ACE responds to publication of the Net Zero strategy

19 OCT 2021

ACE RESPONDS TO NET ZERO STRATEGY

Matthew Farrow welcomes "largest amount of Net Zero policy ever published"

Matthew Farrow, director of policy at the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE), responds to the Government's Net Zero strategy, Build Back Greener:

"The four Net Zero policy documents just published represent the largest amount of Net Zero policy ever published in a single day by the UK government and they contain a level of ambition that would have been unthinkable just three years ago. It is fair to say that both government and business activity on Net Zero is picking up speed, and the government’s approach of backing a range of technologies while seeking to bring down technology costs is broadly sensible. Likewise the attempt to balance maintaining public support while delivering regulatory clarity is clumsy but politically understandable.

"The next few years really are make a break however and the hard work is only just beginning. The challenge is to convert to the broad outlines we now have for technology choices and rollouts into actual physical deployment across millions of households and thousands of communities. Furthermore this must be done in a joined up way. The engineering and consultancy sector will be crucial in delivering this. Only we have the combination of engineering and design expertise, systems thinking, data insights and cross sectoral experience to make a net zero society a reality."