Prime Minister pledges ‘green industrial revolution’ with new 10-point plan

The Prime Minister has set out a ten-point plan to move the UK to net-zero emissions by 2050.

The UK Government intends to invest £12bn in green technology and initiatives and create 250,000 jobs to advance a “green industrial revolution”.

The plan includes quadrupling the amount of energy produced through offshore wind by 2030, supporting research projects into prospects for zero-emission planes and ships, and developing “small and advanced” nuclear reactors.

Boris Johnson said: “My ten-point plan will create, support and protect hundreds of thousands of green jobs, whilst making strides towards net zero by 2050.

“Our green industrial revolution will be powered by the wind turbines of Scotland and the North East, propelled by the electric vehicles made in the Midlands and advanced by the latest technologies developed in Wales, so we can look ahead to a more prosperous, greener future.”

It also includes a commitment to support feasibility studies of clean maritime technology in Orkney and looking at the possibility of building carbon capture clusters in Grangemouth and other sites across the UK.

Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said: “We are going to build back greener from the pandemic. At the COP26 summit in Glasgow next November we will show the world how we are leading on renewable energy, clean growth and tackling climate change.”

Other aspects of the plan relate to hydrogen power, electric vehicles and public transport, energy efficiency, tree planting and making London a global centre of green finance.

The Scottish Government has set a target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2045, five years ahead of the rest of the UK. Ministers are due to publish a renewed Climate Change Plan in December, after it was delayed from April by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Committee on Climate Change previously urged the Scottish Government to ensure this plan is a roadmap to net-zero, which would make it the first to do so in the UK.

The Prime Minister has also pledged to end the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2030 – ten years earlier than planned and now two years ahead of Scotland. The UK Government is also to consult on phasing out diesel HGVs.

Emma Pinchbeck, Energy UK’s chief executive, welcomed the plan and said the energy sector was “ready to play a central role”.

She said: “Businesses see the massive potential for showing global leadership on the green economy as we also host the UN climate change negotiations in 2021 and rebuild after the pandemic.

“The energy industry has led the way in reducing the UK’s emissions and we stand ready to play a central role in this Green Industrial Revolution.

“As the Prime Minister has said: this isn’t just about conservation, but creating 250,000 jobs: ambitious policies will bring investment, employment, and lasting benefits to all parts of the country, to communities and to the environment.”