What is Net Zero and why is it so important?
Put simply, Net Zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount of greenhouse gas removed from the atmosphere.
Net Zero is important to the environment, human health, business, governments and the economy to prevent the global average earth surface temperature from continuing to rise.
The impacts of rising global temperatures is already being seen; melting ice in the Poles, rising global sea levels, rising temperatures affecting wildlife habitats, increased precipitation and snow, severe droughts, increased risk of wildfires, lost crops and drinking water shortages.
How will the UK reduce carbon emission output?
The UK is reducing output in several ways, these include providing extra support to limit energy waste in both homes and public buildings, increasing the volume of clean energy produced, banning the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and investing in small and advanced nuclear reactors.
There are simple ways for businesses and the population to help the UK reduce emissions output. These include both businesses and homes consuming less brown energy and switching to green, accessing more on-site energy generation schemes such as combined heat and power, solar generation and on-shore wind turbines and using data to turn energy in to a tangible cost allowing businesses to measure energy performance in terms of both CO2 and £’s.
How will the UK reverse carbon emission output?
Even the most pro-environmental campaigners agree it is impossible to completely eradicate carbon emissions. However, governments, businesses and the general population can remove carbon from the atmosphere which they have generated. The UK has announced plans to consume carbon through schemes including 30,000 hectares of trees being planted every year and increasing carbon capture and storage facilities.
On a global scale helping countries to halt deforestation, increase mangroves and carbon capture and storage schemes will help to limit global surface temperature rises.
How will Net Zero impact my business?
Your path to Net Zero will be bespoke to your organisation. Net Zero and environmental policies will impact all UK business sectors over the next decade. How business leaders perceive Net Zero; whether as an opportunity to identify savings, help the environment and influence business brand, or whether Net Zero be perceived as an unnecessary additional cost, will influence both future businesses performance and energy costs in your P&L.
From a cost perspective money to pay renewable generators is funded through your business energy invoices. The UK government announced within their ‘Ten Point Green Plan’ that offshore wind power will increase from 10Gig to 40Gig meaning funds required to pay offshore renewable generators will quadruple. Renewable taxes within your business energy invoices are likely to continue to increase for the foreseeable future adding more focus on consumption saving projects.
What should my business do next?
Energy policies and environmental strategies must be driven from the top of your organisation with input from various stakeholders throughout the business. The first stage for any business is to make a commitment and set energy reduction and Net Zero targets to allow the directors, senior management and all employees to buy in to and embrace your business environmental goals.
For an informal discussion or more details on how Net Zero will impact your business and how businesses should perceive Net Zero as a commercial opportunity please contact hello@gleg.co.uk for further information.