74 NET ZERO
“Everyone else in the world is decarbonising and if we can make it here and sell to them and if we can perfect it here and sell it as a service, then even better.”
Charles said there was a “misconception” about significant upfront costs making it harder for businesses transitioning to greener projects. But that needed to be balanced with the cost of not doing anything.
He said: “You can see now in the rates the insurers are charging for anywhere that’s potentially going to flood or potentially going to have a forest fire, or any other climate impact.”
Charles Wood Continued from Page 73
Speaking at the conference hosted by Lancashire Business View and held at Crow Wood Hotel and Spa in Burnley, he said that from an energy sector perspective there had been reductions in UK carbon emissions.
However, he said there were challenges to getting transport and freight to go low carbon and posed the question: “How do you get businesses and buildings decarbonised?”
Charles added: “Business contributes 19 per cent of the UK carbon emission so it is a massive chunk of what we need to decarbonise.
“Whether or not we are going to hit those
targets and carbon budgets is up for question. The comprehensive spending review gives a bit of a nudge in the right direction but there is still some work to be done.
“One of the ambitions of the UK government is to have a Net Zero power system by 2030 and that is incredibly ambitious. That’s why it is an ambition, not a target, but it is achievable.
“It is about the balance of what you pay when, how you invest in those technologies and how you make sure people have a route to low carbon.
“Trying to get towards that is exactly what we should be doing. The UK is a global leader in the low carbon sector and we need to take advantage of that.
Charles also highlighted the economic potential offered by the journey to Net Zero. He said: “Low carbon means growth as far as we’re concerned, it’s growth of the energy sector, it’s also growth of businesses.
“Government has to do this transition in a way that makes low carbon the economical choice and makes financial sense for you as business leaders.”
Charles told delegates that the journey to Net Zero was “complicated, challenging, and it has been uncertain”. And he said that government changeovers and inconsistency of policy had led to a “confusing situation”.
He urged Lancashire businesses to: “Talk to the energy sector, supplier, local authority and say we are having a challenge here, what can you do to help us? What advice do you give us?
“Then bang down the door of your local MP and say, where is the clarity on what the transition will be?”
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