Prime Minister sets out 10-point ‘green industrial revolution’ plan

The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has laid out his 10-point plan for a ‘green industrial revolution’. 

The plan outlines an investment of £12 billion which will help to create and support 250,000 highly-skilled green jobs in the UK. Criticism has, however, been laid out at the division of this investment, as only £4bn has been allocated to implement the 10-point plan, which is said to be ambitious for the scope of the plan outlined. 

The 10 points are listed below: 

1. Offshore wind: Produce enough offshore wind to power every home in the UK, quadrupling how much it produces to 40 gigawatts by 2030, and supporting up to 60,000 jobs. 
2. Hydrogen: Have five gigawatts of “low carbon” hydrogen production capacity by 2030 – for industry, transport, power and homes – and develop the first town heated by the gas by the end of the decade.
3. Nuclear: Pushing nuclear power as a clean energy source and including provision for a large nuclear plant, as well as for advanced small nuclear reactors, which could support 10,000 jobs.
4. Electric vehicles: Phasing out sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030 to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and investing in grants to help buy cars and charge point infrastructure.
5. Public transport, cycling and walking: Making cycling and walking more attractive ways to travel and investing in zero-emission public transport for the future.
6. Jet zero and greener maritime: Supporting research projects for zero-emission planes and ships.
7. Homes and public buildings: Making homes, schools and hospitals greener, warmer and more energy efficient, including a target to install 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028.
8. Carbon capture: Developing world-leading technology to capture and store harmful emissions away from the atmosphere, with a target to remove 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030 – equivalent to all emissions of the industrial Humber.
9. Nature: Protecting and restoring the natural environment, with plans to include planting 30,000 hectares of trees a year.
10. Innovation and finance: Developing cutting-edge technologies and making the City of London the global centre of green finance.

The Prime Minister has identified previous industrial hubs as central to the growth, including in the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, Scotland and Wales, which will drive forward the ‘green industrial revolution’ and build green jobs and industries of the future.  

Jimmy Dorrell, Head of Sustainable Business at Clarity Environmental said: 

“Last year we saw growing public awareness and support for environmental causes and many have feared this momentum has been lost during the pandemic, but it is encouraging to see concrete steps being made to ensure we are on track to be net zero by 2050. 

“The key is joined up thinking throughout our economy to ensure legislation and policy truly move us closer to circular practices, from industry and manufacturing, to the packaging industry, down to communication around household waste.” 

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