The (Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy) BEIS Secretary of State has commissioned a review to ensure that delivering the net zero target does not place undue burdens on businesses or consumers. The review will report at the end of 2022.
According to the article on gov.co.uk, ‘as part of the review, the Chair, Chris Skidmore MP, will consult widely with a diverse range of stakeholders, including investors, industry, and experts in different fields, through a series of roundtables and direct meetings.
They are supplementing this with a broad call for evidence, giving the general public, businesses and other organisations a chance to share their views on the whole economy transition, maximising net zero growth opportunities, the challenges to address in this review and the future of net zero.
See the BEIS consultation privacy notice.’
The review will consider how their approach to net zero can:
- deliver maximum economic growth and investment, driving opportunities for private investment, jobs, innovation, exports, and growth right across the UK
- support UK energy security and affordability for consumers and business and the need to rapidly increase and strengthen UK energy production and supply
- minimise costs borne by businesses and consumers, particularly in the short-term
The review will assess the economic co-benefits associated with different policies and how we can drive down the cost curve for net zero technologies. It will consider innovative approaches and ways of delivering our target that ensure the government maximises the economic opportunities presented by net zero.
Approach to engagement
Everyone in the country has a stake in the transition to net zero. It impacts consumers, employees and businesses alike, affecting our cities, agricultural economy and natural environment. It will continue to change the way we lead our lives, altering the way we warm our homes, commute to work and much more. Given the all-encompassing nature of the transition, BEIS would like to understand from as many different stakeholders and interested groups across the population how the transition can be delivered in a way that supports growth, consumers, communities, energy security and businesses.
BEIS is therefore committed to a review that will consider a range of evidence and views from across society. This will include a range of themed roundtables with businesses, industry, communities, local government and non-governmental groups to collect a broad range of views on the transition to net zero. We will also engage on an individual level with a variety of leaders in the net zero space, including but not limited to academics, business leaders and politicians.
BEIS are supplementing this with a broad call for evidence, open to the whole British public. In doing this, alongside the aforementioned engagement, we hope to thoroughly reflect views and trends in the report, providing one of the biggest collation of views in an independent review into the UK’s net zero transition to date.
The call for evidence
The aim of the call for evidence is to provide an open channel to the general public to give their views on the transition, in particular giving a voice to the public and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The questions have been split up into those that are answerable by all, and then those which are best answered by different groups of stakeholders.
Overarching questions
- How does net zero enable us to meet our economic growth target of 2.5% a year?
- What challenges and obstacles have you identified to decarbonisation?
- What opportunities are there for new/amended measures to stimulate or facilitate the transition to net zero in a way that is pro-growth and/or pro-business?
- What more could government do to support businesses, consumers and other actors to decarbonise?
- Where and in what areas of policy focus could net zero be achieved in a more economically efficient manner?
- How should we balance our priorities to maintaining energy security with our commitments to delivering net zero by 2050?
- What export opportunities does the transition to net zero present for the UK economy or UK businesses?
Questions for businesses
- What growth benefits/opportunities have you had, or do you envisage having, from the net zero transition?
- What barriers do you face in decarbonising your business and its operations?
- Looking at the international market in your sector, what green opportunities seem to be nascent or growing?
- What challenges has the net zero transition presented to your business?
- What impacts have changing consumer choices/demand had on your business?
- What impacts have decarbonisation/net zero measures had on your business?
- What more could be done to support your business and/or sector to decarbonise?
- Do you foresee a role for your business within an expanded UK supply of heat pumps, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, hydrogen economy or clean power?
- For clean power industry: what barriers to entry have you found in deploying new plant and technologies?
- How many green jobs do you estimate will be created in your sector by 2030?
Chris Skidmore MP invites evidence on the government’s approach to delivering its net zero target, as part of an Independent Review of Net Zero.
This consultation closes at 11:45 pm on 27 October 2022. To respond online, go to beisgovuk.citizenspace.com/nzs/call-for-evidence-on-net-zero-review or email netzeroreview@beis.gov.uk
Sources
www.gov.uk/government/consultations
www.gov.uk/government/consultations/review-of-net-zero-call-for-evidence
