, such as a “Marshall Plan for the climate”, it would be in everyone’s interests. This wide-ranging book sets out the evidence and arguments in some detail. Proposals for how such a Loss and Damage fund could be taken forward will be on the COP28 agenda. Governments and large companies know this is possible, so it’s up to us to hold them to account.’

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