As 2024 – a year with worldwide elections – edges toward a tense close that could force individuals, businesses, administrations and countries to push even harder to reach net-zero and safeguard nature, the Northwest is ready to provide many levels of low carbon support while the new UK government doubles down on its far-reaching energy and environmental policies.

After a slightly rocky start, the Government is adding firm details to key strategies that support its extensive environmental ambitions – and our own for Lancashire, the UK, and the Global South.

In a moment, we examine October developments that affect the UK’s net zero journey – including new carbon capture and storage investments and financial successes at the recent London International Investment Summit – plus how the Chamber Low Carbon programme supports sustainable energy use and transport.

Also below, we look at COP29, November’s fast-approaching climate change summit in Azerbaijan, plus CBAM (EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism), the carbon tariff on carbon intensive products that comes into effect in 2026. There is also an interesting greenlighting caution!

A summary overview of recent policy developments first will help to put these issues into context.

Policy briefings – a new global role …

In a key speech, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has explained that climate and nature crises action “is action on our security, our prosperity and our future,” … “central to all the Foreign Office does,” and UK-led efforts to repair environmental damage (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/foreign-secretarys-foreign-policy-speech-on-the-climate-crisis).

He has also promised to build a Global Clean Power Alliance coalition to accelerate the world’s clean energy transition as part of a cross-government mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.

In addition, to strengthen its leadership position, the Government will reappoint its existing climate envoy and appoint the UK’s first nature envoy to work with other governments in protecting the global environment.

Energy secretary Ed Miliband has reinforced this new commitment, adding that economic renewal must have a low-carbon power sector path, green growth, and ‘speedy’ infrastructure planning consent to end fossil fuel reliance (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/energy-uk-conference-2024-keynote-speech-by-by-ed-miliband).

Meanwhile, Environment Secretary, Steve Reed, at a pre-COP16 ‘send-off’ event said, “Nature and climate change are inter-related and integral to security and economic stability. The UK is back on the international stage on nature.”

Our own award-winning low carbon programme continues to support these aims by helping Lancashire businesses to improve their efficiency and productivity, become more competitive, and reduce their carbon footprint, as our new website shows (https://www.chamberlowcarbon.co.uk/).

We will look more closely at the programme’s energy and transport aspects later.

End of a phoney war? …

Despite growing warning about the increasing menace of climate change, there is wide concern that the world has not yet responded in earnest to its real impacts. That might be changing.

The scale of destruction Hurricane Helena and Hurricane Milton which recently brought to Florida is upping the ante as global-level mitigation discussions become more serious at COP16 and COP29 which begins a week after the 5 November US presidential election.

COP16 and COP29 …

The Government wants ‘strong action at home to accelerate global action at COP29’. International development minister, Anneliese Dodds has added that, “International climate finance is at the heart of our climate and development objectives and our Mission to be a clean energy superpower.

“Our work – and the billions in private finance it has unlocked – will help the most vulnerable who are experiencing the worst impacts of the climate crisis” … and meet Paris Agreement aims,” she says.

COP16 – the UN Biological Diversity conference, aka Nature’s ‘Paris moment’- from 21 October to 1 November in Columbia will focus on progress made on National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAP) agreed in 2022’s COP15 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF or Biodiversity Plan).

The UK will miss the UN’s deadline for new national plans addressing nature loss ahead of COP16. However, Steve Reed has stressed the importance of restoring nature, starting with ‘action at home’.

Chamber Low Carbon will not be at COP16. However, members of our team – plus Lancashire companies we work with – will be showcasing our regional expertise at COP29 in Azerbaijan.

COP29 – an SME opportunity …

COP29, with a unique SME focus, is an important global opportunity for green-tech innovators. Once again, as an officially UNFCCC recognised NGO, our East Lancs team will have access to the Blue Zone where key global decisions are taken and be able to network commercially in the Green Zone.

To repeat the successes of COP28 in Dubai, Chamber Sustainability Director Stephen Sykes and East Lancs Chamber CEO Prof. Miranda Barker OBE have worked closely with the BCC Azerbaijan and the BCC overseas to develop  the BCC business programme in Baku, the Azerbaijan capital, to support global BCC delegates with all things COP-related.

CCUS – government investment …

Capturing carbon utilisation and storage (CCUS) is a controversial technology criticised by those who think new non-carbon technologies are more reliable than modifying fossil fuel use. However, the Government has now committed £21.7 billion over 25 years to CCUS and hydrogen production at two “carbon capture clusters” (HyNet and East Coast Cluster) on Merseyside and Teesside.

As announced at 14 October’s International Investment Summit in London, the aim is to unlock £8 billion from the private sector to help remove 8.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year. The summit raised a record-breaking total of £63 billion in private investments that will help to create circa 38,000 UK jobs in life sciences, technology, energy, and transport.

Ahead of the summit, the Government also launched its modern Industrial Strategy and new Advisory Council (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/industrial-strategy-launch-to-hardwire-stability-for-investors) to ‘create a pro-business environment and play to the UK’s strengths, focusing on eight growth driving sectors including creative industries and financial services (‘Invest 2035: The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy’ – https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/670cde8692bb81fcdbe7b745/industrial-strategy-green-paper-final.pdf.

However, the elephant in the room was severity of the looming the Budget – Autumn Statement – on 30 October which could include more GB Energy investment plan details (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a235daab418ab055592d27/great-british-energy-founding-statement.pdf).

