Is GREEN DAY going to save us?

I’m sure you’re all fans of Green Day, the American punk rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 with hits such as Basket Case and Boulevard of Broken Dreams? No? Not even heard of them? No matter. This climate article –(hopefully) the first of many in Masthead – is still worth a read!

UK’s independent adviser on climate change, in their report on England’s adaptation progress issued a day earlier.

Baroness Brown, chair of the Adaptation Committee said: “The Government’s lack of urgency on climate resilience is in sharp contrast to the recent experience of people in this country. People, nature and infrastructure face damaging impacts as climate change takes hold. These impacts will only intensify.”

Remember, the day the UK hit 40 degrees for the first time and all those fires due to excess heat in the summer of 2022? And think back only to March 2023, the wettest in 40 years.

Nevertheless, the focus on energy efficiency, insulation, heat pumps, electric vehicles and green finance is welcome, as well as the commitment on green skills to produce a Net Zero and Nature Workforce Action Plan in 2024. By the end of 2023, Government wants at least 35 different Skills Bootcamp courses across England that will address immediate skills needs in key low-carbon sectors such as construction, transport, and energy. The Heritage and Carbon –addressing the skills gap report referred to elsewhere in this edition of Masthead highlights the need for

205,000 workers to focus solely on retrofitting historic buildings every year from now until 2050 in order to meet the UK’s net zero targets. So, what is the Chamber doing in respect to energy and net zero and how can we help you?

As outlined in the Strategic Plan, we are running a focused programme of activities to support south-east London’s development as a centre of excellence for environment, sustainability, and green growth. This builds on the London Chamber’s environment, sustainability, and green growth activities - which I chair - as well as the British Chamber of Commerce’s Climate group. We’re rolling out a series of events across the five boroughs (Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, and Lewisham) with a focus on sustainability, building on last year’s successful Greener Greenwich Summit. During a recent trip for Strategic Partners to City Hall, formerly known as the (wonderfully named) Crystal we got to see what was one of the world’s most sustainable buildings when it opened over 10 years ago.

We’re supporting ‘green’ initiatives such as accelerating the roll-out of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure in Greenwich – let us know if you have a fleet of cars or vans which could be electrified, have space to host charging infrastructure or if you’ve already made the jump. We recently participated in the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) roundtables, for both Greater London and the Local London boroughs - the aim of the LSIP is to tackle skills shortages by bringing a wide range of employers and educators together to ensure training matches the needs of London’s economy and local labour market needs, including for green and digital jobs. Linked to this, it was also real pleasure to work with Strategic Partner, London South East Colleges, and eight other colleges on the Local London Green Jobs & Skills Partnership, helping to develop training for the retrofitters, solar panel, heat pump, insulation and EV charging point installers as well as digital skills.

In addition, we are measuring the Chamber’s carbon footprint – let us know if this is of interest for your business or you have experience to share with us and other members. There’s plenty more to share and discuss but time to go and listen to some Green Day songs including ‘Holiday’ – I’m writing this just before the Easter break! I look forward to sharing progress in future editions of Masthead and more importantly hearing any questions and ideas from you!