On a bright morning in April, people in the city of Jalandhar in the state of Punjab stood out in the streets and saw something breath-taking… something that many of them had never seen before. The skies were so clear that for the first time in decades the soaring peaks of the Himalayas standing almost 200km away to the north east were visible to the naked eye.

But these were not the only people to see something incredible. As the world locked down to stop the spread of COVID-19, cities all over the world from Beijing to London, reported clearer skies and better air quality. 

These examples show how quickly Planet Earth can recover when the use of fossil fuels falls drops and is being seen by many as an opportunity to strengthen global resolve towards reducing carbon emissions and transitioning towards a net zero carbon world.

But to meet our Net Zero targets, keep our skies clear, and to reverse climate change will require strong leadership from government, commitment from society, and the harnessing of every tool at our disposal.

Guests

Chris Ball, Managing Director for Nuclear, Atkins

Tony Meehan, Transport Consultancy Lead, Atkins

Vicky Hutchinson, Environmental Practice Director, Atkins

Supporter

Atkins, part of the SNC-Lavalin Group, is one of the world’s most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies.

Employing over 18,000 people across the UK, North America, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Europe, Atkins utilities the latest technology to deliver major capital projects, and provide expert consultancy for clients across the energy, transportation and infrastructure sectors

Resources

https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/4647/covid-19_recovery_choices_shape_future_climate

https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/index.php/copernicus-tracks-no-clear-sign-yet-increase-pollutants-across-europe-good-news

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/drop-in-air-pollution-over-northeast

https://theicct.org/publications/charging-gap-UK-2020

http://explore.atkinsglobal.com/engineeringnetzero/

The post #72 Seeing the Himalayas: Kickstarting Net Zero first appeared on Engineering Matters.