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A VIEW FROM COP26 an increased positive contribution.
If we did that, I expect we would
get more done sooner, which would
only help to bring down cumulative
emissions, limit the impact of climate
In his own words, IGEM CEO Oliver Lancaster shares his change and reduce investment
takeaways from the conference needed to adapt to climate change.
We can sometimes spend too much
time trying to design a perfect 2050,
when really we can get on with so
much in the next few years that offers
little in the way of regret.
We need to maintain a sharp focus
on the things that are required of
us, working with a wide community
striving to give the different demand
sectors an affordable and secure way to
decarbonise, while not asking too much
of domestic customers when it comes
to behaviour change and disruption.
The gas industry has an array of
action to be working on now. This
is already happening all around us
with the increased connection of
biomethane, which is soon to be
given a boost by the new Green Gas
Support Scheme – but I’m sure there’s
OLLIE AT COP26 more we can be doing to strategically
reach wider and do more.
COP26 HAS DELIVERED more than only be achieved with policy detail,
expected and there are plenty of investment and action to deliver on all "We need to maintain a
reasons to be optimistic. It’s probably the promises – and business, including
quite fair to say that there was some IGEM, is raring to go. sharp focus on the things
pessimism around what could be Let’s all, as an energy sector, get on that are required of us,
achieved at COP26, with only a few with things, rather than wasting our working with a wide
glass-half-full folk quietly suggesting energy on pulling others down. We
that it could surprise us all. have no time to waste in delivery of community striving to give
And do you know what? I think action, but we probably have a few the different demand sectors
those with a bit of optimism have been years where we don’t need to fuss an affordable and secure
proved right. Despite the fact that ourselves with how much capacity way to decarbonise, while
businesses seem more ready to go than we need of different things – an
our governments, significant progress optimised energy system target and not asking too much of
has been made to bring the average outcome can wait a little. domestic customers when it
global temperature rise within the 1.5- During one event in Glasgow, I comes to behaviour change
2°C bracket agreed in Paris at COP21. was asked to consider the subject of and disruption."
Although looking only at current anger. Are we angry? Should we be
nationally determined contributions angry? How should we be using our
(NDCs) doesn’t lead to a satisfactory anger? My take on this in the context We all know that we can’t take our
temperature rise outcome, when of climate change was that anger is a foot off the pedal when it comes to
they are paired with wider pledges, natural response to denial or to not delivering the programme of hydrogen
promises, commitments and doing enough quickly. I personally transformation activity, such as
announcements, the last month of don’t get too angry about much, but hydrogen blending, new hydrogen
activity has brought the expected working in anger towards something appliances, hydrogen heating
temperature rise down from 2.7°C to works well for me when there are demonstrators and in development
1.8°C, according to analysis by the pressing needs, such as this. of infrastructure to support scaled
International Energy Agency. Too much anger is distracting hydrogen production as demand
I’ve heard from authoritative and can be misplaced in negative from industry and transport grows.
sources that a pathway to 1.6- campaigning against different These are just some of the things our
1.7°C is very much alive, which is energy vectors, technologies, ideas sector is leading on to play our part,
great; however, each decimal point and opinions. It would be so much and IGEM is at the centre of this from
makes a massive difference, and better and healthier if that wasted technical, safety, skills and policy
we only have about a year or two to energy (excuse the pun) was instead perspectives to enable projects, set
ratchet the pathway down to 1.5°C channelled into delivering action in standards and facilitate the future as
degrees. Clearly, this pathway can each person’s area of expertise to make we transition to net zero.

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