At the Conservative Party conference this week we have reaffirmed our commitment to the UK’s net zero emissions goal.
This target has to be a key principle for the Treasury and for the Business Department as the government seeks to engineer a post-Brexit “decade of renewal”.
We need to ensure that there is a market-driven approach to driving down our carbon emissions.
And we need to be working with all sectors of the British economy from manufacturers to delivery-based firms and those in the finance and services industries.
It is only by working together that we will be able to achieve the goals and targets that we set.
The Chancellor, Sajid Javid, said: “Not only are we the first large economy to commit to Net Zero by 2050, last week at the UN General Assembly our Prime Minister committed to doubling Britain’s funding for global environmental and climate change programmes.”
“I’d therefore like to see government look again at the target and thoroughly explore the case for bringing this date forward.”
It is hoped that this date could be brought forward to 2035 but I can hear the cries already and the protests about we are not doing enough and it should be done faster.
Perhaps, if instead of protesting and spending time and energy on political point-scoring rhetoric, we could all started to work together.
Then, properly focused on the climate change problems we all face, maybe – just maybe – we would be able to achieve the targets we all want and need.
We spend so much time in the council coming up with soundbites without actually achieving anything positive which could help our current position.
I look forward to when we can have a positive debate together without trying to score political points to grab the media headlines.
We as Conservatives are ready to do this. Let’s hope the other parties are willing to put politics aside for the better good of us all.
Councillor Steve Bell is the leader of the Conservatives on Brighton and Hove City Council.
