SCOTLAND has the intellectual capacity and ambition to lead the world in finding solutions for climate change but it needs leadership, confidence and entrepreneurial spirt to “turn objective into economic value”.

That was the clear message from Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal of the University of Strathclyde, who told yesterday’s Go Radio Business Show with Hunter & Haughey that he is “genuinely optimistic” about Scotland’s future role in tackling climate change but warned the nation must not miss out on the opportunity.

“Climate change is a reality,” he said, “and we are seeing the dangers of not containing global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels – for the rest of this century that is looking challenging. But as we address it we must build economic opportunity and Scotland is poised to do that.”

Sir Jim, who hails from Glasgow’s Govan, is a three-time graduate of Strathclyde having taken his BSc, MSc and PhD degrees in the area of electrical engineering, power systems and energy economics.

With first-hand experience of industry having worked in utilities for seven years, he is also president of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) – the first Scot to hold the position – and co-chairs, with the First Minister, the Scottish Government’s Energy Advisory Board.

Asked what practical steps Scotland can take to make an impact, Sir Jim said: “We have got the talent and I think we have got the ambition. But we have got to get the investment and the voice of business at the heart of this and get policy vectors going in the right direction.

“We need entrepreneurship, innovation and then delivery. And it is that last piece that will create the economic opportunity.”

Society as a whole, he said, was “piece by piece waking up to the fact that climate change and global warming is everybody’s challenge”, adding: “As consumers we can think about how we use energy, how we consume products, how we live our lives. But government – how many decades have we been saying we need concerted action? We need policies to deliver outcomes.”

Conventional power systems, he noted, must be replaced with low-carbon and renewable sources – from large-scale offshore wind farms all the way down to micro level through energy efficiencies and smart meters.

“Scotland is at an inflection point and the next 10 years are critical,” Sir Jim warned. “We talk about 2050 as the target for net zero but 2030 is a more practical objective because if we are not well on our way by 2030 then 2050 is almost going to be impossible to reach.

“Between now and 2030 – seven years is a heartbeat in the life of major energy strategies. Hopefully we will have the majority of the ScotWind projects up and running and that will see major internal and foreign direct investment come into Scotland to build hydrogen assets.”

But Sir Jim warned: “What we have is the risk of losing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The offshore wind revolution is coming, hydrogen is coming, carbon capture and storage, grid infrastructure … Scotland’s got the technical capabilities.

“Scotland’s universities are in the leading group internationally for research capability, Skills Development Scotland are focused on getting industry investing in skills and one of the biggest things that will attract investment is talent.”

Noting that he doesn’t “buy into pillorying the oil and gas industry as they are going to be an essential part of the transition over the next 25-30 years”, Sir Jim said that it was crucial for the Scottish Government to be “very well aligned” with the UK Government.