“The Sixth Carbon Budget published by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) this morning is certainly a wake-up call for the UK. A 68% reduction on 2019 emissions levels by 2035 is required to remain on track to achieve net zero by 2050 – a monumental challenge to government, businesses and each one of us.
“WSP has welcomed the positive announcements made recently by Government about how the UK intends to become net zero by 2050, but the detail within the CCC’s report reiterates the true scale of what this will require from every single person and community over the coming decades. What is also clear is the role the private sector will need to play in supporting the UK’s transition to a net zero economy, delivering the solutions which will change the way we produce energy, travel around the UK and heat our buildings.
“Many private sector businesses are already leading the way in setting ambitious targets of their own to reduce the emissions of their operations and projects, such as WSP UK who will halve the carbon footprint of all designs and advice provided to clients by 2030.
“The UK’s green recovery has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of jobs for people across the UK in industries which are adapting to the needs of our future net zero society, though this does present some skills hurdles which need to be overcome. It will require investment and determination from government, employers and the education sector to ensure we capitalise upon this opportunity, reskilling and upskilling our future green workforce without delay.
“The CCC’s recommendations will require a behavioural shift from everyone in the UK and it’s clear that achieving net zero by 2050 will need more than talk – it will need action, and fast. The CCC says the 2020s must be the decisive decade of progress and action on climate change, and based on the detail of their report today, one can see why.”