“Am I hopeful about the future? Yes, I am”: A Q&A with Centre Director, Shaun Fitzgerald

The Centre for Climate Repair is dedicated to pioneering innovative strategies to tackle the escalating climate crisis. At the helm is Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering whose work spans across research, business, government policy, and public engagement.

"I spent nearly all of my career in emissions reductions before realising that we are going to need to do more than that,” says Shaun, in a new Q&A in which he shares his perspectives on the Centre's mission and the urgent need for a multifaceted approach to tackling climate change.

Reducing emissions is absolutely critical but no longer sufficient, he warns, as all the scenarios now considered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change see us overshooting 1.5 degrees C of warming. Climate interventions such as marine cloud brightening and ice thickening could play a key role in buying us more time to get greenhouse gas levels down.

But these technologies bring their own challenges and ethical considerations. Shaun advocates for more research to provide greater clarity about their risks and benefits, and involving diverse global voices, particularly those on the front line of climate impacts, in discussions about their development and possible deployment.

As global concern about the climate crisis grows, Shaun remains optimistic that practical measures like these could help us to secure a safer and more stable future climate. "I sometimes see reactions to climate change that concern me. There are people who say, ‘Well, it’s all going to hell in a handcart, but I'm not going to be here in 50 years’ time, so why should I bother trying to change anything?’

“And then there's another reaction: climate anxiety, especially in younger people; just feeling really worried, and that worry eating away at them. And that's why I think this is worth caring about. Because, we can do something about it. To help people who are in both those camps, we’re going to give you some options.”

Read the full Q&A