The final summit of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) sustainability series campaign stressed the importance of having a smooth transition towards net zero targets, writes Feron Jayawardene.
The event, chaired by chamber chief executive Henrietta Brealey, was held at the Exchange in Birmingham yesterday with 80 delegates attending.
It was the culmination of the Sustainable Series Campaign devised by the GBCC across the past month.
Keynote addresses were given by mayor for the West Midlands Andy Street and Michaela Wright, head of sustainability of HSBC UK.
Michaela Wright spoke about the financial aspects in achieving Net Zero.
She said: “Nobody will transition if we don’t take everybody with us. There are three billion people dependent on coal markets around the world which will result in massive job losses and create economic issues. So there needs to be an aim for a just and orderly transition.
“There are lots of tools and resources out there. Transitions are harder for smaller businesses, so we introduced a green SME fund. The fund provides one per cent cashback up to £25,000 when businesses start investing in greener options as part of the transitioning.
Andy Street outlined the region’s plans on driving Net Zero.
He said: “Businesses are faced with an acute challenge around energy. We have set up the environment and energy task force to overcome these challenges. The area we can progress the most is transport, and we are changing the public transport to be green.
“Despite the challenges, the government remains committed to being net zero by 2050. The new Government must stick by the commitment made by its predecessor around innovation and R&D spending. We need innovation in new sectors to both deal with the net zero challenge and make Britain wealthy again.
“The younger generation sees this as the most immediate challenge that’s affecting them and they expect us to the right thing. We must not fail them.”
A panel discussion focusing on net zero and the supply chain was chaired by Ellie Horwitch-Smith, assistant director of Route to Net Zero, Anna Bright, chief executive officer of Sustainability West Midlands and Jenna Bates, group carbon manager of the Kier Group.
The panel stressed the importance of working collaboratively together towards the transition towards net zero.
Anna Bright said:
“Business interest in sustainability and net zero has never been greater and the final summit of GBCC sustainability series provided an excellent opportunity to come together and discuss challenges and opportunities. Businesses do not need to tackle sustainability alone. There is a huge amount of support available from SWM, the Chambers, the LEP and other supporting organisations. As highlighted by the Mayor, Andy Street, the Net Zero Business Pledge is a great way for businesses to show their commitment but also benefit from support and collaboration. Contact us to find out more.”
Click here to read SWM Project Officer Nathaniel Weaver’s contribution to the Sustainable Business Series on why so many businesses are signing up to the West Midlands Net Zero Business Pledge.
Another panel discussed the effects of the Cop 26 conference. It was chaired by Professor David Hannah, director of the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability and Climate Action, Dr Lucy Rackliff, Senior Lecturer in Transport and Interim Head, Department of Engineering Systems and Supply Chain Management at Aston University and Andrew Whitehead, Senior Partner and Head of Energy of Shakespeare Martineau.
The panel verdict said: “Right now, we are breaching the 1.5 degree threshold, and there is a 50/50 chance that this threshold will be broken over the next five years. The difference between 1.5 and two degrees will put 450 million people at risk. Countries are dialling down the impact, but efforts are not sufficient.”
Pictured from left to right: Lucy Rackliff, Senior Lecturer from Aston University, Andrew Whitehead, Senior Partner and Head of Energy of Shakespeare Martineau, chamber chief executive Henrietta Brealey, Professor David Hannah, director of the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability and Climate Action
