Hasta La Vista, Carbon!

Hasta La Vista, Carbon! chaired by Stephen Glaister CBE, Emeritus Professor of Transport and Infrastructure at Imperial College London and Associate of the London School of Economics focused on how we can develop solutions to the cost of living crisis that will accelerate the transition to net zero and enhance our energy security.

In closing the roundtable discussion, the Chair made an appeal for better leadership on net zero.  There is also a need for better evidence.  We must not rely on prejudice or fashion.

He questioned whether the levelling up agenda has fizzled out, now the government’s focus seems to be all on growth and productivity?

Government can’t do everything through direction.  There is a tendency of governments to think they are required to do everything, but it is important that agency is placed in the hands of the market to provide the innovative solutions needed to accelerate the net zero transition.

Markets and pricing can be used to change course quickly, but we must also be very careful that the markets are giving the correct price signals and are correctly regulated to ensure we get the outcomes society wants.

There is a need for consistency over time and across jurisdictions (central, devolved, local) for business and investor confidence

Finally on personal carbon allowances, he concluded that if government can’t bear the idea that prices and taxes are what are going to guide what people do then we are left with rationing in some way.

The full write-up of the event can be viewed here:

Pathways to Net Zero – Hasta La Vista, Carbon!

The video of the event can be viewed here: