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26 Feb 2021

What does the Government's recently announced ten point plan mean?

By Jeroen
  • Read time: 4 minutes
On 17th November 2020, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a statement to guide the UK into a greener future. In order to boost the Green Revolution, he announced the government’s ten point plan. The announcement’s major emphasis lay on reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases and moving to a greener and more resilient economic within the next ten to twenty years. Let’s explore the ten-point plan by the UK Government.

1. Improving offshore wind

Offshore wind is among the most available sources of renewable energy that any economy can rely on. The UK is already leading in this, and by 2030, the government expects to have quadrupled the offshore wind capacity to power major home-usage. These uses include lighting, cooking, as well as the operation of the home appliances. Additionally, Boris Johnson highlighted that the government intends to bring over 60,000 job opportunities for people at the coast and port regions. This is already in operation as modern offshore wind infrastructure has been set in the coastal regions.

windmill

2. Green finance and innovations

The UK has the vision to lead the globe in producing technologies to decarbonise the environment. This will be through innovations and green finance projects to bring the usage of carbon gases to a net of zero. As relayed by Boris Johnson, the country will direct its focus on key technologies scalable in further as well as green policies. The government has gone further ahead by providing £1bn for net-zero innovations and £1bn for matching funding and potential. Afterwards, it will inject £2.5bn for the private sector. All this is fuelled at enabling fostering green finance and innovations in the next ten years.

3. Protecting the natural environment

In the ten-point plant, Boris Johnson also highlighted the need to protect the natural environment. He further insisted that the natural environment is among the most effective solutions for curbing carbon production. The government will create a new National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in order to protect the environment. The process will begin with the designation of England’s most beautiful landscapes so that they can be protected for future generations. With an injection of over £40 million, there will be more jobs for people under nature conservation and restoration. It will increase employment rates while still improving biodiversity and climate change.

4. Delivering new and advanced nuclear power

By 2050, it is expected that the electricity system will have grown by double in order to accommodate the demand for low-carbon electricity in industries such as heating and transportation. Nuclear power is among the most reliable sources of low-carbon electricity. The country aims at producing large-scale nuclear energy for Small Modular Reactors to create more job opportunities and power up different industries. With a commitment to fund research and development projects by over £170 million, the government expects to get reactors that can comfortably operate over 800 degrees to unlock more production efficiency. A power plant for nuclear power will employ over 10,000 people and power up over 2 million homes.

5. Erecting Greener Buildings

The plan involves putting up houses and buildings with priority to the green economic recovery. Erecting these buildings will create work for over 50,000 people and make the buildings more energy efficient. Homeowners will no longer install fossil fuel boilers to warm the premise. Rather, the houses will be comfortable without costing you more money or expenses at the end of the month. The government will provide £1 billion to extend schemes and fund green buildings in a bid to reduce the emissions in schools, hospitals and public facilities.

Green home Grant scheme banner

6. Boosting the growth of low carbon hydrogen

When comparing elements, hydrogen is the lightest and simplest of them all. It also readily available across the globe and can provide a clean source of fuel and energy. There are already underway plans to develop 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production by the year 2030. During this phase, over 8,000 people will get jobs as they power up homes, transportation, and major manufacturing industries. This is entirely dependent on the infrastructure set up for carbon capture, usage, and storage.

7. Jet zero and green ships

Aviation and Maritime technology have always been strong points for the country. The government intends to reduce further the carbon gases emitted by jets and ships for a greener country. In a snippet, Boris said that the government would make the UK the home of green ships, airports, and seaports.

8. Green public transport, cycling and walking

He encouraged people to use public transportation to work or on major occasions. Public transportation will receive funding for zero-emission buses that will ferry people across towns and cities. Additionally, he also emphasised cycling and walking to enhance the quality of the air and boost mental and physical health. There will be miles of designated cycle lanes for people to cycle and walk in major cities comfortably. Decarbonising public transport will create over 3,000 jobs by 2025. All this will then reduce the emissions and make the world a better place.

9. The shift to zero-emission vehicles

Vehicles are at the top of the list for producing greenhouse gases. The government hopes to eliminate the use of all fossil fuel gases in the country. By 2030, diesel and petrol cars' production will cease, and electric vehicles' increment will be evident. The shift to zero-emission cars will create over 40,000 job employment opportunities. By 2026, the electric car manufacturing companies will have received approximately £3bn to foster this transition.

tesla model s en x charging

10. Investing in carbon capture

This is one plan that hopes to support over 50,000 jobs by 2030. The government aims to capture 10Mt of carbon dioxide and to store it underground so that it does not come up to the atmosphere. To support Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS), the government hopes to inject over £1 billion in the four major points: North East, North West, Scotland and Wales, and the Humber.

Conclusion

The ten-point plan shows that the government is intentional in boosting a greener economy. The major focus is on maximising renewable energy as well as sustainability. According to Boris Johnson, the country wants its people to acknowledge the climate crisis affecting the UK and the globe at large. With funding already released for these plans, it is expected that these plans will be actualised in the next ten to twenty years. It is a world-leading plan and a blueprint to be emulated by other nations.

Written by Jeroen

Expert in e-mobility and climate solutions