Greening the Nation 2024
The signing of the Paris Agreement in 2016 represented a key moment in the global commitment to address climate change. This pledge − to keep the rise in global temperature well below 2C, ideally limiting it to 1.5C − continues to be a critical benchmark worldwide. With COP29 having just concluded in Baku, the international community is once again focused on how to collectively address this issue.
This year, the new government has set ambitious goals to position Britain as a leader in clean energy, with plans including the launch of Great British Energy, doubling onshore wind, tripling solar power, and quadrupling offshore wind capacity.
With just six years left to hit our 2030 goal of reducing global emissions by nearly 50 per cent, central questions remain: Where is progress being made? And where is it falling behind? This supplement brings together perspectives from Parliament, business, and academia to examine these challenges.
We hear from Kerry McCarthy MP on how the government is intensifying efforts to lead a global drive for a sustainable future. Bill Esterson MP explores how the clean energy transition can drive economic growth and lower our bills and Lord Houchen outlines plans to make Tees Valley the world’s first net-zero industrial cluster by 2040.
Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, Chi Onwurah MP, reiterates the need for the UK to remain at the forefront of innovation policy. Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb advocates for urgent, practical action, while Baroness Taylor of Stevenage explores how our homes hold the key to a greener, cleaner, more prosperous future.
Newly elected chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, Toby Perkins MP, shares his commitment to driving bold environmental action and restoring the UK’s leadership on the global stage, and Earl Russell asserts that the government must secure broad public support for a just and resilient transition.
In the pages that follow, contributors reflect on the UK’s path toward its climate targets, offering insights into the strategies, innovations and leadership needed to deliver a greener future for our nation.
You can read the full report here.
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