23 minute read
COP26 28
In November, world leaders meet in Glasgow for COP26, the 26th annual ‘Conference of the Parties’. Widely seen as the world’s best last chance to bring runaway climate change under control, the topic has gone from a fringe issue to a global priority in only 30 short years. COP26 has a unique urgency, hence its official title – the UN Climate Change Conference 2021.
Event president is the UK, which has been working with every nation to reach agreement on how best to tackle climate change in the run-up to the 12 days of talks. Italy is co-hosting the event.
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But before we look at the pressing issues before us, let’s look back at COP21 in 2015. For the first time in history, every country agreed to work together to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees.
The 1.5 degrees target is known as the Paris Agreement, under which countries would commit to reducing emissions. Every five years they planned to come back with an update, although the pandemic put paid to that for a year. Crucially the Paris commitments did not come close to the 1.5 degree limit, and the window up to 2030 is closing fast.
COP26 goals
1. Secure net zero and keep 1.5 degrees within reach
Countries are being asked to draw up ambitious 2030 emissions reduction targets that align with net zero by mid-century. To do this, they need to:
Speed up the phasing out of coal
Cut down on deforestation
Push the switch to electric vehicles
Encourage investment in renewables
2. Protect communities and natural habitats
The climate will continue to change even with reduced emissions, and the effects are devastating. Countries need to be helped and encouraged to:
Protect and restore ecosystems
Build defences, warning systems and resilient infrastructure and agriculture to avoid loss of homes, livelihoods and lives
3. Mobilise finance
To deliver the above two goals, developed countries must mobilise at least £100bn in climate finance every year by 2020.International financial institutions are seen as key to this, and help private and public sector finance release the trillions needed to secure global net zero.
4. Work together to deliver
COP26 will strive to:
Finalise the Paris Rulebook (the rules that make the Paris Agreement operational)
Speed up action through collaboration between government, business and public stakeholders.
The UK’s record on climate change
Between 1990 and 2019, the UK claims to have achieved record clean growth. The economy grew by 78 per cent and emissions fell by 44 per cent, the fastest decline in the G7.
For example, the UK:
Decarbonised the economy faster than any other G20 country since 2000.
Has been the first major economy to put into law that net zero carbon emissions will be reached by 2050.
Is producer of the largest amount of offshore wind energy in the world.
Ending direct government support for fossil fuel energy overseas.
Has announced the end of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 2030.
The green road to Glasgow
Glasgow was chosen as host because of its commitment to sustainability, as evidenced by its Greenprint development which we also cover in this issue.
The ‘Dear Green Place’ has set a carbon neutrality target for 2030, and aims to be one of the greenest cities in Europe through its Sustainable Glasgow campaign. It is also 4th in the world in the Global Destination Sustainability Index.
What’s on the agenda?
Up to 30,000 politicians, negotiators, businesses and citizens, representing over 200 countries, will descend on the city for two weeks. The first week is primarily technical negotiations by government officials. The second will feature high-level ministerial and Heads of State meetings. The most challenging aspect of this, of course, will be final negotiated decisions.
The Scottish Government will have a strong presence at the summit, but has no formal role in hosting or running the event.
Why isn’t the event being held online?
Developing nations and the most vulnerable ones are reluctant to hold major negotiations online because:
Many have poor internet access
It would be more difficult to engage in negotiating blocks which give them leverage when facing powerful nations. Less developed nations rely on face-to-face meetings to agree positioning
Many real negotiations take place behind the scenes, which would omit smaller countries if meetings were exclusively online
THE ONLY WAY IS UP FOR THE UK FARMING INDUSTRY
By James Lloyd Jones, Founder and CEO, The Jones Food Company and COP26 summit ambassador
We are in the midst of a nationwide food supply crisis. An unhelpful blend of circumstances, such as Brexit and the pandemic, have delivered empty shelves, driver and labour shortages and, most recently, scenes of forced food wastage from fresh produce farmers across the UK.
I believe we can futureproof our farming industry; however, that traditional farming can adapt and new methods of farming can solve many of the most pressing issues we’re facing as a country and as a planet. When I began The Jones Food Company in 2017 there was relatively little known about the wider benefits of vertical farming; today we’ve come a long way but we’re still only in the foothills, and this sector still has a long way to go.
