I was very pleased (& surprised!) to hear that I along with my co-authors Dr Wolfgan Knorr and Sir Prof Bob Watson were awarded a 2022 Covering Climate journalism award for our 2021 article Climate scientists: the concept of net zero is a dangerous trap published by The Conversation in partnership with Apple News. We won Best Commentary.
The award citation reads:
“The concept of net zero is the new darling of governments and companies that aim to be climate-friendly and responsible. But what exactly does net zero mean, and is it trully a reliable guidepost to climate progress? This compelling piece of science commentary by three leading academics forcefully makes the case against putting too much trust in net zero. The judges were impressed with the level of detail and rigor in this thought-provoking argument about an issue that too often goes unexamined in mainstream discourse. The authors suggest that the tantalizing possibility of carbon removal strategies distracts focus from the most viable way to tackle the climate crisis: transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Although grounded in an abundance of scientific data, this commentary makes a technical, evidence-heavy argument accessible to the average reader. Commissioned by The Conversation, a nonprofit news organization that endeavors to bring the expertise of academics to the public, and published in tandem with Apple News, the piece was republished in multiple languages. It’s no surprise it caught the attention of climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and was widely shared through social media.”
All the winners are listed here: