Net Zero
JUST 1 THING If you could do one thing to ‘save the planet’ or at least drive down your energy bills and reduce waste, what would that be? Greener Greenwich
So how did it go?
On 21 March 2024, we’ll be asking that question at the Greener Greenwich Summit 2024.
For the first time, countries agreed on the need to "transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems".
We will build on the 78 ideas arising from the last Greener Greenwich Summit in October 2022, aligning with the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s Carbon Neutral Plan and its proposed Inclusive Economy Strategy. Together, we will Identify up to 5 projects which support the achievement of the borough's net zero and inclusive economy ambitions, to be worked upon over the coming years as part of an ongoing programme of activities and events led by the Chamber. If you’re a Greenwich business, register your interest today. We look forward to seeing you at the Valley, home of Charlton Athletic FC and one of the latest Chamber Strategic Partners.
The Greener Game Helen McIntosh (Chamber President) and I were kindly invited to the Valley by another Strategic Partner, the University of Greenwich, to see the ‘Greener Game’ on 9 December. The university is fully committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030, applying sustainable development across its activities, and working closely with students, staff, and the wider community to help radically reduce carbon and enhance social value. Aspirations which are also shared by the football club and its main sponsor and co-hosts for the day, RSK. Alas, the Addicks were pegged back by two late goals to a 2-2 draw but at least the fans were treated to lots of great energy saving tips with the potential of saving them money as well as the planet!
A fair COP? Later that week, a slightly larger climate summit with over 80,000 delegates, COP28, came to an end. COP28 – which stands for "Conference of the Parties" - was the 28th annual United Nations (UN) climate meeting.
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The text calls for this to be done "in a just, orderly and equitable manner". This is seen as an important recognition that richer countries are expected to move away from coal, oil, and gas more quickly. However, the deal doesn't compel countries to take action, and no timescale is specified. According to an estimate by the International Energy Agency (IEA), full delivery of the energyrelated pledges made at COP28 would result in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2030 being about four metric gigatons (Gt) less than would be expected without them. However, the IEA also estimates that reductions totalling 22 Gt will be needed to limit warming to 1.5˚C. For context, how big is one gigatonne? This unit of mass is equivalent to one billion metric tons. Put another way, the weight of all humans on Earth is approximately 0.06 gigatonnes. Add in the mass of the world’s land mammals, it is roughly equivalent to one gigatonne. Sound a lot? We then need to multiply that by twenty-two! Greenwich Park is around 1 kilometre long and 0.8 kilometre wide. A gigatonne of ice placed here would extend around 1.2 kilometres high – blocking out that much-loved view of Canary Wharf and possibly the sun! Although unable to attend COP28, one commonly cited takeaway is that net zero remains an organising principle for private-sector leaders, who almost universally recognise the need to accelerate action. Together, our local business community can also play our part!
Greener Business Action London As mentioned above, a key objective of the Greener Greenwich Summit 2024 is to identify up to five projects which will support Greenwich’s net zero and other related ambitions; projects
and initiatives which can be driven, or at least supported, by the business community. Putting my pitch in early, my proposed project would be to encourage and support every business in Greenwich to calculate its carbon footprint and to set an associated carbon reduction plan.
How does that sound? Are you up for it? Where do I start, I hear you say? One source of support to get you started is Green Business Action London. Green Business Action is a programme that delivers free actionable sustainability advice and energy audits to SMEs across London, fully funded by the UK Government. Every year, they empower hundreds of small and medium size organisations (SMEs) to understand their carbon impact and reduce it. I was fortunate enough to attend their event in November celebrating the securing of UK Shared Prosperity Fund monies. The Chamber is taking advantage of their support – as are businesses in Bexley - including access to a carbon management tool. For those of you attending the Greener Greenwich Summit, you will get the opportunity to hear more and of course, sign up!
In summary Firstly, apologies to those in our other four boroughs for the rather skewed focus on Greenwich in this edition of my climate column – I look forward to engaging with businesses, councils, and other organisations across all boroughs over the coming months and during the rest of 2024 and beyond. It has been another super busy quarter and things are only going to get busier as the need for action becomes ever clearer! We’re already planning member webinars on the topic of climate. Please get in touch if you have ideas for events or want to share your good practice. And don’t forget. It takes ‘just one thing’!
Mark Jenkinson, Crystal Associates and SELCC Board Director
