Nigel Topping named as preferred candidate for Chair of the Climate Change Committee (CCC)
Nigel Topping CMG has been named as the preferred candidate of the UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland to be the next Chair of the Climate Change Committee (CCC).
The CCC is the independent advisory body on climate to UK Government and devolved governments, and its role includes providing advice on emissions targets. The CCC also reports to the UK Parliament, Scottish Parliament, Welsh Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly on progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and progress adapting to the impacts of climate change.
Nigel Topping brings a wealth of experience to the role, having served as a member of the CCC since 2023. He was previously appointed as the UN High Level Climate Action Champion as part of COP26. In this role Nigel mobilised global private sector and local government to take bold action on climate change, and co-launched the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero. He is the Climate Non-Executive Director at the National Wealth Fund. Nigel has managed multiple manufacturing businesses in UK regions and has valuable skills to support the UK’s economy-wide transition to net zero. Net zero is the economic opportunity of the 21st century and Nigel's strong business background is testament to this and will help us drive growth on the transition to net zero, unlocking opportunities for Britain.
His selection follows a competitive recruitment process in line with the Governance Code for Public Appointments and will be scrutinised by the Energy Security and Net Zero and Environmental Audit Select Committees at a forthcoming pre-appointment hearing.
The date of the pre-appointment hearing will be 16 July.