The carbon and growth plan needs big ambition for us all to see the benefits  – Inside track

Next week, the government will publish its Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan. It’s a major moment. The plan isn’t just a blueprint for how the UK will cut its greenhouse gas emissions over the next 15 years, but also a huge growth opportunity, to set the country on course for more secure energy and real benefits for communities in a cleaner, greener economy. 

Heatwaves, rising bills and polluted air aren’t separate crises, they are symptoms of the same long term problem. Years of delay and underinvestment have left people paying more due to volatile energy bills, cold homes, poor transport and the escalating impacts of climate change. 

This new plan should help to change that. It’s a chance to set the country on a path that works for people, the economy and the planet. What exactly could it help? 

Homes: a transformation of homes is needed, prioritising fuel poor households and renters. Insulation and ventilation upgrades should cut energy bills and ensure homes are warm in winter and cool in summer. This then prepares the way for installing much more efficient electric heating which also cuts harmful air pollution.  

Work and industry: the changes should see good, secure, unionised jobs in industries powered by affordable, clean energy. For this, the government must back rapid electrification, strengthen UK supply chains and focus on a fair transition for hard to decarbonise sectors. By investing now, Britain will be more competitive globally in the industries of the future, exporting clean technologies instead of relying on volatile fossil fuel imports.  

Communities: everyone in the UK should be able to breathe clean air, have access to green space and affordable, frequent public transport where they live and work. In the face of a changing climate, tree-lined streets, high quality nature, better housing and greener travel options will increase the resilience of communities from the effects flooding and extreme heat. 

As none of these things happen without intervention, the plan must be designed particularly to meet the needs of people who will be most affected by high costs and climate risks. If it’s ambitious enough, by 2037, the UK could be well on the way to meeting its climate and air quality goals, with people and businesses seeing the benefits directly. 

But if it isn’t ambitious, there will be greater costs down the line. When the government cut green investment a decade ago, it is estimated that it added around £22 billion to household energy bills. If the UK had invested at the OECD average over the past two decades, an extra £500 billion could have been spent, enough to build the large scale offshore wind and interconnectors needed to not only meet our domestic demand but export 1/6th of the EU’s total energy demand by 2030. 

There’s no denying that the scale of ambition will have to be big. But the prize is bigger. This is the way to futureproof the UK, increase energy security, cut and stabilise the cost of living and protect the country from the worst effects of climate change. The choices made in this decade will determine what the next generation will be left to deal with. Will it inherit worsening crises and increasing chaos, or the foundations for a fairer, more secure future?