Foreword
This UK100 report, published during COP26 in Glasgow, is a vital piece of advocacy and practical guidance to local authorities and community networks tackling decarbonisation and mitigating climate change.
The report focuses on the efficacy of in-country local government climate networks, and their ability to deliver solutions and advocate for the change that can facilitate further progress towards reaching national Government goals.
Leadership is indeed the crucial success factor and I cannot emphasise enough that decarbonising our transport systems, our industry and energy supply systems and our domestic heating and cooling by 2050 is not a matter of waiting for new technology to come along. The technology that we need to get to at least 80% of the way to Net Zero targets exists today.
The report highlights common features of successful climate networks from a range of countries including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Japan, the USA and the UK. One size does not fit all. Unlocking finance from local authorities, private capital and government investment to deliver sustainable projects at significant commercial scale is achievable, if networks adapt strategies locally and share and learn from each other’s experiences.
The clarion call from this report is to act now, learn from examples of success, use local contexts to develop solutions that work, work together to scale up these solutions and innovate to speed up.
Managing large networks can be complex but there are ways to cut through and decisive, empowered local leadership is vital.
– Carl Ennis, Siemens UK CEO
National Grid is proud to be partnering with UK100 at this vital time for the delivery of a Net Zero future. This is a critical decade to deliver the new energy systems that will help power carbon free communities and businesses.
Local leadership is a vital component of that delivery, and we know that the UK will only meet its commitments to hit Net Zero if local communities and leadership are engaged and helping enable the changes that will allow the UK to make the most of the economic, jobs and environmental opportunities that are offered by the transition to Net Zero.
We would like to thank the brilliant UK100 team and members for their work at this vital time. We know that if we work together we can all help create a strong, sustainable future for all.
– Duncan Burt, Chief Sustainability Officer, National Grid
