Urgent low carbon policies and priorities for a new Government

The in-trays of new Departmental Secretaries of State, Ministers, Cabinet members and constituency MPs are now full to overflowing. Which makes it vital to drive home the economic and environmental messages we believe must shape policy-making in the next five years.

To hit the ground running, the East Lancs Chamber of Commerce team has been talking to leading politicians and their civil servants for many months, and will continue to do so as the climate, commercial, and innovation-led green-technology challenges intensify.

Multi-level contacts …

In fact, we talk regularly to Whitehall and Westminster at two levels.

Emphasising how green-tech innovations must be commercialised correctly to succeed in new markets is the first – and is a core RedCAT business message. (See Elections…innovations…and green tech priorities from Lancashire).

The other, as Chamber CEO Miranda Barker OBE explains below, is stressing East Lancashire’s contribution to the national economy and what our region needs from politicians to prosper.

Also, with November 2024 not so far away, we are talking to the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP29 and independent Azerbaijan MP, Nigar Arpadarai.

She confirmed at June 2024’s London Climate Action Week that COP29 in Baku this autumn will focus on how innovative SMEs can ‘adapt to climate challenges and bridge the need for, and availability of, new technologies and resources’.

As at Dubai’s COP28 in 2023, East Lancashire Chamber will take a strong contingent of Northwest companies to Baku for international networking and green-tech sales development.

COP29 is an important global opportunity for green-innovators because of its unique SME focus.

If you are thinking about joining our COP29 team, please tell us quickly to meet official registration deadlines. For information, contact Jamie Parker-Jervis.

With an eye on new markets RedCAT MD Stuart Thompson also looks below at the tough commercialisation and financing gap most innovators face – and RedCAT’s role in bridging the infamous ‘Chasm’ or ‘Valley of Death.’

We would also like to introduce you to our newly-expanded Chamber Low Carbon team.

Hammering home key points …

The core message to Westminster and Whitehall from the Northwest is that East Lancashire has always created its own luck and is primed to deliver further unprecedented growth and innovation with some well-targeted support. The whole UK will benefit from our regional lead.

– Specifically, East Lancashire needs greater devolved powers and autonomy so that county authorities and businesses can tailor strategic initiatives to our unique needs and ambitions.

– With expanded investment zones and devolved business support we can also create conditions for all our region’s businesses to thrive, with equitable access to important resources and opportunities.

– Based in what we have achieved so far, the key is a long-term funding plan that will let Lancashire develop at a scale which surpasses the rest of the Northwest – but again with shared benefits.

People and their skills …

– We need a comprehensive regional approach to skills development. This will align educational

funding with the specific demands of local industries. With reforms to apprenticeship systems and immigration rules, we can cultivate a workforce that is skilled but also resilient and adaptable.

– An enhanced transport network supported by digital connectivity will bolster regional capabilities and make East Lancashire an even more attractive destination for investment and innovation.

– Sustained assured funding for industry and innovation are vital for continuous prosperity. Long-term financial support mechanisms will give both businesses and workforces the stability to thrive.

In summary, pressing hard for these non-negotiable priorities will help East Lancashire achieve continuous economic and industrial excellence, plus, prosperity for generations to come.

COP29’s sharp focus on SMEs …

The influential post of High-Level Champion (HLC) in the UN Climate Change multilateral process created at COP21 (Paris) coordinates the work of governments, regions, businesses, investors and the public.

SMEs are pivotal in the Race to Zero. Representing 90% of businesses and 50% of jobs in OECD countries, their collective potential is immense.

With sustainable practices and small carbon footprints, SME can significantly accelerate net zero emissions progress, drive innovation, and create a resilient, low-carbon economy for both the environment and society, says Ms Arpadarai.

SME strengths …

Their high commitment to sustainability, agility, innovative power, and community links mean that SMEs can drive environmental change more quickly and effectively than larger corporations, she adds.

They can also influence policymakers in an “ambition loop” where bold business actions encourage ambitious policy decisions, and in turn further business innovation and investment, she explains.

As the global economy’s backbone, SMEs drive 50% to 80% of growth in many countries. COP29’s HLC campaign will further their role in the green transition – boosting climate literacy, access to finance and resilience.

“This is an opportunity which – following the success of our East Lancs team at COP28 in 2023 – we hope as many Northwest companies as possible will take advantage of.,” says Chamber Sustainability Director Stephen Sykes.

RedCAT – closing the ‘commercialisation gap’ …

Stuart Thompson’s has wide international experience in commercialising innovations successfully, and like Miranda is aware of the many pitfalls well-meaning innovators face.

To understand the challenge, it is helpful he says to look at the ‘Diffusion of Innovation theory’ and bell-curve showing how new ideas and innovative products spread through markets.

Left-to-right, this starts with early enthusiasts who actively want ‘new things’. Then there is a significant ‘gap’. Here it is hard to persuade people to buy new products. But the gap must be crossed to reach larger markets, or the product rarely succeeds.

On the far side of the gap are the early and late adopters who represent most buyers. The last group are laggards who hang on to old technology.

