By Richard Threlfall, Chair of Engineers Against Poverty
London Climate Action Week has become a fixture in the global calendar of climate events and as it kicks off this week, Engineers Against Poverty is one of thousands of organisations taking part.
This collective demonstration of determination to drive action on climate may feel at odds with the geopolitical environment, where climate seems to be slipping down the agenda. But we shouldn’t assume that the reactionary positions of some governments is representative of what is actually happening in the world. The truth is, the future is not on the side of the oil industry, climate-deniers and cynical politicians.
Three things are accelerating the changes we need to see:
The cheapest option is now often the green option
First, the cheapest option is now often the green option. Renewable energy is cheaper than fossil fuel energy almost everywhere. The cost of electric vehicles continues to fall. Solar panels are becoming more efficient, as are heat-pumps. Businesses are recognising that efficiency and green are often synonymous. For example in construction, designing to use less steel and cement brings both cost and sustainability benefits.
Second, recent disruptions to global energy markets have demonstrated the risks associated with dependence on fossil fuels. Across many countries, particularly in Asia, governments are accelerating investment in renewable energy not only to reduce emissions, but also to strengthen energy security and resilience against future shocks.
Third, notwithstanding the dominance of certain voices in politics and the media, the population of the world remains alive and concerned about climate change. A survey just published by Public First, based on responses from 18,000 people across 15 countries, shows nearly 40% believing climate change and global warming to be one of the biggest global issues facing the world today, ranking just behind war and cost of living.
However, that “cost of living” concern, highlights the one thing that will make the single biggest difference over the next decade to tackling climate change: the efficiency of investment which helps mitigate the impact on today’s consumers of the huge upfront cost of decarbonisation of our energy, transport and building industries.
Today’s citizens are for the most part deeply concerned about climate change, but they are understandably nervous about the financial cost they might have to bear for the benefit of future generations. This explains the disconnect between expressions of that concern and actual changes in individual behaviour.
This is where the work of Engineers Against Poverty, and our sister organisation CoST – the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative – becomes so important.
We work with governments to help ensure that the money they invest in sustainable infrastructure programmes is actually spent on the projects they have approved, and that engagement with communities in advance and during the project execution increases the likelihood that the projects deliver the intended benefits and are welcomed by the communities that they are intended to serve.
For example, in Zambia, CoST is helping to ensure transparency and integrity in the energy sector.
Historically Zambia has been heavily reliant on hydro-power electricity, which is a renewable energy source, but extremely vulnerable to increasing drought caused by climate change. Through the FCDO’s Green Cities Infrastructure and Energy Programme, CoST and its local partner the Centre for Trade Policy and Development, are helping to drive transparency in market access and understanding how electricity is priced and paid for.
The Zambia research should help encourage investors to support the government’s push for a major expansion in solar power and mini-grids. Ultimately transparency in the power sector offers an energy future which is environmentally sustainable, diversified and secure, lifts the proportion of the population which has access to electricity from the current c30% eventually to 100%, and does so on the basis of pricing which is fair and affordable.
Critically the Zambia story is transferrable. All countries can now create energy systems that are sustainable, cheap, and universally available. Engineers Against Poverty and CoST are proud to be playing their part in supporting this transition with integrity, and helping to ensure that climate investment delivers real benefits for people and communities.
Richard is an independent consultant specialising in infrastructure and sustainability. He is a Fellow and Former Vice President of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Trustee of Future-Fit Foundation. Prior to his retirement as a KPMG Partner in September 2025 he was Global Head of Infrastructure, Government and Healthcare. From 2020 to 2022 he was Global Head of KPMG IMPACT and launched the firm’s Global ESG Strategy.