Energy-centric …

To achieve ‘clean energy landscape’ transition by 2030, Mr Miliband promises to take on ‘nimbys’ opposing the Government’s new rollout of wind turbines (including onshore), solar farms and pylons as a matter of “national security” and “economic justice”. He added, “The faster we go, the more secure we become. Every wind turbine we put up, every solar panel we install, every piece of grid we construct helps protect families from future energy shocks.”

The Government has also appointed eight industry and academic experts to the Clean Power 2030 Advisory Commission to help accelerate decarbonisation of the UK electricity grid.

– Chamber Low Carbon programme – energy

The Chamber Low Carbon programme has a focus on energy efficiency and renewable on-site generation of energy. Both of these actions reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce costs and increase energy security. Get in touch and one of our advisors can come out to site and provide fully funded advice and guidance.

– NISTA news

To meet the UK’s aims, a new authority will streamline important infrastructure projects – energy generation, transmission and distribution. The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-body-to-get-a-grip-on-infrastructure-delays) will also support the Government’s ten-year industrial strategy. A whitepaper will be published with the Autumn Statement; a full strategy is expected in early 2025.

– NIC plans for infrastructure projects

Meanwhile, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has set out a series of actions to improve the delivery of large infrastructure projects it estimates could cut costs by 10-25% (https://nic.org.uk/studies-reports/cost-effective-delivery/).

– Coal-to-clean-power in six years

An historic milestone was the 30 September closure of the UK’s last coal-fired power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar.

Another vital change to achieve ‘clean power by 2030’ is a transition from the National Grid to the National Energy System Operator (Neso – https://www.neso.energy/), a publicly-owned company that must now plan how to decarbonise UK electricity through a maze of regulations.

A major Neso challenge will be moving from a system built around a limited number of coal power stations with a large transmission spine and regional distribution networks, to one connecting many potentially weather-dependent renewable sources with a higher need for energy storage.

Transport-centric …

Another net-zero area where there will be major changes is transport – this is also central to our work with Northwest organisations.

– Chamber Low Carbon programme – travel and transport

An element of the carbon footprint and carbon reduction plan is travel from vehicle fleets, business travel and staff commute perspectives, the Chamber Low Carbon team can review all your current travel activities and help you develop your travel plans as part of your Net Zero journey.

– New money for transport

The Government has earmarked £88 million for 46 projects to help decarbonise transport – interventions the Climate Change Committee (CCC) says are needed for net-zero progress. Their goal is to stimulate innovation and the next generation zero-emission vehicle technologies. Local authorities will have new powers to run their own bus services.

There is also a new Urban Transport Group review ‘to help the UK deliver the rail and urban transport infrastructure fit not just for the next five years, but the next 50’ (https://www.urbantransportgroup.org/system/files/general-docs/Rail%20and%20urban%20government_FINAL.pdf).

This recommends a doubling of national rail usage, with northern powerhouse rail projects completed ‘in full’ after HS2’s northern leg cancellation. It also sees an opportunity to change the Treasury’s view of public transport from a cost burden to “frame … investments as a necessary investment into UK productivity overall, which results in net additional tax receipts flowing back [to the Treasury]”.

CBAM – EU trading …

The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is a key part of the EU’s sustainability plans – ‘Fit for 55 in 2030 package’. Designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, CBAM places reporting requirements and financial obligations on businesses importing into the EU which must now report embedded emissions in their goods and buy CBAM certificates to cover them.

UK CBAM – preparing for 2027 …

After a detailed consultation, the Government has decided to implement a similar system – UK CBAM – which will work alongside UK ETS. By 2027, UK CBAM will put a carbon price on emissions-intensive industrial goods imported to the UK involving aluminium, cement, ceramics, fertiliser, glass, hydrogen, iron and steel. However, it will not require buying or trading emissions certificates.

A UK CBAM factsheet can be seen at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/addressing-carbon-leakage-risk-to-support-decarbonisation/outcome/factsheet-uk-carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism).

Greenwashing explored …

Meanwhile, a global group businesses and NGOs are calling for the adoption of a new independent certification to verify the effectiveness of nature-based solutions for biodiversity conservation (https://usercontent.one/wp/www.biodiversitystandard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1.1-The-Global-Biodiversity-Standard-Manual-for-assessment-and-best-practices.pdf?media=1647864625).

With this in mind, Harald Friedl’s observations on six shades of greenwashing organisations may be tempted to use in their own interests makes interesting reading for a new era of honesty and accuracy (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stephensykes2030_circulareconomy-zerowaste-greenwashing-activity-7248708951301586944-oqgp?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop): –

Greenlighting – highlighting a minor sustainable effort to distract from larger environmentally-damaging practices

Greenhushing – deliberately underreporting or hiding sustainability activities to avoid scrutiny or backlash

Greenrinsing – regularly changing or resetting ESG targets to avoid accountability before they are achieved

Greenshifting – shifting responsibility for environmental sustainability to consumers rather than addressing corporate actions

Greencrowding – hiding poor practices by aligning them with industry-wide initiatives to avoid individual accountability

Greenlabelling – using false or misleading environmental labels to give the appearance of sustainability without substantiation

Happy, honest, carbon-transparent trading!

A unique new approach to commercialising green-tech innovation …

RedCAT Ventures MD Stuart Thompson will continue to look at commercialising groundbreaking British innovations ready for success in important new markets in our new monthly RedCAT thought-piece series which can be seen here