The Jones Food Company currently runs Europe’s largest vertical farm which is 50,000 sq ft, on a site in Lincolnshire. Currently, we harvest on a daily basis, across 17 tiers, equating to 26 tennis courts of growing space all for basil. Next year we’ll open a second facility, JFC 2, which will hold 148,000sq ft of growing space, equal to 78 tennis courts and the biggest in the world. JFC 2 will take this far further, reducing the volume of international imports, increasing food security and shortening the supply chain.
In the next 10 years, I really believe vertical farming as a whole will be producing as much as 70% of the UK's fresh produce. We’ve learned so much, our increasing scale leads to decreasing costs, our techno-know-how continues apace and the crop possibilities are truly endless. Currently we grow basil, but soon this will be herbs, fruits, cut flowers and vegetables, potentially even rice and wheat too. If the garden of England (our vertical farm) is in Kent today, I see no reason why every county in England and Scotland, and every country in the world can’t also have its own ‘garden’ in the near future.
The labour it will take to harvest these crops will be drastically lower, we just don’t need anything like the same number of people to harvest the same size of crop; at JFC2 for example, we’ll have just 16 people, two teams of eight, managing machinery and robots.
Traditionally we’ve been accused of being so energy-intensive that we undermine
our own green credentials. Now however, things have changed; JFC2 will be powered solely by renewable energy - solar panels, battery backup and wind. This means we can add total green energy use to other strong sustainable factors such as how much less water we use (95% less), how we use zero chemical pesticides and how our products can reach the end consumer after significantly fewer air and road miles.
It’s not just us who can see this potential, there are companies in the US, Germany, the Netherlands, the Middle East and Asia all working on ever-bigger facilities. This rapid growth is happening right now because issues like climate change force every country to reconsider its food supply and issues like Covid force every retailer to examine its supply chain – vertical farming wins against both.
Due to this vertical farming boom, and JFC’s position as a global leader in the sector, I have been invited to sit as one of the 26 COP26 summit ambassadors for the UK in November. The agriculture industry has a big part to play in reducing carbon emissions globally, the more we can educate on new methods of farming, the more they become the norm. This country has a long and proud tradition of innovating in farming, this is the latest slice of a long heritage… Britain is leading the way and our vertical farming sector is good to grow. My mission? To partner, share and collaborate with others who understand the need and the opportunity.
THE JONES FOOD COMPANY
jonesfoodcompany.co.uk
HOW TO REACH AMBITIOUS NET ZERO TARGETS
Steven Kiakowski, Director at sustainable training and consultancy company The Verdancy Group, discusses how to bring carbon emissions goals into fruition.
The UN’s Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) will soon take place in Glasgow. The aim of this annual event - to encourage action on climate change - grows all the more imminent each year.
Previous COP events have seen governments committing to major emissions reduction targets, with countries like the UK enshrining net zero by 2050 targets into law (2045 in Scotland).
Businesses must take action to meet UK and global targets. But faced with immediate challenges like lockdowns and worker shortages, it’s easy to bury sustainable actions deep down in the to do list. That’s why COP26’s first goal - to encourage even more ambitious emissions reductions targets by 2030 - stands to be its most significant.
While historically governments have offered grace periods and leniency to businesses during times of reform, we’re not seeing a similar tolerance for missed net zero targets. Businesses who aren’t improving their green practices are already losing out on grants and bids. With the potential of even more stringent targets on the horizon, slashing business emissions is becoming all but essential.
What, then, can businesses do to take swift action and improve their green credentials?
Define sustainable goals
Many businesses have standard green policies in place (transitioning to 100% renewable energy, converting transport fleets to electric, directing zero waste to landfill, and so on). While actions like these form the foundation of sustainable business practices, they’re not enough to make headway at the necessary rate. That's because, although wellmeaning, most businesses are not strategic in their approach to sustainability.
Sustainable policies must form part of a wider sustainability strategy, with an end goal in mind. Before creating a plan, clear and achievable targets need to be identified.
While the goal of cutting emissions is common to all businesses, the way that works in practice will differ for everyone. Start by calculating your carbon footprint - get really clear on this, using accurate metrics rather than rough estimates. From there, you can set an emissions reduction target with a precise time frame.
Identify what's hindering progress
While simple changes like installing motion sensor lighting can drastically reduce business emissions, it's the remaining emissions that can't be curbed by minor adjustments that we need to focus on.
