UK sets out plans for green recovery

The UK government has announced funding in areas including direct air capture technology and energy efficiency, as part of efforts to rebuild the economy following the Covid-19 crisis and meet the country's climate neutrality targets.

The government's "plan for jobs" package is designed to support the UK economy in the wake of the effects of the pandemic and has a number of measures aimed at "delivering a green recovery".

This includes £100mn of investment in the research and development of direct air capture technology, which removes CO2 from the air.

The government also plans to set up a £2bn "green homes grant" to support energy efficiency improvements to households, which it said could "support over 100,000 jobs and help strengthen a supply chain that will be vital for meeting our target of net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050" — an objective that was made legally binding in June 2019.

Also in the package of measures are plans to make £10mn available "immediately" for the research and development of automotive batteries, motors, electronics and fuel cells, while the government called on industry to provide investment proposals for so-called gigafactories to allow the mass-manufacture of such products .

And the government plans to devote £1bn over the next year to the decarbonisation of the public sector, through energy efficiency and low carbon heat measures, as part of efforts set out in the government's Clean Growth Strategy in October 2017 to halve GHG emissions in the public sector by 2032. A further £40mn will go to improving the sustainability of the court system through energy and water use reductions.

Turning point

Government advisory body the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) welcomed the plans, which it said "marks a turning point in the government's support for energy efficiency […] complemented by welcome announcements to decarbonise the public estate and create new jobs in the natural environment".

But it called on the government to clarify when the "substantial funds" announced for the initiatives would be made available. And it highlighted the importance of maintaining support for a green economy in the longer term.

"The challenge before government is now to build on this stimulus and ensure that these green jobs endure beyond 2021. We look forward to seeing the Chancellor's infrastructure strategy and spending plans in the autumn," it said.

The CCC urged the government in advice published last month to focus on a sustainable recovery to the Covid-19 crisis, saying that "climate investments will help create jobs and stimulate economic recovery, while changing the course of UK emissions and improving our resilience to climate change for the coming decade and beyond".

By Victoria Hatherick