In the comment inserted at the bottom of this email, Don McLean, CEO of Glasgow-headquartered climate tech company, IES, discusses the welcome attention around decarbonising energy production. However, he reaffirms the need to take a holistic approach to decarbonising how we both produce and consume energy, in order to deliver on the ambition for Britain to become a clean energy superpower.
Commenting on the role of the new government when it comes to decarbonising energy in the UK, Don said:
“Since at least 2015, governments have talked about how they would cut emissions, but sadly, this has not yet been achieved. While Labour promises to solve former Conservative failures, the scale and pace of climate change is impacting the Earth more and more and becoming an increasingly pressing issue.
“The new government has made some big promises when it comes to decarbonising the UK energy system, and all eyes will be on how they put this policy into practice throughout the next parliament.
“Great British Energy is a welcome initiative which will go some way to focus attention on decarbonising energy production. But while decarbonising the grid is really important, we also need to strengthen our efforts in reducing the way we consume energy in turn.
“For example, we know that buildings are major players when it comes to energy usage and emissions, responsible for 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions – with a greater proportion of this resulting from operations compared to materials and construction. To fully deliver on the ambition for Britain to become a clean energy superpower, while cutting bills for people and businesses alike, we need to take a holistic approach to decarbonising how we produce and consume energy.”
“We are still a long way from finding a holistic solution to decarbonisation – not just here in the UK, but from a global perspective. This means that as a country, we have the opportunity to demonstrate leadership that others can follow. However, it is necessary to prove the decarbonisation process will work before making significant changes to millions of buildings.”
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