Widespread changes, particularly in larger organisations, come with a plethora of logistical difficulties. By identifying these difficulties and dissecting what about them is limiting progress, you can begin to alleviate them.
Recently, for example, we met with the CEO of a large construction company whose customers were looking for partners who could deliver projects without single-use plastics. When we probed about what checks the company had in place to eliminate single-use plastic from their procurement process, we found that there were none.
While this might raise readers' eyebrows, this is not at all uncommon. Many companies have a sustainability goal in place, but haven't created a clear path to get there. When you identify your roadblocks, you can then create people-friendly measures to circumvent them.
Lead by example
Organisations are composed of individuals, all of whom have a responsibility to act sustainably. You might imagine that some companies are held back by a lack of engagement from their teams with green policies, but in our experience, there is plenty of goodwill from employees. Given the chance, people are usually keen to make a difference.
That said, if management introduces new policies without themselves following suit, you can expect an emphatic decline in enthusiasm.
Consider what changes you are asking your team to make. Are you encouraging taking public transport while driving a petrol-fuelled car to work? Are you asking procurement teams to work with green suppliers while taking internal flights for business meetings?
To inspire change, leadership must also embrace a green lifestyle.
Sustainable policies must form part of a wider Empower your sustainability strategy, team Are your new goals with an end goal in mind. viable, or are they Before creating a plan, simply burdening your team without clear and achievable providing support? While strategic targets need to be sustainability policies can transform identified. business carbon footprints, they will only come into fruition with your team's input. Employee training has the capacity to totally transform your business for the better, helping you to achieve your strategic goals, whether that's identifying unsustainable practices or working with suppliers to lower emissions. Introducing new green ways of living is an opportunity to empower your team both at work and in their personal lives.
Next steps
Working with an environmental consultant can help you implement a sustainable strategy to slash your carbon emissions at pace. The Verdancy Group provides consulting and training services to companies across Scotland and the wider UK. Visit www.theverdancygroup.com.
STEVEN KIAKOWSKI
Company Director The Verdancy Group
theverdancygroup.com
THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY: HOW WORKPLACES NEED TO BECOME AN ACTIVE PART OF THE SOLUTION.
With COP26 in Glasgow just around the corner, there has never been a more crucial time for workplaces to take action on climate change.
Scotland is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Currently, domestic transport is responsible for the largest share, accounting for more than 25% of all Scotland’s emissions in 2019.
As workplaces across Scotland are developing their plans for net zero, it is critical that they understand the significance of transport emissions and the role that focusing on more active and sustainable modes of travel can play in reducing their carbon footprint.
2020/21 has demonstrated that, as a nation, we can change our travel behaviour and in many cases our working patterns too.
Now is the time to be planning ahead and understanding how you, as an employer, can encourage and support travel behaviour change
through implementing the right policies to support employees, reducing, where possible, the need to travel and where travel is required look at walking, cycling, public and shared transport options as the preferred modes.
Travelknowhow Scotland offers workplaces across Scotland FREE, easy access to a wide variety of travel planning solutions to help with the development and implementation of measures to engage with their employees in order to start changing travel behaviour.
The website offers:
access to travel planning information and links to local resources;
specialist travel planning advice;
specialist marketing advice to aid employee engagement;
practical hints and tips; and
adaptable downloadable templates aimed at providing cost effective internal and external communications.
Travelknowhow Scotland is also part of Way to Work, meaning we are able to work with our Way to Work partners to offer multi modal advice and to support Scottish workplaces to create the positive change needed to reach the climate change targets.
For more information about workplace travel planning and how you can make the necessary changes in your workplace, get in touch with Shona Drummond at Travelknowhow Scotland at shona@ travelknowhowscotland.co.uk
Travel Guidance
Make sure that as an employer, you are aware of the most up to date government guidance on how to be safe when walking, wheeling, cycling, travelling in private vehicles or on public transport travel safely during the COVID-19 outbreak. Visit www.transport.gov.scot
You can also find us at:
www.facebook.com/tkhscotland/ and www.linkedin.com/company/ travel-know-howscotland/
TRAVEL KNOW HOW
travelknowhowscotland.co.uk
Fraser Gillies
FRASER GILLIES, MANAGING PARTNER AT WRIGHT, JOHNSTON & MACKENZIE LLP, DISCUSSES SOME OF THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN SUSTAINABILITY.
