Lord Julian Hunt is Professor of Climate Modelling at University College, London and Academic Director of the Lighthill Risk Network, the community of scientific and business experts on risk (including climate change) with which Lloyd’s has a partnership. He was Director-General and Chief Executive of the Meteorological Office from 1992-1997.
What one single thing convinces you most that climate change is taking place?
It’s been recognised in the past year that ocean temperatures have increased by half a degree over the past 50 years. This data seems to be very good and we have been seeing evidence of it with a series of hot summers.
What is the most important thing you are personally doing on climate change?
My political role. We have to get legislators around the world to understand they have to make changes. I am working with Global Legislators for a Balanced Environment, which works with lawmakers in the G8 countries but also Mexico, Brazil, India, China and South Africa. We’re trying to get them to understand the issue because the Kyoto Protocol needs to be renewed and discussions will start at the 2008 G8 meeting in Japan.
There’s so much noise about climate change - are people in danger of becoming complacent?
At first people just read about it in the media but then something happens to make it real for them. For example, we saw this happen with the scare about the ozone layer a decade ago. People realised aerosols were a bad thing and stopped using them. We saw this again with the scare about genetically-modified food. When issues are brought down to local buying decisions, people realise they can change things.
Is the Government doing enough to raise awareness and tackle climate change?
No. Generally carbon taxes and carbon trading are needed. In addition we urgently need to renegotiate the Chicago Convention of 1944 which says no tax should be levied on aviation fuel. The reason people fly short distances at the moment is that it can be much cheaper to do so because there are fuel taxes on energy for trains. This must change.
