The 2023 Electrical Review Sustainability Issue is now available for all to view, with a whole host of expert opinions and the latest from our Gossage Gossip columnist.
This is the second year that we have offered an issue dedicated to sustainability, having first launched in October 2022 to celebrate the one year anniversary of COP26 and to track the UK’s progress towards its 2050 net zero goal.
While the UK has been largely optimistic about its green future since then, that has changed significantly in the last month or so. Instead of bold policy to help us achieve our net zero goal, the recent announcements by Rishi Sunak’s Government demonstrate that the UK is no longer willing to take the lead when it comes to decarbonisation.
The revelation that the UK was preparing to delay or scrap many of its key green policies may not have been a shock to anyone closely following Sunak’s Government, but it did come as a disappointment to many within the electrical industry, as well as the other industries that were impacted by the news.
My personal belief is that little will likely change as a result of the Government’s announcements, after all many key policies such as the ZEV mandate remain in place. The biggest change is likely going to come down to energy efficiency improvements – which landlords will no longer be obliged to make under the new rules.
This change will not just impact the UK’s ability to achieve its net zero goal, but will also have a direct impact on the poorest in society. It will mean those with no choice but to rent substandard homes will be paying more to heat them, or face cold winters. Meanwhile, landlords will once again be able to shirk their responsibility towards their tenant
But will that change even happen? Well, with the Conservative Party almost certainly heading towards defeat at the next general election, it’s hard to believe that the Labour Party will continue to let landlords get away with renting out inefficient homes.
No matter the results of the next election, I must say I’m in agreement with the Electrical Contractors Association – green policies need to be depoliticised. It was not long ago that the UK was able to steer the world into some bold new promises when it came to decarbonisation, and here we are just two years later and the electorate is being misled by the Prime Minister on bogus policies, such as a tax on meat, that were never going to come into effect.
If you’re interested in hearing more about the UK’s decarbonisation efforts and the impact that these policy changes will have, we have a whole host of podcast episodes dedicated to this very topic with some very special guests – just search Powered On wherever you get your podcasts.
Meanwhile, please do enjoy this latest issue – and join me in saying farewell to a long-term friend of Electrical Review.
Also, don’t miss out on the chance to enter the Electrical Review & Data Centre Review Excellence Awards, details of which you can find on our website. And as always, do get in touch at [email protected].