Understanding the impact of human activity on our climate is a complex problem and minimising further increases to the Earth’s temperature is no easy task. Governments and policy makers will depend on science and data to enable evidence-based decision making as they set new climate policy. As the UK’s National Metrology Institute, NPL has a key role to play.

This year, the UK hosted the 26th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties, COP26, in Glasgow from 1-12 November. A complementary Youth Summit took place on 28-30 September in Milan, as the UK and Italy share this year’s COP Presidency. COP26 provided an opportunity for the UK to lead on the delivery of ambitious global climate action.

The UK has set a legally binding target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (2045 in Scotland). Throughout 2021, in the lead up to COP26 and beyond, NPL will be showcasing our world-class facilities along with our science and measurement expertise which is supporting both UK and global climate ambitions.

The Measurement for our planet programme will shine a spotlight on our work in delivering solutions for climate science, emissions measurements and showcase how we are supporting the innovation that will drive the decarbonisation of power, heat, manufacturing, agriculture and transport.

Along with legally binding net zero obligations, the UK’s commitment to leading on climate action is demonstrated through the strategies outlined in the government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. 

Effective climate solutions require global cooperation. Having confidence in the data derived from the many observations and models that are used to understand the way our climate is changing is vital. Evidence-based climate action requires accurate, reliable data to ensure the greatest impact of the actions we take. This data must be comparable between countries and over time periods spanning decades.

NPL’s metrology expertise delivers the confidence that policy makers and industry leaders need to understand the impact of their decisions.