Chamber calls for cross-party climate commission

In the wake of COP28, and despite a stellar showing of Lancashire firms taking their low carbon wares to the Dubai market physically and virtually, governments worldwide are being seen as the drag not the drive behind international climate momentum.

Whether it’s our own politicians making climate policy a short term election issue, to the future of the rainforests literally in the balance and at the whim of whichever leader is in power in Brazil, the world has seen the lack of political clarity muddling climate investment by business.

Yet business has made its own mind up about the pace of climate investment, having committed in the UK to the switch to EV vehicles, the car industry sees no business reason to reverse that. And the same is true across the wider scope of climate matters, industry investment is poised to be sunk into green technology solutions, for financial reasons as well as environmental.

But this commitment by business is made all the harder if our own future UK climate policy positions are toyed with by successive election promises. We need a cross party commitment to a Climate Commission.

In the mould of the original plan for the Infrastructure Commission, this should be bi-partisan and focused on securing long term commitment to a clear climate policy for the UK: allowing private sector certainty as to the clarity and direction of government policy, unlocking UK and foreign direct investment into our low carbon sector, for the good of our UK industry and global climate solutions to come.

Be part of the Lancashire climate conversation – [email protected] if you are decarbonising your business and [email protected] if you are a low carbon innovator, we want you to get involved!