With Glasgow set to play host this year to COP26, one of the most highly anticipated global events in recent years, it’s unsurprising that sustainability has leapt to the top of the agenda for many individuals and corporations.
WJM
wjm.co.uk With so much happening over the coming months in relation to renewables policy, it’s never been more important for businesses to keep on top of the latest developments. For example, the eagerly awaited Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework (NPF) is due to be published in draft imminently, setting out how the planning system will support the Government’s objectives and the net-zero target.
The Bute House Agreement is also of interest to the energy sector, with its commitment to an additional 8GW of installed onshore wind by 2030. It’s an ambitious target and I believe if we are to come close to achieving this, some difficult decisions will need to be made.
More collaboration between developers to reduce the number of overall onshore wind projects being consented to may well be the answer if we are to come close to reaching our 2030 target.
These are just some of the key areas of discussion which will be covered at Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP’s renewables seminar, taking place on Thursday 4 November at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall. You can book your free place by emailing events@wjm.co.uk.
To find out more about WJM, go to wjm.co.uk.
CONFUSED ABOUT GETTING STARTED WITH NET ZERO? HELP IS AT HAND
Philip Richards, senior strategic account manager at BiU, explains how his organisation gets businesses started on their net zero journey.
Aquick glance at Google’s data shows us that the number of people searching the web for “net zero” has rocketed in the past couple of years. Since the UK made its 2019 pledge to hit net zero by 2050, over a third of the UK’s biggest businesses have made headlines with their commitments to climate action. But there is less publicity for the businesses that may be struggling with how to start, or which standard to align to – so it’s easy to think you’re the only one.
BiU works with clients at all stages of their net zero journey, from those who already have a clear roadmap and pathway to those who haven’t engaged with the concept at all, and everything in between.
Mapping exercise
You can’t start a journey without knowing where you’re starting from, so a mapping exercise is essential. We go through every asset and operation of your business for scopes 1 and 2, and start to assess the extent of upstream and downstream greenhouse gases (GHGs), to compile an inventory in line with GHG Protocol.
At this stage, it’s crucial that we understand the boundaries of the business and the impact of change. For example, is the asset owned or leased? Is this site shared? How will capacity issues and rising energy costs impact the electrification of fleet? The extent of the mapping is truly in-depth. Only once completed can we carry out a detailed assessment of the causes of your company’s emissions and recommend pathways to net zero.
Weighing up the options
Our goal is to help the client make the most informed decisions possible, making a technical assessment of abatement options, in line with net zero. We present the business with a variety of possible routes to net zero and our recommendations, including timeframes and capital/operational costs. We guide executive boards through the options and the trade-off between upfront costs, efficacy of the solution, return on investment, public image and so on, to help with decision making.
Implementation
The implementation stage starts with scrutinising the feasibility of each chosen pathway. Certain options may not be possible, for example, a heat pump may not be feasible because there is no way to install a compressor, or the u-values of the asset are not suitable for the technology. If a first-choice option isn’t viable we are always realistic with the client; we take it back to the board and explore our secondary recommendations.
BiU doesn’t carry out the capital work ourselves, but we can call on a longstanding network of technical trusted partners. If a client’s policy requires the work to be put out to tender, our preferred contractor will go through the tender process but the ultimate choice will be the client’s.
Reviewing and improving
The measures recommended by BiU and implemented by our trusted partners have helped UK businesses save thousands of tonnes of emissions. But these changes are just the start. We carry out regular reviews to see how the business is progressing on its net zero pathway, so that we can reassess and take action if things have gone off course, for example due to unplanned acquisitions or disposals of assets. This process of continual assessment is necessary to keep up with business changes and ensure corrective measures are remedied or reassessed as part of the pathway.
Mitigating the greenwash
Your net zero strategy needs to be scientifically rigorous and stand up to scrutiny. But it is difficult for a business to be sure that it is meeting the correct standards without in-house expertise. BiU uses internationally accepted standards such as the GHG Protocol and can advise you on whether schemes such as the Science-Based Targets initiative are right for your business. We also work with an independent and international ISO/PAS verifier so that net zero claims can be backed up. To find out how we can help you get started on your net zero journey, contact us on hello@biu.com.
PHILIP RICHARDS
Senior Strategic Account Manager BiU
biu.com
JETPACK DESIGNED FOR RENEWABLES INDUSTRY SHOWS THE POWER OF GRANTS
The grand unveiling of a jetpack designed to support the renewable wind industry has thrown a spotlight on how grant funding will continue to shape the UK’s net zero future.
Maverick Aviation (left-r)MattDenton & AntonyQuinn Prime Minister Boris Johnson has committed the UK to getting all its electricity from renewable sources by 2035.
The announcement at the Tory party conference last week underlines how Britain will need thousands of new pieces of tech to make that ambition a reality.
One company that is ahead of the game is Maverick Aviation.
The company is a fantastic example of how grant funding can kickstart game-changing projects.
The start-up recently revealed a prototype jetpack to the world — a futuristic, Bond-style gadget whose very creation was inspired by the difficulties engineers encounter inspecting and maintaining wind turbines. Work on these hard-to-reach assets — both onshore and off-shore — is normally facilitated by helicopters, which are both expensive and heavily polluting.
Maverick’s jetpack, on the other hand, is small, versatile and is powered by sustainable fuel.
One of the keys to its early-stage development was grant funding. The firm received £97,000 for early stage development from Innovate UK Sustainable Innovation Funding Call, with the help of grant consultants Catax.
The jetpack was the brainchild of Hollywood animatronics expert Matt Denton and Royal Navy Commander Antony Quinn. Denton, Maverick’s CTO, is well regarded for his work on animatronics and control systems, having worked on numerous
Star Wars movies that saw him develop the BB-8 droid from 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He also worked on Jurassic World and Harry Potter movies, The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire.
The jetpack uses a unique Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) system and is designed to be operated hands-free. It can even be reconfigured as a heavy-lift drone capable of being operated remotely.
Antony Quinn, CEO and co-founder of Maverick Aviation, said: “I realised that the growing onshore and offshore wind industry really needed a solution like this. Their engineers climb up ladders inside these structures for hours each day and, in an emergency situation, it’s almost impossible to get down quickly. Drones can be useful for inspections, but in many circumstances you need to get an engineer up there.
“Before, people would have used a £30m helicopter to perform some simple tasks, but we can offer a more tailored solution at a fraction of the cost.”
Maverick is solving one of the more niche requirements of the renewable energy industry but grant funding is pouring into the space and targeting areas that will change all our lives.
Other areas that are hot property for grants, both from Innovate UK and Horizon Europe, the EU-run research and innovation programme which UK companies can still participate in, include:
carbon capture and storage
energy efficient buildings
green fuels
green aerospace
electric vehicles and battery technology
and green packaging
There are hundreds of schemes run every year that deliver millions of pounds into the hands of industries specifically chosen because they have a significant contribution to make to the environment and economy through innovation and technological advances.
Grant applications are competitive and often complex. It’s important that applicants are able to explain clearly how the money invested will be used, what difference it will make to the organisation concerned and how advances will benefit the wider industry.
“There’s going to be an environmental angle to the vast majority of grants over the next two decades,” says Karen Taylor, Group Head of Grants at Catax.
“It will be impossible for governments around the world to hit their net zero targets without them.
“While seismic technological advancements and scientific discoveries grab headlines, there are often hundreds more smaller projects that make all the progress on green issues possible. Many of these companies will think size is a barrier to getting funded and making progress, but it’s simply not the case. While it is very difficult to get 100% funded for a project, there’s a significant pipeline of green/net zero/energy saving grants coming through that businesses of all sizes can benefit from.
“Over the last few months, I have seen a sharp increase in the number of applications with a focus on green energy, supporting the drive for net zero, from digital platforms for carbon capture and energy saving products to eco pods and water saving toilet flush systems. We’ve also had success with a number of clients in the hydrogen sector under the Innovate UK Smart programme and heat pump specialists responding to funding calls from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).”
It is worth remembering that a project that receives state aid grant funding cannot then claim SME R&D tax relief. However, this does not mean tax relief is not available. Legislation allows these companies to claim Research & Development Expenditure Credit (RDEC) instead. It is not as generous but does allow a project funded by a state aid grant to have some additional R&D tax relief too.
Rebates for Covid Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) are also considered state aid. If you claimed SSP for someone involved in a project who was sick during the project duration, this will exclude you from making the more generous SME claim and you would instead have to apply under RDEC.
CATAX
catax.com
