"Futures We Want" : a COP 26 project that does good.

• The new international project COP26 presents desirable and achievable visions for a net zero-emission future in six regions of the world.
• From restored coastal wetlands and climate-resilient crops to electric bikes and saltwater greenhouses, research highlights the benefits of a transition to a climate-resilient future, including new jobs, improved health and quality of life, and safe food and water supplies.
• The Futures We Want project puts scientific evidence, international collaboration and the priorities of local citizens at the forefront of COP26.

After four months of international collaboration between academics, businesses, civil society and citizens around the world, the COP 26 Futures We Want project , which was unveiled a few days ago, is shining hope for a future. global net zero achievable, beneficial, resilient and desirable for nations around the world.

Bridging the gap between scientific evidence and citizen insight through a series of virtual workshops, this global project commissioned before the UK COP Presidency brought together young people, indigenous and rural communities, civil society, businesses and industry from six regions of the world, using world-class research and evidence to envision their priorities, hopes and desires for their future.

Comprising communities from the UK, Jamaica, Brazil, Kenya, UAE, Saudi Arabia and India, this COP26 flagship program for science and innovation explored diverse perspectives and solutions to the daily impacts of climate change, such as power generation, agriculture, waste and water management, building design, reforestation and ocean conservation.

The global citizens group explored the range of net zero emissions and resilience solutions that exist around the world, and recognized that realizing this future would bring many opportunities and benefits such as the creation of new jobs, improving our health and quality of life, and ensuring a sustainable supply of food and water.

“The science is clear, we must act now to put the world on the path to net zero emissions if we are to limit global warming and keep 1.5 ° C within reach. This means that all countries, businesses and individuals have an important role to play. These visions of a net zero world, released today ahead of COP26, describe how a transition to a climate resilient future can be a real opportunity to create new green jobs, build sustainable economies and improve performance. health and quality of life for millions of people. "

President-designate of COP26, Alok Sharma

These visions, which will be presented at COP26, highlight feasible and desirable solutions to climate change and celebrate international collaboration, science and innovation, ensuring they are at the heart of the COP26 negotiations of November.

“Science and innovation are powerful tools we must use to inform ambitious climate action as we work towards a desirable global future of net zero emissions. The international collaboration of academics and governments is essential to achieve a just transition to a climate-resilient future and to understand the perspectives of citizens, including indigenous communities and youth, and will guide us on a realistic and achievable path to a future of many opportunities and co-benefits. "

Paul Monks, Chief Scientific Advisor in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and champion of the Futures We Want project

“This project brought together civil society, academia, business and government to create compelling visions of a net zero and climate resilient future. This collaborative approach is essential for these visions to become reality in the years to come. At the forefront of COP26 and beyond, we hope that policymakers, negotiators and other decision-makers can use these visions to inspire and catalyze climate action. "

Hannah Routh, Climate Change and Sustainability Partner at Deloitte, who helped lead the project

“COP26 can be the start of building a new positive future if there is enough ambition. Partners and collaborators around the world have helped us put citizens and evidence at the heart of policy making. Together, we have visualized a set of possible desirable futures by identifying many challenges and solutions that must be addressed to achieve a global zero carbon future that is fair and beneficial for all. "

Emily Shuckburgh, director of Cambridge Zero and chair of the project's international expert committee

“Bringing together academia, industry and local citizens, Futures We Want provides valuable information on how people can become more engaged in climate action. Efforts to tackle climate change will have limited success without the participation of local citizens; leveraging this local knowledge will be critical to achieving a resilient, net zero future. AECOM is proud to have been part of this pioneering collaboration that helps regions envision their own future of mitigation, adaptation and resilience. "

Colin Wood, Managing Director - Europe, AECOM

“The strengths of this project derive from its localized and human-centered responses to our common global crisis. Urgent regional impacts were confronted with local institutions, technologies and culture. It generated mind-blowing creative energy. By then elevating those responses to a level where we get a global frame of reference, we begin to see how regional mindsets and strengths can weave a web of complementary solutions with positive cumulative impact on a planetary scale. "

Jonathan Shanahan, sustainability campaigns director at Radley Yeldar

“The Futures We Want project provides an updated inventory of the latest scientific evidence and a compendium of actions by state and non-state actors around climate action. The way he blended the distinct cultures of science, policy and human service illustrates how net zero neutrality and climate resilience can be achieved around the world. These visions co-created ahead of the COP26 conference in November provide valuable information relevant to decision-making and actionable approaches to implement ambitious, far-sighted and inclusive commitments towards a net zero emissions just future and resilient to the economy. weather. "

Dr Linda Nkatha Gichuyia, member of the Kenyan expert committee

For example, the Arabian Peninsula's vision for a resilient, net zero future welcomes the development of green deserts, improved water security, seawater greenhouses, and solar thermal power generation. . Brazil's vision highlights the need for innovative businesses that harness and celebrate the biodiversity of the Amazon, and agroecological practices that increase yields and make crops more climate resilient.

India's vision harnesses the country's best assets to power its homes with solar energy and use nature-based solutions, such as wetland waste management systems, to supply communities with clean drinking water, while Jamaica plans to implement leading natural protection against hurricanes and floods through restored reefs and coastal mangrove swamps to protect its citizens and the environment.

The UK's vision is making the most of its resources as a coastal nation, championing its role as part of a net zero global community that trades with and learns from other countries, always putting the emphasis on focus on sustainable businesses. Kenya's vision calls for solar-powered drip irrigation systems, greater use of indigenous crops, and health systems that can withstand climate change and remain accessible to all.

As the holders of this year's G7 and COP26 Presidency, today's launch builds on the government's promise to lead the UK and the nations of the world in supporting a just global transition to a climate resilient, net zero future - a future that frees up green jobs, cleaner air and growing prosperity, without harming the planet and intensifying the impacts of climate change.

Just two months away from the COP26 conference in Glasgow, the COP Presidency is committed to working with the nations of the world to rebuild greener, ensure global net zero and keep 1.5 degrees within reach.