The global climate emergency is taking root in Scotland. Last year we experienced the hottest June on record and October saw the country’s two wettest days since 1891. As the crisis deepens, experts say these extreme events will only worsen and become more frequent.

In the face of this, the world’s greatest existential threat, we need to act with an equal urgency and conviction. That is why the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow are joining forces in a manner and a scale unseen in the more than 400 years of their co-existence.

We have founded Scotland Beyond Net Zero (SBNZ), a collaboration to combine our already world-class research in climate science to boost connections between experts, further empower the communities we operate in, and better inform policymakers on the hard decisions they have to make for Scotland to reach its ambitious target of reaching net zero by 2045.

We believe we can do more together than we can apart. In fact, the climate emergency demands it. There is an increasing moral - and indeed practical - imperative to look beyond our geographical location or traditional subject areas. We need academia, industry and government to collaborate more effectively to make the necessary changes at pace.

SBNZ will be a vehicle to break down these barriers and act at a scale that is not possible on our own. We don’t want to stop with just Edinburgh and Glasgow. We are inviting all Scottish universities and institutes working on climate issues to join SBNZ and lend their considerable expertise to help tackle climate change. The transition to net zero will be the most radical economic transition we’ve ever made in peacetime. A fundamental part of SBNZ’s mission is to help ensure this transition is just and fair, and doesn’t leave the most vulnerable members of our communities behind.

Read more: Scots universities unite to address the climate emergency

We will work with those on the frontline of the net zero transition: the coastal communities at risk of rising sea levels, the workers who will be re-skilled for the green industry, the farmers adapting to the changing climate.

As the name suggests, Scotland Beyond Net Zero believes we shouldn’t stop at reaching the 2045 targets. This collaboration is looking beyond that horizon.

We realise there will be hard choices for Scotland, and we know we need to strike the balance of sustainable economic growth and increased productivity. These priorities - environmental and economic - are not conflicting. It will be the green, clean and emerging technologies of the future that will see us reach our full economic potential.

Equally, we need clear-eyed, long-term thinking. SBNZ will share all our data with the Scottish Government to ensure this just - and profitable - transition is data-driven and evidence based.

The Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow are joining forces, but that isn’t enough. We need partners from academia, industry, government, organisations and communities across Scotland to join us.

Now more than ever, we need collaboration at pace if we are to take the country to net zero, and beyond.

Professor Sir Peter Mathieson is Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh. Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli is Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow.