Yesterday Kemi Badenoch delivered a speech in which she admonished the 2050 net zero target as ‘impossible’
The Conservative net zero speech warned that the current 2050 net zero target would decrease the standard of living and ‘bankrupt’ the country.
Responses have been largely negative, with responses from within and without the Conservative Party bashing the ideas of the speech.
Here, we have compiled some responses from the construction industry.
RICS responds to the Conservative net zero speech
In a press release yesterday, The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors warned against Badenoch’s message, instead using it as a reminder of the urgency of reaching net zero.
They pointed towards the RICS Sustainability Report 2024, which showed that demand for greener buildings has grown by 54% for homes, offices, and industrial property. They also point to high energy-costs as a reason for having more sustainable buildings.
In opposition to Badenoch’s ‘bankrupt’ claim, RICS say that the UK’s green economy, at 9% growth, has been outperforming overall economic growth (1.4%) and has added around £83bn to the UK economy.
Robert Toomey, RICS senior public affairs officer, said: “Policymakers must provide clarity and certainty around its ambitions to meet Net Zero so that the industry has the confidence to rapidly get retrofit moving.
“We cannot shy away from the huge retrofit burden that persists in the UK. Millions of existing homes are not fit for purpose. Surveyors are essential to meet this challenge and stand ready to help.
“RICS urge the UK Government to continue on the path towards Net Zero and ensure that surveyors and other built environment professionals can support the urgent need for climate mitigation and adaptation. There is no time to waste – we must pick up the pace.”
Confederation of British Industry
Rain Newton-Smith, CEO of the Confederation of British Industry, said: “Now is not the time to step back from the opportunities of the green economy. Cross-party support for net zero has underpinned international investors’ confidence to choose the UK for investment in the energy transition. Last year, this resulted in the net zero economy growing by 10% and adding £83 billion to national income.
“Achieving net zero by 2050 provides opportunities for green growth – and it can only be delivered by creating the conditions to sustain high levels of private investment. This includes governments committing to the long-term policy certainty established by UK carbon budgets.
“It also includes tackling electricity prices as firms in the UK pay more to power their business than anywhere in the world. Proportionately rebalancing costs as part of wider reforms, increasing renewable contract-lengths and extending reliefs to support industrial transition are critical at the forthcoming spending review to forge a path to greener, secure and more affordable energy.”
Energy UK
Dhara Vyas, chief executive at Energy UK, said on the Conservative’s net zero speech: “Cutting emissions across our economy is about more than just the climate – investing in cleaner domestic energy production can lower costs for households and businesses, strengthen our energy security, improve public health and provide a huge economic boost.
“As the last few years have shown, it’s the volatile cost of fossil fuels and our dependence on them that have driven up energy bills for customers. The UK should remain a world leader in the energy transition, continuing to create economic growth and attract international investment in the technologies and the jobs of the future
“Of course we need honest conversations about how we fund the costs in a way that is fair to households and businesses – and this also needs to include a consideration of the potential price of inaction. Delaying upfront investment increases the eventual cost and rowing back on green measures added billions to bills during the gas crisis. The recent Climate Change Committee report estimated the net cost of reaching the target at around 0.2% of UK GDP per year on average – a significant but manageable cost, which has also fallen significantly.
“And much of this investment – an estimated 70% or £3 for every £1 from the public purse – will come from the private sector if we continue to show the same ambition. The risk is that any perceived reduction in commitment or ambition sees that investment and those economic opportunities go elsewhere and damages our own interests.”
UKGBC
The UK Green Building Council’s deputy chief executive officer, Simon McWhirter, said: “It’s hard not to receive this sort of news with equal measures of frustration and disbelief.
“As a nation we’ve already started doing the hard yards of innovating our way towards a net zero future, and meeting that target is absolutely essential if we want to improve the economy, our homes and living standards. Far from harming people, this is about looking at how we can improve everyone’s quality of life, while ratcheting down our impact on the planet.
“The growth opportunity for British innovators and business, if we grasp the nettle early, was espoused heavily in Conservative Government’s own Mission Zero report, while recent analysis by the Confederation of British Industry has shown the net zero sector is growing three times faster than the overall UK economy.
“So, net zero is already in train, and our members and the built environment industry are fully behind it, and it’s widely documented that the longer we delay, the costs increase vastly.
“We do agree that it’s essential that as we shift towards a net zero future that we do so in a fair way, and we need to shape the policies to ensure there are no unjust social impacts. But it’s eminently possible; as has been demonstrated with the design of the proposed Warm Homes Stamp Duty – where environmental improvements in our homes are rewarded with a tax rebate when they’re sold, but people in the most vulnerable situations are protected from the costs.”
