- A ban on combustion engine sales by 2030, with grants for electric cars, and funding for charge points. The sale of some hybrid cars and vans will continue until 2035.
- A previously announced pledge to quadruple offshore wind powerby 2030, to 40GW, enough to power every UK home.
- Moves to boost hydrogen production, with the promise of a town heated entirely by hydrogen by the end of the decade.
- Investment of £525m towards new nuclear power, based on “the next generation of small and advanced reactors”.
- £1bn next year for funds to insulate homes and public buildings, using the existing green homes grant and public sector decarbonisation scheme.
- An extra £200m invested in carbon capture initiatives.
- Support for greener energies in the aviation and maritime sectors, with £20m committed to the latter.
- 30,000 hectares of trees planted every year, as part of nature conservation efforts.
- Moves to promote public transport, cycling and walking, although no new schemes were announced.
- A pledge to make London “the global centre of green finance”.
Business Green: James Murray
10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution: What’s great, what’s missing, what’s next?
Boris Johnson’s new 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution is a landmark moment in the UK’s journey to net zero emissions, but its success is not yet guaranteed. It is in many ways an unprecedented moment. Plenty of Prime Ministers have sketched out their grand ‘white heat’, ‘no alternative’, ‘third way’ economic visions for the country. Countless Ministers have scratched around for a couple more policies to turn an eight strategy into a satisfying 10 point plan. Several governments have even had a punt at tackling the climate crisis, unveiling Clean Growth Strategies and the like. But Boris Johnson’s announcement this week of a 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution is the first time a world leader has not just talked about the desire to bring down the curtain on the fossil fuel age within three decades, but has explained, in some detail, how he intends to do it.
Gone are the rhetorical flourishes and hymning of humanity’s “Promethean spirit” to be replaced by firm commitments to end the sale of internal combustion engine, create markets for heat pumps and hydrogen, and decarbonise entire industries.
It is hard to overstate the significance of all this, even if 2020’s groaning news cycle means the announcement has struggled to secure the bulletin-leading mainstream media coverage it merits. This is the Paris Agreement as actionable infrastructure strategy, the translation of vague promises of climate action into robust policy frameworks.
The Prime Minister of one of the world’s most influential economies – of the crucible of the first industrial revolution – is setting out the plan for the next industrial revolution, and it promises to be the fastest industrial revolution in history. He is doing so just weeks after the President-elect of the US, the President of China, and the leaders of the EU all promised that they would do likewise in short order. The investment signals are explicit. Anyone betting against the net zero transition becoming the defining business issue of the age is effectively saying that the bulk of the world’s most powerful governments and corporates will fail to deliver on their stated ambitions. They may yet fall short of their goals, but the risk equations for businesses and investors are fast shifting in favour of the net zero transition accelerating from this point on. Click here to read more
Green New Deal: Five out of ten for Boris’ ten point plan
‘Today Boris Johnson announced his ten point plan for a green recovery. The strength of our movement has meant that everybody (including the Government) is now focusing on green jobs as a way to recover from the pandemic and fight climate change at the same time. But this plan is short on detail and on ambition. The plan is a welcome shift in gear – but unfortunately the scale of the crises we face (both in climate breakdown and unemployment/inequality) means that we need to replace the whole engine.’ Click here to read more
Academics and industry expert reaction to the government’s ‘ten point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution’ provide comment on the government’s ten point plan for a green economy, jobs and industry released this month. Read more.
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