Net Zero forum in Dubai: Slash carbon emissions now, not 30 years later, says expert

Now is the time to act to reach the net zero target — the world can no longer wait three decades for changes to happen, said a senior official of Fugro, which specialises in collecting and analysing geological data, both on land and at sea.

“The world is changing faster than ever before as the growing population and urbanisation are putting pressure on resources and infrastructure… There is too much talking. We need to act now, not in 30 years,” Dr Talia Sherrard, manager for geophysics and coastal resilience at Fugro, said during The Journey to Net Zero forum held in Dubai on Wednesday.

Hosted by Khaleej Times, the forum was sponsored by sustainability partner Accenture, Gold Sponsor Trane Technologies, Silver Sponsor Fugro and supported by Clean Energy Business Council, Middle East Solar Industry and Energy Industries Council Mena. The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy officially endorsed the forum.

“We need to act now and shouldn’t be scared to spend money on data as we are investing in our future. Start making decisions and be proactive, not reactive. I personally feel there is a lot of talk going on but there is no decision for implementation of actions,” she said.

Dr Talia added that the biggest challenge is fragmented data related to climate and net zero issues.

“When we consider data, one of the biggest challenges we have is there is not enough quality data. People don’t want to pay for good quality data which means garbage in, garbage out,” she added.

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