2 March 2023 - A new policy briefing from the UK Corporate Leaders Group (CLG UK) sets out cross-cutting actions to demonstrate strong leadership and longer-term planning.
Read more on the policy briefing - Leading the Way: Identifying the actions government can take to accelerate UK climate action across the economy.
CLG UK recognises the important progress the UK has already made towards meeting its net zero targets and its ambition to maintain its position as a world leader on climate action.
Most notably, the UK committing the 2008 Climate Change Act and net zero by 2050 target into law has elevated it as a global leader, and alongside holding the COP26 Presidency, enabled business climate ambition and action.
However, to keep the UK on track to achieving its net zero targets and a competitive economy based on green growth, CLG UK sees that greater cross-sectoral and cross-government leadership is needed.
As the UK Net Zero Review continues to be unpacked and its policy implications understood, CLG UK calls for seven cross-sectoral and cross-government measures to be implemented by the end of this year.
The policy briefing highlights governance, engagement, funding and affordability, jobs, investment, innovation and infrastructure as key to the UK government’s ability to deliver net zero by 2050. Challenges exist in each of these areas and while specific needs differ according to sector or business, a co-ordinated approach to each one is needed, suggests the report.
Director of CLG UK Beverley Cornaby said: “We need to approach the hurdles ahead of us holistically– nothing meaningful will be possible if we tackle climate action in a piecemeal way. Taking this comprehensive view of action offers opportunities to move change along at pace and scale in meeting the UK’s climate targets. A cross-cutting approach means we can also address the needs of people, climate and nature simultaneously.”
To maintain the UK’s status as a world leader on climate action, CLG UK proposes the following priority cross-cutting actions should be implemented by government by the end of 2023:
- Governance: Establish an Office for Net Zero to drive delivery and monitor progress across government.
- Public and business engagement: Commission the Office for National Statistics (ONS) or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to lead an engagement exercise with business to define their data needs to measure emissions through their supply chains, leading to greater transparency of action.
- Fair funding and affordability: Develop a Net Zero Fiscal Reform Strategy that addresses the fiscal impact of net zero policies and uses the tax system to drive the transition of the economy to net zero.
- Skills and jobs: Develop a Net Zero Skills Action Plan setting out what skills and jobs will be required, at what stage in the transition, and how these needs will be met.
- Finance and investment: Support ambitious and best practice climate-related disclosures and provide the enabling data and regulatory environment to empower financiers and business to make better informed decisions about capital allocation.
- Innovation: Clearly set out priorities for technology and innovation in order to send a signal to the market.
- Infrastructure: Undertake wide-ranging planning reform on the local and national level, including the introduction of a net zero test and a review of bottlenecks in the system.
