As the defining issue of our time, we face tremendously tough decisions on how to tackle climate change. As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, we have worked hard to ensure the Black Country and the wider West Midlands is at the forefront of the green revolution.
I want to use this column to explain why, despite those huge challenges, I believe it’s vital that we double down on our climate change ambitions, so we can benefit from the jobs and investment that achieving them will bring.
While the Government remains committed to achieving net zero in the UK by 2050, the Prime Minister’s recent shift on green issues illustrates the tough balancing act required to protect citizens from the financial impact of change.
I understand his decision to ease targets on heating and insulation, as technology is arguably not moving fast enough to hit them. However, my job as Mayor of the West Midlands is to put the needs of our region first, and I disagreed with his decision to delay the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars until 2035.
The West Midlands is home to some of the UK's biggest automotive manufacturers, including Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). We account for 30% of all automotive employment in Britain.
My personal view is that, with automotive being such a critical industry for the future of our region, it was not the right call.
However, regardless of the national decision-making, businesses here in the Black Country, and across our region, are leading the way in building the green economy, creating jobs and driving innovation. Much of the record inward investment our region has seen in recent years was concentrated in the clean manufacturing sectors. We are seeing real innovation.
Take Wolverhampton’s Wintech, who are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. This firm has ambitious goals to support the UK’s Net Zero targets, by raising awareness of how their innovative façade engineering creates energy efficient buildings.
Then there is EDF’s exciting battery energy storage project in Sandwell, announced in October. Green energy sources will play a vital role in helping us to honour our #WM2041 Net Zero commitment and reliable battery storage – for when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining – is essential if we are to harness the full potential of renewable energy.
This EDF Renewables project at Bustleholme will upgrade battery storage capability in our region and showcase the benefits to local people and businesses that a low carbon future can deliver.
Capable of powering a small town, this facility has now gone live in the Black Country.
Our region is also pushing ahead with building the infrastructure that is needed to enable motorists to switch to electric vehicles, with the UK’s largest public charging hub being launched on the National Exhibition Centre campus.
Capable of charging 180 EVs simultaneously with 16 ultra-fast 300 kilowatt DC chargers, of which two are designated accessible bays, the hub is the biggest private investment in electric charging in the UK.
The commitment to net zero cross sectors. Over 100 businesses have now committed to taking steps to cut their emissions and help the West Midlands become net zero by 2041.
Black Country-based manufacturer AVACE is among the latest cohort to sign the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Net Zero Business Pledge, joining some of the highest profile employers across the region.
To lead change at this scale, we need businesses of all sizes - and from all sectors - to commit to new ways of working. All the indications are that businesses in the Black Country are buying into the benefits of joining the green revolution.