We need tangible action!
ACE and EIC respond to Government's 10 point plan for Net Zero
Hannah Vickers, chief executive of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) which represents the companies who design, deliver and manage our national infrastructure, said:
“This ten-point plan is recognition that in order to meet society’s Net Zero aspirations, we need tangible action. We can only ‘build back better’ from COVID-19 if our growth is cleaner and greener.
“Proposals to turn London into a green financial centre are both welcome and necessary to supporting Net Zero ambitions, but giving local government the resilience and confidence to make carbon free investments is arguably more important.
“The positive announcements on carbon capture/storage, hydrogen, nuclear, and offshore wind are areas we championed in our comprehensive spending review representation. However, doing all this in parallel, and at the same time as decarbonising our existing building stock, remains a huge challenge and we need to see the rapid implementation of these plans.”
Matthew Farrow, director of policy at the Environmental Industries Commission (EIC) which represents the companies, large and small, working in the environmental technologies and services sector, said:
“It is fitting that around the original dates for COP26 we are seeing new announcements to keep society on track. While Government’s attentions have, understandably, been elsewhere this year, these tangible steps will ensure progress continues towards a carbon free future.
“We are delighted to see positive news on green financing more generally, but specifically around innovation funding for Net Zero. The CCC has made a lot of assumptions on future technology and as the drivers of environmental innovation, our members are crucial to meeting these expectations.
“Bringing forward the commitment on electric vehicles will also have positive effects on air quality in the near-term as confidence grows in both the technology and charging infrastructure. Finally, a breadth of common sense investments in a range of energy generation sources, will help us successfully transition to Net Zero.
“Government must now focus on boosting enforcement of policies, such as energy efficiency regulations, where compliance is sometimes scandalously low. Without more effort and resources put into this area, today’s encouraging announcements are likely to have limited impact.”
https://www.acenet.co.uk/
http://eic-uk.co.uk/
