Six years ago the Paris Agreement (COP21) was adopted as the first inter-governmental, legally binding, action plan to combat the climate crisis. With ambitious goals to restrict the increase in global average temperature to “well below” 2°C above pre-industrial levels, by driving international efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C. COP21 laid strong foundations and drove political momentum for new climate deals.
In the UK, by June 2020, over 200 businesses had urged the Government to announce a substantial COVID-19 recovery plan that aligned with the UK’s social environmental and climate goals; forging a £12 billion relief package aimed to benefit the green economy across the country through a variety of initiatives including; carbon capture and storage (CCS), hydrogen engines, electric vehicles, and increasing our production of nuclear and renewable energy. Several months later 120 countries joined the “Race to Zero” to build momentum for the shift to a decarbonized economy ahead of COP26.
The most significant international climate summit since the 2015 agreement, the COP26 is expected to establish new actions and initiatives for tackling the climate crisis; from driving down emissions with mid-century reduction goals, to protecting nature from the impacts of climate change and raising annual targets for climate finance. Over 197 countries across the globe are now gearing up to attend — and work together — to ensure the negotiations are a success.
Our Commitment
At Fera, we recognise the tensions of environmental change, geopolitical uncertainty and population growth with the need for food security, the elimination of food poverty and how these tensions impact all areas of the agri-food-environment worldwide. Our science is driven by the need for radical innovation in food production— and environmental conservation— if humankind is to feed itself whilst restoring the planet for future generations.
As a socially responsible, responsive and market-led scientific expert services organization with over 100 years of experience and leading research and development capabilities across agri-food science, with our “Forward Thinking for the Whole Food System” science strategy we apply Original Thinking to support sustainable global food production and address the most demanding UN Sustainable Development Goals.
From plant and bee health, to crop protection, sustainable agriculture, food and feed quality and chemical safety in the environment, we support both public and commercial sectors to bridge the gap between research and impact across the whole food system.
At Fera we are equally committed to educating, informing and inspiring younger generations to support and address the long-term goals of the COP conference; supporting a variety of collaborative post-graduate studentships and apprenticeship posts designed to foster emerging talent and original thinking across the agri-food-environment sector.
If you would like to find out more about our science strategy, click here to download or view online.
Interested in how we can work together to mitigate climate change? With thanks to funding from the University of York, Andrew Swift, CEO of Fera, and Wendy Martindale will be attending COP26 in Glasgow from 6-9th November.
If you’re attending the event and want to find out more about how we can work together, click here to book a meeting.