The prime minister's plan covers 10 themes: offshore wind power; hydrogen; nuclear power; electric vehicles; public transport, cycling and walking; shipping and aviation; improving the energy efficiency of buildings; carbon capture: nature conservation; and innovation and finance.
To read further details, see our separate report here.
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Here is a cross-section of comments that we have received.
Hannah Vickers, chief executive of the Association for Consultancy & Engineering (ACE):
鈥淭his 10-point plan is recognition that in order to meet society鈥檚 Net Zero aspirations, we need tangible action. We can only 鈥榖uild back better鈥� from Covid-19 if our growth is cleaner and greener.
鈥淧roposals to turn London into a green financial centre are both welcome and necessary to supporting Net Zero ambitions, but giving local government the resilience and confidence to make carbon free investments is arguably more important.
鈥淭he positive announcements on carbon capture/storage, hydrogen, nuclear, and offshore wind are areas we championed in our comprehensive spending review representation. However, doing all this in parallel, and at the same time as decarbonising our existing building stock, remains a huge challenge and we need to see the rapid implementation of these plans.鈥�
Adam Strudwick, principal at architect Perkins&Will:
听鈥淲hile the government鈥檚 plans for a green industrial revolution are welcome, if we want to reach the goal of being net-zero by 2050, the UK must also ensure there is a green interior revolution in the spaces where we all work, live and shop. The built environment is responsible for 40% of UK carbon emissions; clearly, that needs to change.
鈥淎longside delivering net-zero new homes and buildings, updating the insides of existing offices, shops and hotels will be just as vital to reaching the UK鈥檚 2050 net-zero targets.
鈥淚t also provides a valuable opportunity for the government to educate industries on the definition of 鈥榥et-zero鈥�; encouraging a focus on both Operational and Embodied carbon will be vital. The government should recognise that innovative design can play a fundamental role in significantly reducing a building鈥檚 environmental footprint and creating places that are truly energy efficient from cradle to grave.
鈥淗aving committed to net-zero architecture last year and recently pledging an industry-leading net-zero interiors plan, we welcome the government鈥檚 拢1 billion investment into making existing homes and public buildings more efficient. However, there needs to be an incentive for large multinational firms and tech companies, who are buying the bulk of existing real estate stock, to retrofit buildings from the inside out"
Kate Neale, sustainability director at Cadogan, a property management business in west London:
"We welcome the government鈥檚 announcement that it will invest 拢1bn into making new and existing homes and public buildings more efficient, including the bid to bring forward the date by which new homes will need to be warmed without gas heating to 2023. The last few months have听brought into sharp relief the importance of tackling the climate emergency, and Cadogan is more focused than ever on actively听reducing听our environmental footprint, and collaborating with our partners across both the Chelsea community and our supply chain, to find innovative ways to听progress the circular economy听and make rapid advances in meeting net-zero ambitions. We believe听that the built environment听has an essential role to play in achieving carbon neutrality, and this must be recognised and supported in any new government policies."
Mathew Riley, UK managing director of consulting engineer Ramboll:
"It is excellent to see climate action remains on Boris Johnson's agenda and that his Government appreciate the need for green principles to form a central pillar in the UK's economic recovery. However, if we are to become a global leader in achieving net zero and taking effective action on the climate crisis then rapid implementation of this plan must be a priority - time is absolutely of the essence.
鈥淭he UK originally set one of the most ambitious targets for net zero but to remain global leaders in climate action we need to move further and faster. While a welcome move, the government鈥檚 10-point plan comes worryingly close to the wire.
"It is understandable that both the pandemic and Brexit have dominated this year, but now is the time to put climate action back at the top of the agenda, with detailed planning and implementation timelines that reflect its critical status for society. We need clear targets and bold statements for every sector.
鈥淐rucial to rapid implementation will be a clear and detailed policy framework that enables both public and private sector to plan their own strategies. We must move past declarations of intent and really get down to the detail if we hope to address climate challenge at the scale and speed needed.
鈥淩apid social and behavioural change is crucial in preventing a climate crisis. It is ultimately policy that changes behaviour, and so the government must deliver definitive policy commitments to drive the cultural changes needed to meet zero carbon goals and develop a more sustainable society. Boris and his government need to put on a united front and show real leadership in uniting the public and private sector and providing the correct environment for change to be delivered.
听鈥淔or example, road user charges may not be popular but in the long term could have a highly significant impact in reducing UK vehicle emissions. The government must look beyond the next election cycle in their decision making and make decisions based on what is best for people and the planet in the long term.
鈥淢issing from the government's proposals is how they plan to mitigate the impact of our built environment - currently it contributes up to 40% of the UK's carbon footprint and so reducing this should be crucial. The 拢1bn pledged for the green homes initiative is a start but to make any meaningful impact we need action right across the built environment - this narrow focus simply isn't enough. Industry collaboration here is key; the construction sector is poised to contribute but the government must lead this interaction and utilise existing knowledge and networks to help the sector innovate, change practices and deliver the change needed."
"Effective and sufficient investment is equally as critical as policy and promised - otherwise such announcements are purely paying lip service to the environment crisis. At present, all 10-points are purely decarbonisation policies, when the UK also needs to build in climate resilience planning to mitigate the impact of the climate crisis."
"We must also make the route to green financing much clearer in both the private and public sector 鈥� these pledges will be hard to implement if we can鈥檛 actually follow the money."
