This last year has been a tumultuous one for those of us with an interest in sustainable buildings policy. The new Government arrived last May with a deregulatory glint in their eye, and quickly got to work cutting away pesky “red tape”, including many schemes that we held dear. But if those changes felt massive at the time, they are nothing compared to what followed.
First, of course, came the referendum. What we at UK-GBC, like many others, expected to be a narrow victory for Remain, ended up being a fairly decisive victory for Leave. While exactly what lies ahead remains quite unclear, but with so much of the UK’s climate and energy policy built on European foundations, there’s no doubt that Brexit immediately added to the sense of uncertainty in the sector.
Then came the political fallout. “Bye bye” we said to the former Husky-hugging David Cameron, and in came Theresa May. Keen to make her mark, departmental changes soon followed and into the sunset sailed the Department of Energy and Climate Change, to be replaced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. While there is no doubt that DECC was struggling for influence, few would have anticipated such a sudden end to a Department regularly hailed a signal of our national ambition on climate change.
So where are we now from a UK-GBC perspective? I’m not sure we can say with any certainty, but one thing we can say – if we’re looking on the bright side – is that we are faced with a blank canvas that is crying out to be painted. China and US have agreed to ratify the Paris agreement, and the Prime Minister has announced that the UK will soon follow. With the two global superpowers set to take a lead on fighting climate change, Ms May’s Government is going to need to back up the rhetoric with rapid action on the ground if it’s to keep pace.
On a similar note, Team Brexit is keen to emphasise that we can still prosper outside the EU thanks to our increased ability to move quickly and independently, unconstrained by the bureaucracy of Brussels. But to do that we will have to attract investors who, perhaps without the reassurance of our access to the common market, will need to be convinced that our economy is well placed to make the most of the opportunities that the 21st century will bring. And in the context of a flurry of recent stories about the ever-expanding rate of growth of renewable energy, and the tumbling costs of energy storage, there can be few who seriously believe that, one way or another, much of that opportunity won’t be found in the transition to a low carbon economy.
Fortunately, later this year – or more likely now, early next – we are expecting the launch of the next Emissions Reduction Plan. Done well, the Plan could right many of the wrongs of recent years. It could set out a clear vision of the UK’s future energy and climate policy landscape, with targets for key sectors to help focus minds and against which we could track progress. Underneath that it could address some of the gaps identified by the Committee on Climate Change progress report including, of course, on buildings. In particular, it could end the post-Green Deal hiatus on domestic retrofit policy; revive and clarify the pathway to Zero Carbon homes and commercial buildings; and announce innovative measures to stimulate investment in energy efficiency.
It could do all that, and it should. Past attempts have tended to disappoint, providing little more than warm words supported by scant detail. But if the Government is serious about moving our economy forward; about making our businesses more efficient and productive; about increasing our share of international trade; and settling the nerves of a business community unsettled by the seismic shocks felt this year, using the Emissions Reduction Plan to set out its stall would be a pretty good way to start.
*Credit to UK Green Building Council
