In a joint statement in the Times newspaper this week, the Institution of Environmental Sciences added its voice to the list of cross-industry professional bodies holding the government to account over its latest Net Zero climate policy reversals. Many of the professional bodies that have put their names to this statement are also supporters and signatories of the Professional Bodies Climate Action Charter. Read the full statement below.
Full Statement and Signatories
As supporters of the Professional Bodies Climate Action Charter, we represent hundreds of thousands of professional members globally, across a wide range of sectors, from science and engineering, health, construction and finance. Our members are deeply concerned that policy announcements by the Prime Minister this week call into question the government's commitment to delivering the UK’s net-zero and adaptation targets. Investment is jeopardised by policy reversals, as is certainty on skills needed for the creation of green jobs in the future workforce.
The ongoing cost of living crisis and this summer’s extreme heat waves in the US, China and Europe have highlighted the acute risks if the UK Government does not proactively deliver a strategic approach to net zero. If the objectives of the Climate Change Act are not delivered, future crises will surely follow.
Fully implementing the Net Zero Strategy, which included the end dates of 2030 for the sale of new combustion engine vehicles and 2035 for gas boilers, could create another 440,000 well-paying jobs and unlock £90 billion in private investment by 2030. Professionals need a stable policy framework, guidance and training to align their sectors with net zero and reap the opportunities granted by the global transition. This will be reliant on a wider economic transition to net zero, across a range of sectors, supported by consistent policies, including strategic public investment and clear market signals from a coherent direction of travel.