"Offshore wind investment also looms large and illustrates the policy point 鈥� we need marine strategy in place, which ensures we avoid the unintended negative impacts on biodiversity by rushing ahead on offshore wind."
Chris Richards, director of policy at the Institution of Civil Engineers:
"The commitments outlined in the government鈥檚 10-point plan for tackling climate change are a step in the right direction for the UK meeting its ambitious net-zero emissions target by 2050.
"In particular, bringing forward the point at which the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles will be phased out to 2030 is welcome. Yet, with electric vehicles currently exempt from paying VED and the diminishing impact that this will have on fuel duty revenues, there is a need to think carefully about how road upgrades and maintenance will be funded over the long-term.
"Moreover, today鈥檚 announcements do not spell out what the government鈥檚 overall plans are for joining-up efforts across departments to tackle climate change. A net-zero infrastructure plan that draws together policy and investment interventions in doing this is urgently required if the UK is to meet its commitments. We expect this to be detailed in the National Infrastructure Strategy and Energy White Paper when they are both published next week."
Marie-Claude Hemming, director of external affairs for the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA):
鈥淭he UK government鈥檚 commitment to boosting the economy and delivering the UK鈥檚 net zero carbon future is to be welcomed. This investment will not only help to level up the economy but will create high-skilled jobs across the UK. In particular, we are pleased that this plan recognises that the UK needs a mixed portfolio of energy generation, with projected investment in both wind energy and in large and small-scale new nuclear reactors.
鈥淲e hope this is the beginning of the uplift in investment the UK will need as we transition towards a net zero carbon future, and look forward to working with government at all levels to help deliver the green jobs and industries of the future.鈥�
Dave Sheridan, executive chairman of modular housing company Ilke Homes:
鈥淚 welcome Boris Johnson doubling down on the government鈥檚 pledges to make Britain a carbon-neutral economy. But, the time for rhetoric听is over and concrete action must now be taken to focus on building zero-carbon homes now to avoid costly retrofitting programmes in the future that听taxpayers are going to have to foot the bill for. The government鈥檚 Green Homes grant, which is set to be extended, is already investing 拢2bn of taxpayers money this year, yet the dithering and delay over new-build standards is going to cost the taxpayer 30-times more.
鈥淎ccording to our analysis, over 1.8听million听new-build homes will have been built by 2025 since 2016 鈥� the year in which the government鈥檚 original zero-carbon policy was meant to be introduced. As the economy gears up to meet its legally-binding net-zero pledges, nearly all of these homes will have to be retrofitted to meet zero-carbon standards. Using costs from the gvernment鈥檚 climate advisers, that鈥檚 going to cost homeowners and landlords in excess of 拢62bn.听听
鈥淭he government will soon have to make a decision on the Future Homes Standard consultation. Policymakers must stick to their guns and introduce the tightest possible energy standards: at least a 31pc reduction in carbon emissions from new-build housing next year and a net-zero Future Homes Standard as soon as possible. Without this we will simply not see change occur quickly enough. And picking the higher, 31% reduction target will show the world the UK means business ahead of the UN Sustainability Conference, COP26, in Glasgow next year, and will put the property industry on a trajectory to deliver truly energy-efficient homes.
鈥淭he government must now focus on scaling-up low-carbon technologies, such as air source heat pumps (ASHPs) and solar panels, and give its full backing to offsite manufacturing. At Ilke Homes, we鈥檙e deploying digital technology to help us measure and shape our homes鈥� energy performance. ASHPs and solar panels can also come as standard, which allow our homes to be powered with low-carbon energy. These technologies also mean our homes can be heated on just 拢1-a-day, saving consumers hundreds of pounds on energy bills a year.听Over the last three years, we鈥檝e delivered zero-carbon homes for clients spanning across the public and private sectors, proving that low-carbon technology can already be rolled out to the mass market.鈥�
Julie Hirigoyen, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council:
鈥淲e鈥檙e pleased to see the government bring forward a package of measures that begins to recognise the importance of a multi-faceted approach to tackling the climate crisis.
鈥淩etrofitting our existing homes, which are some of the draughtiest in Europe, is critical to driving down emissions across the country. We therefore welcome the extension of the Green Homes Grant, which will give installers more time to help more people upgrade their homes. We also welcome the commitment to public building energy efficiency 鈥� although this is not new.
鈥淏ut we urgently need clarity on how much of the 拢9.2bn Conservative manifesto energy efficiency commitment is actually being brought forward to support this. And, whilst a target on the number of heat pumps is a good start, we鈥檒l also need money and incentives to back it up. Government should allocate 拢5.8bn of public capital over the next four years towards supporting heat pump deployment in existing homes, drawn from the 拢100bn infrastructure budget for this Parliament.
鈥淚f the government is to actually deliver on the 250,000 jobs from a Green Industrial Revolution, it must use public money to unlock private sector investment, acting smarter to stimulate market growth by providing funding certainty well beyond the next financial year. This will give the industry the confidence to invest in their workforce, hire more staff and develop their supply chains. But cash alone won鈥檛 fix this. We also need structural incentives to boost consumer demand for green homes - this should include a range of attractive financing options and incentives, like variable stamp duty to make greener homes cheaper to buy, along with reduced VAT on home renovation to encourage householders to make their homes warmer and more comfortable."
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