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Lord Deben to continue in post until mid-2023, Professor Nick Chater steps down

Profile images of CCC Chairman Lord Deben (left) and Professor Nick Chater.

The Chairman of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), Lord Deben, will continue to lead the organisation until end of June 2023 at the request of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Following ten years of service, Lord Deben had been due to step down this September. He has agreed to stay on for a period of 9 months to help ensure a smooth transition for the incoming Chair and a series of new Committee members.

Recruitment for the CCC’s new Chair will commence in the coming weeks and interviews to replace outgoing Committee members are currently underway.

BEIS has also recently confirmed the departure of Professor Nick Chater FBA, who has come to the end of his term. He is standing down from the CCC after more than six years of service.

During his tenure Professor Chater brought vast experience of behavioural science to the Committee. Most recently, he authored a briefing entitled ‘Net Zero after Covid: Behavioural Principles for Building Back Better’ which informed the CCC’s Sixth Carbon Budget advice, legislated by the UK Government in 2021.

Professor Nick Chater said:

“It has been an enormous privilege to work with the remarkably talented CCC team over the past six years, especially during a period when the 2050 Net Zero target was set, and the issue of climate change has become ever more urgent.”

Lord Deben, CCC Chairman, said:

“It has been a real pleasure to have Professor Chater’s unique insight on the Committee. In a momentous period, where climate change has risen up the public and political agendas, Nick’s expertise has been hugely useful as we’ve developed our advice to Government. I would like to extend my and the Committee’s sincere thanks for all that he has contributed over many years.”


Notes to editors

  1. Nick Chater is Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School. He has previously held the posts of Professor of Psychology at both Warwick University and University College London (UCL), and as Associate Editor for the journals: Cognitive Science, Psychological Review, Psychological Science and Management Science. Nick is co-founder and Director of Decision Technology Ltd, a research consultancy.
  2. The CCC’s mitigation committee advises the UK and devolved Governments on reducing emissions across the economy. Appointments are made by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in collaboration with counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
  3. Lord Deben is on the left of the image, Professor Nick Chater in on the right of the image.