U.K. Engineering Body Calls for Aggressive Efforts to Cut Emissions

Without drastic measures, the United Kingdom will fail to meet its carbon dioxide reduction targets for 2050 until the next century, says a new report from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. The authors recommend forming a new Department of Energy and Climate Security to accelerate efforts toward cutting emissions by 80% by 2050.

That goal was laid out in the Climate Change Act in 2008, which the report says was a good first step. But the Act does not provide any penalties for failing to reach the target, and that's a problem, say the authors. They predict that by 2050, the United Kingdom will exceed the desired limit by 330 megatons—a three-fold margin.

The report calls for a three-pronged approach: mitigation, adaptation and geo-engineering (MAG). That involves transitioning from a high-carbon to a low-carbon society, preparing to defend society from the likely ravages of climate change, and actively slowing down the increase in temperatures through large-scale engineering initiatives.