Low carbon policy landscape would boost private investment in the North, says green business group, pointing to significant potential for further growth in the region
The "green engine of the Northern Powerhouse" needs to be bolstered by the creation of a clear national low carbon policy landscape, the Aldersgate Group has said.
In a new report to be released this morning that examines the opportunities for Northern England's low carbon economy, the green business group urged the government to produce a detailed emission reduction plan in order to drive private investment in clean technologies such as offshore wind and low emission vehicles.
"The industrial heartland in the North of England drove the growth of the nation and made the UK one of the most advanced economies in the world," the report read. "By driving forward low carbon policy, it now stands to benefit from significant investment and could play a central role in the UK becoming a resilient, competitive and world leading low carbon economy."
The report urged both national and regional government to make supporting continued growth of the low carbon sector a priority, citing the 136,000 jobs that have already been created in the sector in the North
"We are beginning to see the benefits of sustained investment in renewable energy in the North of England," said Brent Cheshire, UK country chairman at Aldersgate group member DONG Energy, which is part of the Humber clean energy cluster in the Port of Hull. "It is not only helping to regenerate communities which have lost their traditional industries, but building a robust supply chain and attracting international manufacturers to locate plants in the UK."
The report also advised those in power to take better stock of how the natural environment both supports economic activity and protects businesses and communities from risks such as flooding, pointing out that an investment strategy in natural assets such as the high peatlands would also reduce future costs to taxpayers from extreme weather events such as the Cumbrian floods last December.
Meanwhile planning rules should be made to ensure that any new infrastructure development is resilient to the impacts of climate change, the report said, while the government should develop a new strategy to support the roll out of carbon capture and storage at a commercial scale.
Joan Walley, chair of the Aldersgate Group, said the report shows the low carbon economy is supporting economic growth in the North of England as well as helping deliver the UK's climate change targets. "Both national government and devolved local authorities should build on these successes and continue to champion investment into low carbon infrastructure in the North so that it can continue setting the pace," she said in a statement.
Meanwhile, local leaders such as devolved city mayors need to ensure low carbon opportunities are regularly considered in local decision making, the report said, while a pan-Northern collaboration in areas such as transport and digital infrastructure would also help to strengthen regional links. "A working group convening regional political leaders, corporate stakeholders and investors could help to coordinate low carbon developments," the report read. In addition, coordinated local strategies on low carbon skills could be made by boosting collaboration between local government, the private sector and educational bodies, it added.
Matthew Knight, director of strategy and government affairs at Siemens, said that in a world where decarbonisation is not a matter of ‘if' but ‘when', the most jobs will go to those countries who first "get their act together" on it. "A clear low carbon industrial strategy now will help Britain grow its manufacturing base and become a major exporter of low carbon technologies such as offshore wind," he said in a statement.
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