The chair of the Net Zero Council has stressed the importance of dialogue and collaboration between business, finance and government to move to a greener economy, as the council celebrates its first anniversary.
The Net Zero Council – a partnership between government, business and finance– aims to use more environmentally-friendly practices to grow the economy.
Leaders of banks, energy companies, businesses and investors from across the UK gathered in Whitehall earlier this week to mark its one year anniversary.
The council says it has reviewed industry-led plans representing around 80% of UK emissions, and has been able to ensure that businesses in a number of sectors including water, retail and new homes have clear, actionable plans to decarbonise as the council enters its second year.
Energy security and net zero minister, Justin Tomlinson, said: “As we celebrate the first anniversary of the Net Zero Council, it’s clear the collaborative efforts between business and government have seen real progress in driving decarbonisation across a range of sectors.
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“Our journey to net zero continues, and through this forum we will unlock the opportunities of the clean energy transition – steadfast in our shared mission to build a greener, more resilient economy for future generations.”
Shirine Khoury-Haq, CEO of the Co-op Group and co-chair of the council said: ”As we mark the first anniversary of our work, the importance of dialogue between business, finance and government to ensure that we are working together to accelerate our transition to a cleaner, greener and fairer future, and seizing the opportunities that lay ahead, is more important than ever.”
Over the next 12 months, the council aims to bring the industry-led roadmaps together to support further work to maximise decarbonisation opportunities across sectors and in priority area; continue supporting SMEs by backing the expansion of the tools and resources provided by the UK Business Climate Hub; and increase the public’s awareness of net zero, including providing toolkits for businesses to support engagement with their customers and supply chains.
The outgoing CEO of the UK’s Climate Change Committe recently said achieving net zero will not require a “huge shift” in everyday lives but the politicisation of climate issues will be detrimental to the economy.
