Humber business leaders have welcomed the “powerful review” on how the UK can deliver and implement net zero policies effectively and efficiently across the country.
Former Conservative Energy Minister, Chris Skidmore MP, has made more than 130 recommendations in his 330-page report, stating more could be done to capitalise on the “historic opportunity”. Huge importance was placed on prompt cross-sectoral infrastructure strategy development for electricity, hydrogen and CO2 - an area where the region is keen to lead.
Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce chief executive, Dr Ian Kelly, welcomed the report. He said: “Chris Skidmore’s Net Zero review reflects exactly what Humber businesses are thinking about the economic opportunities and the environmental need to go much further and faster as we seek to move from the dirtiest carbon cluster region in the UK towards being an exemplar of best practice.
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“The stop start policies of the last few years on green investment must now be replaced by calm consistent but increasingly speedy policy making by our new Prime Minister and indeed Labour if they win the next election.”
Dr Kelly said The Skidmore report ‘Mission Zero’ reinforces many of the points made by Humber business leaders to the Shadow Energy Secretary Ed Miliband when he visited the Chamber’s head office in Hull recently. Mr Miliband, was impressed by the ambition of energy and renewables business leaders in the Humber to cut their carbon outputs and promised to support efforts to speed things up in Westminster and Whitehall.
Releasing his report, Mr Skidmore urged ministers to grasp the ‘historic opportunity’, highlighting how the government’s Net Zero Strategy offers the right direction, and the right policies to do so. He said: “We should be proud of the lead the UK has taken in tackling climate change, having exceeded expectations so far in our race to net zero emissions by 2050. As essential as that is environmentally, it also puts us at an economic advantage globally.
“We lead in areas including clean technologies, science, manufacturing and green finance – areas that, if managed right, can lead to new jobs and strong economic growth.
“In developing this report, we have engaged with communities, economists and climate experts from across the country through more than 50 roundtables and 1800 submissions – all of which have led to the Mission Zero findings.
“My recommendations are designed to make the most of this historic opportunity, covering the length and breadth of our economy, so that people in every part of the country can reap the benefits of this both in their communities, and in their pockets.”
The Hull and Humber Chamber is among those leading on tackling the carbon zero agenda of the 53 Chambers in the UK network given the scale of heavy industry and energy activity on the Humber banks.
Alex Veitch, the director of policy and public affairs at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “The review published by Chris Skidmore is a significant document and provides us with a substantive overview of the progress to date on meeting the UK’s Net Zero ambition.
“Importantly, it includes recommendations on what must be done. Many of these measures are pragmatic and realistic, which will be welcomed by businesses.
“The British Chambers of Commerce has long campaigned for the Government to provide SMEs with energy saving support and advice. It is good to see this action included in today's report.
"We also welcome the focus on the importance of decentralised decision making in the fight against climate change. More and more Net Zero action will have to take place locally and regionally over the coming years. This report emphasises how power must be put into the hands of local communities in order to achieve our 2050 target.
"Chambers of Commerce across the UK, like the Hull & Humber Chamber, were heavily involved in COP26 discussions, and they are proud of the role they are playing in making the UK a world leader in environmental sustainability. This review stresses the importance of retaining our global standing and we will continue to work hard to ensure the UK is a global pioneer in green innovation, technology and enterprise.
"There remains a long way to go. For example, the report acknowledges pressures on SMEs to move to Net Zero, but more ambitious tax incentives than those proposed, and additional funding support, will be required to help address this.
“We will be continuing to work with Government to ensure we meet the UK’s Net Zero target, and ensure businesses reap the many benefits along the way."
Responding to the publication, Renewable UK chief executive Dan McGrail, who helped land the wind turbine blade plant in Hull when with Siemens, said: "Chris Skidmore’s Review emphasises the importance of creating a tax and regulatory environment which encourages investment into the UK at a time when we are struggling to compete for investment against countries with attractive incentives for renewable energy like the USA. That's why it's vital that the Government considers the signals Treasury is sending to clean energy investors following the introduction of the Electricity Generators Levy, which kicked in at the start of this year and is now putting investment at risk.
“A stable policy environment is vital at a time renewable developers and their supply chain are under massive financial pressures just like any other sector, to ensure we maximise investment in renewables. Given this, the Government needs to look at what more could be done to increase investor confidence.”
He welcomed acknowledgement over issues for renewable projects to get grid connections, urging it to be dealt with immediately, calling for the “same kind of agile and empowered approach as was used for developing the Coronavirus vaccine”, with the Prime Minister bringing all relevant bodies together to address this urgently.
He added: “If the Government is looking to increase the economic benefits of the UK’s decarbonisation ambitions, the review sets out some really clear easy wins. Setting targets for new onshore wind and solar capacity would certainly increase investor confidence and ensure we can decarbonise our electricity system by 2035. The review rightly underlines the vital importance of using a wide range of renewables to strengthen Britain’s energy security, including innovative technologies like floating wind, tidal stream and green hydrogen. It also recognises that deployment of these technologies hinges on timely investment in port infrastructure and reform of our clean power auction system to grow the UK’s renewable energy supply chain.”
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