Commenting on today's (March 18) speech by the Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch, in which she suggested it would not be possible for the UK to reach net zero by 2050, RenewableUK's Deputy Chief Executive Jane Cooper said:
"The Conservatives would be wrong to row back on their commitment to net zero, as this would mean turning their backs on one of our greatest opportunities to maximise economic growth this century - and the progress by the previous Government in helping the UK to become a world leader in offshore wind. The UK's green economy grew by 10% between 2023 and 2024 and it now generates over £83 billion in economic activity, with 22,800 businesses supporting over 950,000 jobs. Our world-leading offshore wind industry alone is set to employ over 104,000 people by 2030.
"It's also a mistake to suggest that it isn't possible to reach net zero by 2050. Just last month the Climate Change Committee set out in detail exactly how the UK can stay on track to meet this key target by putting offshore wind at the heart of our clean electricity system, with our capacity growing sixfold between now and 2040. The immense scale of this industrial, economic and environmental opportunity is clear and it would be wrong to abandon it for the sake of a small minority of sceptical voices.
"The Government's latest official Public Attitudes Tracker shows that 80% of people are worried about climate change and 82% of people support renewable energy. 69% of people say it's important that the UK is a global leader in tackling climate change with only 23% saying it's not important. Rowing back on net zero is also out of step with potential Conservative voters, as 54% of them want to see an increase in Government investment to tackle climate change.
"The real cause of the recent energy crisis is the eyewatering cost of gas on international markets which we have no control over. That's why it's vital to strengthen the UK's energy security by building new renewable energy projects as fast as possible, to get closer towards energy independence and drive down bills permanently by ending the stranglehold of fossil fuels on hard-pressed billpayers".
More information on the research by CBI Economics and the Energy and Climate Change Intelligence Unit (Feb 2025) is available here.
The CCC's 7th Carbon Budget report (Feb 2025) can be found here.
The Government's latest Public Attitudes Tracker (March 2025) is available here.
For further information, contact
Robert Norris, Head of Communications
07969 229 913 | Robert.Norris@RenewableUK.com
RenewableUK's members are building our future energy system, powered by clean electricity. We bring them together to deliver that future faster; a future which is better for industry, billpayers, and the environment. We support over 500 member companies to ensure increasing amounts of renewable electricity are deployed across the UK and to access export markets all over the world. Our members are business leaders, technology innovators, and expert thinkers from right across industry.
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