Why innovative ideas can be hard to sell …

This is a complex area which can seem deceptively simple we will come back to again with RedCAT.

Engineers and founders (usually innovators, so left hand side of the curve) understandably think their ideas are great. Investors and buyers take the more cautious view that new technology also represents risks. No one ever got fired for continuing to do what has worked well up to now!

Achieving change can be achieved just as a function of time. However, another aspect of attractive, innovative technology is that it may solve a problem but not necessarily translate into good business.

Stuart says, “This is where effective commercialisation is vital. It is important to understand who the early adopters of new technology are in your target market, how they adopt new tech, how they fund and trial it, and for how long before buying.’

Commercialisation often pivots on more than a great idea… it needs cash! Many early-stage businesses fail because they run out of money. Crossing the gap takes far longer and is inevitably much more costly than well-meaning founders and innovators first think. Planning with this in mind is extremely important from a cash and investment strategy perspective.

Message for the new Government …

That is where the RedCAT Group – and government funding, expert teams, British Business Bank, Innovate, and AMRC Northwest partnerships – are uniquely geared to closing the gap.

Next steps …

Next month, Stuart will consider other stages of successful commercialisation, including using technology readiness levels (TRLs) to estimate the maturity of technologies en-route to market.

Our newly expanded Chamber Low Carbon team – here to help …

Stephen Sykes – Director of Sustainability for partnership and programme enquiries

David Jolliffe – Chamber Low Carbon Operations Manager for programme management

Nicola Greenhalgh, RedCAT Operations Manager for programme management

Enyinnaya Mbakwem – Senior Energy & Environmental Advisor for energy & environmental assessments and advice

Chris Gibbons – Energy & Environmental Advisor for energy & environmental assessments and advice

Omonor Gladys – Energy & Environmental Advisor for energy & environmental and advice assessments

Segun Odeyingbo – Energy & Environmental Advisor for energy & environmental assessments and advice

Mohamed Patel – Chamber Low Carbon Project Administrator, data processing and analysis

Keeley Crabtree – Chamber Low Carbon and RedCAT Marketing Officer

Neha Sahail, Chamber Low Carbon and RedCAT Admin executive

Losses and gains …

It is worth mentioning other recent news points: –

– Antarctic ice sheets – A study of rising seawater temperatures between coastal ice sheets and the ground beneath has identified a new tipping point of future sea level rises significantly higher than current projections. A ‘very small increase’ of just ‘tenths of a degree’ will lead a “very big increase” in ice loss. Coastal cities worldwide, and billions of people, will be affected.

– ‘Exploding’ demand for giant heat pumps – German firm MAN Energy Solutions can heat 2.5 million litres of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool from 20⁰C to boiling point in under four hours. It adds, “Or we could freeze the whole thing in about 11 hours.” The company can heat thousands of homes and recently installed two machines in the port city of Esbjerg in Denmark.

– Kick-starting a geothermal energy revolution – A network of geothermal energy plants could improve UK energy security says a Government-commissioned report which identifies 45 locations for developing deep geothermal energy infrastructure (‘Dig Deep’ ).

– Earth’s atmosphere is trapping twice the heat of 1993 – Earth’s energy imbalance – a key measure of global warming – has doubled in two decades, raising questions about how much heat the oceans absorbing. More solar heat is now trapped by Earth’s atmosphere, with worrying implications for the seas.

– El Niño ends after a year of extreme weather – The Pacific Ocean’s warm El Niño pattern, combined with global warming and other factors that have helped to create the hottest year on record, is ending – although 2024 may not be any cooler.

– World will miss triple 2030 renewable energy target (IEA) – Nations are off track to meet the triple renewable electricity generation target thought vital for a swift global transition from fossil fuels. But there are signs that progress could pick up. The IEA identified circa 8,000GW – about 70% of the 11,000GW needed.

– First space solar farm prototyped – Researchers have demonstrated the world’s first prototype 360º beam steering technology that could lead to a constant supply of energy from space to power more than a million homes by the 2030s. A mile-wide mirror and solar panel system orbiting 22,000 miles above the Earth could capture 13 times more energy than on the ground below due to a higher light intensity and no atmosphere – despite clouds or nightfall.

– Marine fungus breaks down floating plastic pollution – A plastic-digesting fungus (Parengyodontium album) found on litter floating in the North Pacific Ocean could be degrade polyethylene, the most abundant type of plastic in the ocean. The white, thread-like fungus can break down the pernicious plastics if it is first exposed to UV radiation from sunlight.

– Biggest solar farm goes online – The world’s biggest solar plant is now online in China. At 5GW on an area equal to New York City, it could power countries like Luxembourg or Papua New Guinea with its 6-billion-kilowatt hours annual capacity desert plant in the northwest Xinjiang province.

– Volcanic microbe eats CO₂ ‘astonishingly quickly’ – Carbon-capturing microbes in hot springs could rapidly absorb CO₂ – effectively sucking the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. The cyanobacterium was found in volcanic seeps near the Italian island of Vulcano in water with high CO₂ levels and turns the gas into biomass faster than any other known cyanobacteria. Team is also explored hot springs in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains with even higher CO₂ levels.