May 2020
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
***Full-scale policy conference taking place online***
This conference will examine the next steps for achieving the UK legal requirement for net-zero emissions in the UK by 2050 - focusing on policy frameworks and collaboration, decarbonisation in key sectors and local areas, and encouraging behavioural change.
Key areas for discussion:
- Priorities for central government including:
- cross-departmental engagement,
- Setting policy frameworks and guidance for government and industry,
- tackling challenges for businesses and consumers, and
- opportunities for UK leadership internationally in transition to greener economies.
- Targets and support needed for local and regional government in preparing for net-zero by 2050, including:
- strategies for encouraging behavioural change,
- priorities identified by the CCC, such as designing local road infrastructure, low-carbon transport networks, and ensuring national policy is implemented locally,
- access to appropriate resources for delivering substantial change,
- cooperation between local businesses and governments on decarbonisation pathways, and encouraging behavioural change, and
- achieving a just transition across society during the shift to net-zero - including in areas of employment, managing potential areas of inequality, and developing new career opportunities.
- Investment commitments needed to support an economy-wide transition - including retaining and improving investor confidence, and fairly distributing transition costs across the economy;
- Infrastructure and operational priorities for key sectors in the context of the National Infrastructure Strategy, with discussion expected on:
- clean energy - further expanding generation at scale, and support for technological innovation and modernising energy infrastructure,
- property and construction - next steps for the sectors in delivering zero-carbon built environments, modernising existing stock, and employing innovative methods and materials,
- transport - accelerating decarbonisation, including expanding electric vehicle rollout, and putting in place the necessary charging infrastructure and wider infrastructure, and
- agriculture - further reducing emissions and prospects for the proposed reward system for farmers and landowners for public goods.
Developments that are relevant to the discussion:
- The Spring Budget, which outlined new measures to help reach net-zero emissions by 2050, including:
- A commitment to increase public research and development investment to £22bn per year by 2024-2025;
- Announcement of a £640m Nature for Climate Fund to increase tree planting and peatland restoration in England; and
- Plans to at least double the £500m Energy Innovation Programme this Parliament.
- The Green Finance Strategy and its commitments to enable long-term capital for clean projects - as well as reducing market barriers for the private sector;
- The National Infrastructure Strategy expected for publication this year - which will outline the priorities for delivering infrastructure projects across sectors while meeting climate obligations;
- The Environment Bill, which will enshrine new legal powers for tackling waste and protecting biodiversity; and
- The CCC report on preparing agriculture and land use policies for net-zero - including priorities for decarbonising farming, protecting and restoring peatland, reducing waste and encouraging behavioural change.
The agenda:
- Pathways for reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, and what is required from government and industry;
- Priorities for effective policy frameworks;
- Improving the UK evidence base for climate change and environmental statistics;
- Addressing financial challenges for net-zero policy - investment requirements, fair cost distribution, and retaining investor confidence;
- Designing decarbonisation strategies, assessing global climate policy, and opportunities for extending UK leadership; and
- Collaboration with devolved partners, and setting targets fit for national capacity to reduce emissions.
- Strategies for decarbonisation in key sectors - harnessing innovation, tackling investment and scale barriers, and maximising economic opportunities;
- Building local capacity to achieve net-zero, and the role of local government - adaptation, behavioural change, and delivering a just transition; and
- Policy and reaching net-zero by 2050 - guidance for key stakeholders, putting in place mechanisms and levers, and protecting economic sustainability.
Policy officials attending
Our forums are known for attracting strong interest from policymakers and stake holders.
It’s particularly the case with this one. Places have been reserved by parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Commons and the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, and officials from BEIS; the Cabinet Office; the Crown Commercial Service; Defra; the Department for International Trade; the Department for Transport; DWP; the Environment Agency; the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; the Government Legal Department; the Government Office for Science; the Health & Safety Executive; HM Revenue & Customs; MHCLG; the National Audit Office; the Office for National Statistics; The Scottish Government and the UK Space Agency.
This is a full-scale conference taking place online***
- full, four-hour programme including comfort breaks - you’ll also get a full recording to refer back to
- information-rich discussion involving key policymakers and stakeholders
- conference materials provided in advance, including speaker biographies
- speakers presenting via webcam, accompanied by slides if they wish, using the Cisco WebEx professional online conference platform (easy for delegates - we’ll provide full details)
- opportunities for live delegate questions and comments with all speakers
- a recording of the addresses, all slides cleared by speakers, and further materials, is made available to all delegates afterwards as a permanent record of the proceedings
- delegates are able to add their own written comments and articles following the conference, to be distributed to all attendees and more widely
- networking too - there will be opportunities for delegates to e-meet and interact - we’ll tell you how!
Full information and guidance on how to take part will be sent to delegates before the conference