GB Energy chair calls for phrase ‘net zero’ to be scrapped claiming it is too ‘politicised’
The chairman of Great British Energy (GBE) has said the phrase ‘net zero’ should be “scrapped” as he called for major change in the language around decarbonisation and green energy.
Speaking at the UKREiiF conference in Leeds, Jürgen Maier said the phrase had become "politicised", adding it "doesn't really mean anything" to most people.
GBE was launched last year by the Government. The publicly-owned company is sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and funded through Government money to the tune of £8.3bn. Speaking on opportunities in the Humber around green energy, the GBE chairman said he felt conversation should focus on reindustrialisation, as opposed to net zero. His words also echoed similar comments at the Great North Investment Summit a day before.
Mr Maier said: "I do think the Humber is a little bit caught in this sort of, 'is net zero a good thing or is it a bad thing? What do we really want?'
"I think the answer, and I said it from the stage yesterday, is just scrap the phrase net zero. It's politicised, it doesn't really mean anything to most people anyway.
"Just turn the language into ‘this is about reindustrialisation, and it happens to be that green technologies for the Humber are the key opportunity in town for creating more jobs and prosperity’. If that's the language we use, take net zero out, it's about job creation, local prosperity, local job creation, energy security, what's not to like about that?”
DESNZ declined to provide a statement on Mr Maier’s comments, and did not respond when asked if GBE’s policy would be to avoid the term net zero. A spokesperson for GBE also declined to answer if this would now be the company’s policy.
As of 2019, Government policy has been for the UK to achieve net zero by 2050, meaning a balance would be achieved between the amount of greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere and those removed from it.
Many calls issued against green energy measures in recent years have centred around the term, with Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice last year saying the party would scrap "net stupid zero" policies should it come into power.
Speaking on the term, Sam Parry, a commissioner with Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission and policy lead for heat workforce at the TUC, said: "The commission wants to see our industries go through processes of rapid emissions reduction with fairness at their heart. Some might call that ‘net zero’, but our view is that that’s quite a technical and abstract term.
“Some try to politicise the ‘net zero’, but in our view that’s unhelpful and can be a distraction. What we need is urgent, inclusive, positive action to protect our environment, livelihoods, and standards of living across Yorkshire and the Humber, whatever we’re calling it."
A GBE spokesperson said: "GBE is at the heart of the UK's clean energy transition, the greatest opportunity of our generation. We're building a more secure, home-grown energy system fit for the future, creating good jobs, empowering local communities, and ensuring that people benefit from the clean energy produced on their doorstep."