Aldersgate Group: Business and investors urge MPs to vote for 2030 decarbonisation target

Jay OwenSRI/ESG News

Logo

Our Members

ACCA Global

Andrew George MP

Anglian Water

ASDA

Association of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities

Aviva Investors

Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Barry Sheerman MP

BIFFA

BioRegional

BT

Caroline Lucas MP

CERAM

Chris Tuppen

CIWEM

Cranfield University

Dalkia

Dinah Nichols CB

eftec

Emma Howard Boyd

Energy Saving Trust

Energy Technologies Institute

Environment Agency

Environmental Industries Commission

Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Transfer Network

Forestry Commission

Friends of the Earth

Grant Thornton

Green Alliance

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP

Ian Liddell-Grainger MP

IEEP

IEMA – Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment

Institution of Civil Engineers

Interfaceflor

Jason McCartney MP

John Edmonds

Johnson Matthey

Jonathon Porritt CBE

Kerry ten Kate

Kingfisher

L&Q Group

Landmark Information Group

Lord Oxburgh

Lord Prescott

Lord Teverson

Lord Whitty

Marks & Spencer

Martin Horwood MP

Memset

Michael Meacher MP

Microsoft

MITIE

National Grid

National Union of Students

Nick Robins

Pamela Castle OBE

Pepsico

Peter Ainsworth

Peter Aldous MP

Peter Jones OBE

Philip Wolfe

Philips

Professor Ian Bateman

Professor Paul Ekins

Prologis

Reed Elsevier

Roy Tindle

RSPB

SEPA

Sir John Harman

SKM Enviros

Sky

Sustain

Thames Water

The Co-operative

The Crown Estate

Tim Yeo MP

Tom Delay

TUC

UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development (UK CEED)

UK Green Building Council

Wendy Alexander

Willmott Dixon Group

Woodland Trust

WSP Environment & Energy

WWF

Business and investors urge MPs to vote for 2030 decarbonisation target

3rd June 2013

Two of the UK’s leading business and investor associations, the Aldersgate Group (AG) and the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF), jointly call today on MPs to vote in favour of a target in the Energy Bill that would commit the UK to a near carbon free power sector by 2030. Andrew Raingold, Executive Director of the AG, told the Guardian: “businesses and investors have been loud and clear that such a target would not only reduce costs but provide greater certainty for companies to invest in the development of UK supply chains and jobs. It’s a pro-growth and pro-deficit reduction strategy.” 

 

Simon Howard, Chief Executive of UKSIF, said: “there is significant investor appetite for the UK to be a global leader in profitable low carbon energy solutions, providing the high quality innovation and jobs that the country needs to ensure a future economic recovery. We call on MPs to recognise this and vote in favour of enshrining the 2030 decarbonisation target in the Bill.”

 

Direct energy into prudent solutions

Responding to an article by Martin Wolf in the Financial Times on “why the world faces climate chaos“, Andrew Raingold, Executive Director of the Aldersgate Group, said that “there is an alternative to watching the rise of greenhouse gases until it is too late”.

 

In a letter published in the FT on 17th May, Mr Raingold argued that the technologies are available to meet the climate chaos challenge. He said: “analysis from a number of internationally respected organisations, such as the International Energy Agency, demonstrate that the technical challenges of scale and cost reduction can be reasonably circumvented to address energy security, economic development, climate change and universal access to modern energy services. This can be unlocked through active political and business leadership around a sellable vision of a prosperous low carbon economy that Mr Wolf describes, rather than waiting until after the event.”

AG appoints Oliver Dudok Van Heel as new Director 

The Aldersgate Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Oliver Dudok van Heel as a new Director where he will be responsible for developing and launching the Group’s New Economy initiative. For 15 years he has supported the private sector in developing, implementing and communicating sustainability strategies and is a Senior Associate of the University of Cambridge’s Programme for Sustainability Leadership. For a full bio, click here

 

Oliver said: “I am delighted to join the Aldersgate Group as a Director and lead its New Economy project. Having followed the work of the Group for a number of years, I have been impressed by its ability to find mainstream consensus while promoting the transition towards a low carbon, sustainable future. I look forward to helping the Group and its members define a new economic paradigm focussed on sustainable growth, competitiveness and prosperity.”

Dash for gas would expose UK economy to greater risks

Andrew Raingold, Executive Director of the Aldersgate Group, has said that UK businesses are concerned that a gas-heavy power system would increase exposure to price volatility and energy insecurity. Speaking at theWestminster Energy, Environment and Transport Forum on the role of gas in the UK’s electricity market, he said: “it is impossible to predict accurately the price of future energy technologies as it depends on so many variable factors, such as the global supply and demand for gas, the costs of carbon capture technology (CCS) at scale and learning rates for renewable technologies.”

 

“The challenge for Government is to manage unavoidable uncertainties and hedge against the risk of policy failure. Analysis by E3G demonstrates that if CCS is more expensive than predicted, or we under-deliver on energy efficiency, we might be forced to choose between affordable or low carbon energy further down the line. The costs of a gas intensive power sector in these scenarios could be up to 98% higher.”

Businesses explore opportunities of circular economy

Andrew Raingold, Executive Director of the Aldersgate Group, said that businesses increasingly recognise that they have to act decisively to prevent an impending resource crunch. Chairing the Resource Scarcity and The Circular Economy Conference for Sustainable Business Magazine, he said “We have heard from our speakers today that the resource crunch is not just a major risk for businesses, but also can be a net creator of jobs and growth. The fact that 43% of businesses recognise that they have to revise their product and service offerings, as demonstrated by the presentation by Tom Delay from the Carbon Trust, shows that corporate leaders are slowly waking up to this issue.”

 

“The speakers today have also emphasised the need for collaboration and partnerships. The resource revolution challenge requires system level change and can rarely by addressed effectively by actors in isolation. That includes a strong and proactive role for Government.”

AG Event: Evolving Energy

World leaders might have taken climate change off the G8 agenda, but investing in a clean energy future remains a priority for business and society. A week before the G8 summit in Northern Ireland, this event will discuss the huge economic opportunities of updating our models of energy generation, supply and ownership. 

 

Speakers for this event will include Dame Vivienne Westwood (Vivienne Westwood Ltd), Amory Lovins (Rocky Mountain Institute), Greg Barker (Minister of State for Energy & Climate Change) and Yvo de Boer (KPMG) amongst others. This event has been organised in partnership with the Trillion Fund.

 

This event has received an overwhelming response and is now full.  

 


The above event will be sponsored by Dalkia.  

External events:

 

-The Eco Technology Show: smart business conference (14-15 June 2013)

Andrew Raingold, Executive Director of the Aldersgate Group will be chairing this event at the Brighton Centre. The session will discuss the theme of smart business and innovation for sustainable growth of future cities. For more information and to register, click here. For a complimentary place, please use the promotional code ALDG52.

-BASE London (11 July 2013)
The Aldersgate Group is helping to support Base London, which will bring together a 1000 public and private sector professionals who are driving forward the transformation of London’s built environment and infrastructure. The Aldersgate Group will host an afternoon panel session (2pm – 3.45pm) on “local planning for global megatrends”.  More details to follow shortly.  

 

 

© 2012 Aldersgate Group |  www.aldersgategroup.org.uk

Hub Westminster, New Zealand House, 80 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TE | T: 020 7841 8966