Action, not words, is needed for Britain to tackle climate change
As we welcome the “back to work” days of fall, we are now enjoying unusual 30 degree heat.
All summer we have seen or experienced the effects of climate change. In Europe, life-threatening floods in Italy and extreme heat in Greece occurred within the same week. We all talk about how “crazy” the weather seems to be.
The business case for moving to net zero should be a priority in the next election. Small businesses are desperate to do their part, but have no idea how to do it and no guidance from the government on how to measure their progress.
In June, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves scrapped Labour’s flagship plan, the Green Prosperity Plan.
The plan was to increase the UK’s national debt by an additional £140 billion in order to commit to “climate-friendly investment” (whatever that is exactly?).
Labor argued that the Tories had ruined the country, making this commitment challenging given the proposed £28 billion a year for five years.
The Tories said Labor’s proposal would drive up inflation and borrowing costs and hurt households, and the Greens argued that abandoning the plan would result in thousands of job losses.
So there is a great deal of consensus about the UK’s attempt to help save humanity. In July, Lord Hammond, the former chancellor, bizarrely complained that Conservative prime ministers were “systematically dishonest” about the cost of achieving net zero, which he estimated at £1 trillion.
The Office of Budget Responsibility rejected his argument, countering that the net costs of net zero would be much lower and the benefits would outweigh those costs.
According to the British Chambers of Commerce, small businesses make up 99% of all UK businesses, provide 60% of the UK’s private workforce and generate around £2.3 trillion annually. Shockingly, according to a recent Ecolog survey, more than 40% want to achieve net zero and have no idea how to do it.
It is worrying that very few understand how to achieve net zero and that they are being fed contradictory, alarming information and outright lies by the parties representing their respective tribal causes.
Big business also demands political commitment and cross-party cooperation. Tesco CEO Ken Murphy yesterday called on political parties to unite to give businesses the confidence to invest and stand by their net zero pledges.
Net zero is not about eliminating all carbon emissions; That is currently impossible. It’s about reducing and eliminating emissions to achieve “net” zero.
More than 50% of UK companies would measure their carbon footprint if the government introduced a uniform standard for this.
The lack of one means there is no fundamental platform on which everything else can be built. It would also be an easy and significant victory for the government.
If the UK reached net zero, the reduction in carbon emissions worldwide would be just 0.9%.
For comparison: China emits 27%, the USA 11% and the EU 6.4%.
But a transition from a fossil fuel economy to a net-zero economy would improve companies’ resource efficiency – making them more competitive – reduce household costs and bring widespread health benefits – and global emissions would fall by less than 1% . .
I know what message I would promote.
Small businesses receive next to no support in understanding what it takes to achieve net zero – and what it can mean for them. It requires a fundamental change in business models and operating practices.
The UK’s commitment to net zero, enshrined in law in 2019, requires the next government to stop making speeches about “fighting climate change” and start introducing consistent measurement practices for businesses to follow can.
A cross-party (war cabinet-style) department should be created to agree and provide clear information on how businesses can benefit from “doing the right thing” and share with the world the practical benefits of achieving net zero show.
If we do this, our impact of less than 1% will be much greater as others follow our example.
Without the introduction of a measurement standard against which progress can be measured, the UK’s fight against climate change will become a farce.
https://www.standard.co.uk/business/actions-not-words-uk-climate-change-net-zero-environment-global-warming-summer-floods-fires-heat-b1105477.html Action, not words, is needed for Britain to tackle climate change
