UK Govt Appoints Bell to Climate Committee

The UK energy minister Claire Perry has appointed Professor Keith Bell to the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said April 4. 

Bell is a professor of electronic and electrical engineering at the University of Strathclyde and takes up the position of power sector specialist on the committee for a five-year term, succeeding Jim Skea.

Keith Bell is a co-director of the UK Energy Research Centre and a chartered engineer and he has given advice in recent years on electricity system issues to national and local government in the UK. 

Commenting on his appointment, he said: "The science is clear: man-made climate change represents a significant threat to the environment, lifestyles and economies of the world. As one of the world’s leading economies, the UK has a responsibility to play its part in tackling this challenge. Real progress is being made around the world in decarbonising electricity; that journey is not yet complete with some serious issues to tackle, but an even greater challenge in the energy sector now is decarbonising transport and heat."

CCC chairman Lord Deben (John Gummer) said Bell's expertise would be vital in the search for decarbonised transport and heat. He expressed his thanks to Skea, a founding CCC member.