UKGBC joins leading infrastructure organisations in coalition to support transition to a net zero economy

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has joined a coalition with Mott MacDonald, Anglian Water, Skanska, Transport for London and UKCRIC to identify and develop practical responses to the infrastructure industry’s key challenges to delivering a net zero UK.

In legislating for a net zero carbon emissions economy by 2050, the UK has positioned itself at the forefront of the global fight against the climate crisis. However, meeting this ambitious target will require a radical and urgent transformation of the UK’s infrastructure.

The coalition partners will draw on their expertise from across the buildings, energy, water and transport sectors, as well as experience working across industry and government to develop the technology, skills, supply chains, regulatory frameworks and planning regimes that will play a leading role in the transition to a net zero economy.

The coalition’s objectives are to:

  • Identify the necessary enabling environment (policies, incentives and regulations) to deliver net-zero while minimising costs and maximising wider environmental, social and economic benefits across all regions of the UK.
  • Develop a practical understanding of the urgent activities and critical paths for the most difficult (and often least-understood) areas of new economic infrastructure required for net-zero, such as net-zero industrial clusters, the hydrogen economy and nation-wide electric vehicle charging.
  • Bring a collaborative, mission-oriented whole-system approach (based on systems thinking and systems engineering principles) to all aspects of planning and delivering infrastructure for net-zero, recognising the interactions between infrastructure sectors.
  • Provide a collaborative hub for infrastructure industry efforts on net-zero, convene cross-sector expertise in partnership with government and mobilise and communicate industry action on net-zero.

Alastair Mant, head of business transformation at UKGBC said:

“Infrastructure assets are a significant component of the built environment and are vital in enabling a net zero carbon UK by 2050.  This requires a transformation of the UK’s economic infrastructure and so we are delighted to bring our convening power and industry knowledge to this new, action orientated coalition. We welcome the support from the Committee on Climate Change and look forward to working with them and other government and industry organisations, with many of whom discussions have already begun.  The coalition aims to bring together expertise from leading organisations across the infrastructure sector and so we hope that other UKGBC members will soon join the vital initiative for a net zero carbon UK.”

Check out Mott MacDonald’s press release here and read the coalition’s mission statement: Building a net-zero economy here.

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