What would an economy that faced up to the reality of the climate emergency look like? To truly meet the challenge, the UK must rethink our industrial and economic dependency on materials and products sourced from around the world.
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Over three years from 2019-2022, Green House is exploring how trade, industry and infrastructure need to change to meet zero carbon goals. This work forms part of a wider project led by the Green European Foundation involving Green House in the UK, Wetenschappelijk Bureau Groenlinks in the Netherlands and Green Foundation Ireland. It builds on our recent work envisioning a postgrowth Britain and our focus on climate jobs, which quantified the employment that could be created across the UK in facing up to the climate emergency. Read the strategic vision
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Overseas Development Finance and the Climate Emergency
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Latest Report:
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This report quantifies the massive scale of transport infrastructure investment plans across the UK and EU and how this fails to align to existing climate targets. This highlights that whilst heavy goods transport, shipping and aviation are some of the hardest to decarbonise, demand for these transport modes are not being managed or constrained in line with climate commitments. The report is framed using the Zero Carbon Policy Toolkit introduced in Green House’s August 2020 report, Trade and Investment Requirements for Zero Carbon.
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Online Event: Reaching Zero Carbon Transport: What will it take?
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Project Publications
Trade and Investment Requirements for Zero Carbon (August 2020)
Radical changes are needed in the way the UK economy functions if we are to meet the demands of the climate emergency. This report analyses UK trade data to explore the carbon impacts of the UK’s trade – and outlines how trade needs to be smaller, with shorter supply chains and slower transport. It introduces Green House’s new ‘Blockers and Enablers’ toolkit to aid policymakers to shift trade and infrastructure choices from global growth to facing up to the climate emergency.
Radical changes are needed in the way the UK economy functions if we are to meet the demands of the climate emergency. This report analyses UK trade data to explore the carbon impacts of the UK’s trade – and outlines how trade needs to be smaller, with shorter supply chains and slower transport. It introduces Green House’s new ‘Blockers and Enablers’ toolkit to aid policymakers to shift trade and infrastructure choices from global growth to facing up to the climate emergency.
Infrastructure Requirements for Zero Carbon: Why we can’t build our way out of the climate emergency
(December 2020)
This report explores how incompatible our society’s current and planned infrastructure is with the rapid decarbonisation of the UK economy needed to deliver on the climate emergency. It focuses on three key sectors: freight transport, aviation and steel, and considers what changes are required to bring these into line with zero carbon goals, using the ‘blockers and enablers’ toolkit introduced in Green House’s August 2020 report (see above)
(December 2020)
This report explores how incompatible our society’s current and planned infrastructure is with the rapid decarbonisation of the UK economy needed to deliver on the climate emergency. It focuses on three key sectors: freight transport, aviation and steel, and considers what changes are required to bring these into line with zero carbon goals, using the ‘blockers and enablers’ toolkit introduced in Green House’s August 2020 report (see above)
The Social and Environmental Requirements of a Climate Emergency Economy
Jonathan Essex and Peter Sims, May 2021
Our economy is not currently zero carbon, stable or sustainable, even in economic terms. What interventions are required to deliver the rapid transition required? What must these interventions achieve and how should these requirements be defined? This report explores measures introduced in Green House’s Zero Carbon Policy Toolkit. The report is part of Green House think tanks collaborative Climate Emergency Economy project with the Green European Foundation. Explore the report
Jonathan Essex and Peter Sims, May 2021
Our economy is not currently zero carbon, stable or sustainable, even in economic terms. What interventions are required to deliver the rapid transition required? What must these interventions achieve and how should these requirements be defined? This report explores measures introduced in Green House’s Zero Carbon Policy Toolkit. The report is part of Green House think tanks collaborative Climate Emergency Economy project with the Green European Foundation. Explore the report
Transport Investment: The Zero Carbon Challenge
By Jonathan Essex and Peter Sims, Aug 2021
The report quantifies the massive scale of transport infrastructure investment plans across the UK and EU and how this fails to align to existing climate targets. This highlights that whilst heavy goods transport, shipping and aviation are some of the hardest to decarbonise, demand for these transport modes are not being managed or constrained in line with climate commitments. The report is framed using the Zero Carbon Policy Toolkit.
By Jonathan Essex and Peter Sims, Aug 2021
The report quantifies the massive scale of transport infrastructure investment plans across the UK and EU and how this fails to align to existing climate targets. This highlights that whilst heavy goods transport, shipping and aviation are some of the hardest to decarbonise, demand for these transport modes are not being managed or constrained in line with climate commitments. The report is framed using the Zero Carbon Policy Toolkit.
Expert Meeting Report - Green Industrial Policy
Our Dutch project partner Wetenschappelijk Bureau GroenLinks summary in english of expert round table event in May 2020. This event looked at how to transform the dutch industry towards being CO₂ neutral and 75 percent circular by 2040, and reaching complete circularity in 2050. Such an industry should contribute to broad prosperity and therefore respect planetary boundaries and create jobs, income and useful products.
A Question of SCALE
This paper is published by the Green European Foundation, with the support of Green Foundation Ireland and Cultivate. 'SCALE' is an acronym for Supply Chains and Local Economies and the paper looks at Imagining a cooperative, community-led approach to regional resilience.
Blockers and Enablers for Decarbonising the Dutch Chemistry, Refinery and Basic Metals Industries
This paper is published by the Green European Foundation, with the support of Wetenschappelijk Bureau GroenLinks. It explores challenge involved in getting Dutch energy-intensive industries to zero carbon using the Blockers and Enablers Toolkit produced as part of this transnational project. See video outlined Green Industrial Policy.
Our Dutch project partner Wetenschappelijk Bureau GroenLinks summary in english of expert round table event in May 2020. This event looked at how to transform the dutch industry towards being CO₂ neutral and 75 percent circular by 2040, and reaching complete circularity in 2050. Such an industry should contribute to broad prosperity and therefore respect planetary boundaries and create jobs, income and useful products.
A Question of SCALE
This paper is published by the Green European Foundation, with the support of Green Foundation Ireland and Cultivate. 'SCALE' is an acronym for Supply Chains and Local Economies and the paper looks at Imagining a cooperative, community-led approach to regional resilience.
Blockers and Enablers for Decarbonising the Dutch Chemistry, Refinery and Basic Metals Industries
This paper is published by the Green European Foundation, with the support of Wetenschappelijk Bureau GroenLinks. It explores challenge involved in getting Dutch energy-intensive industries to zero carbon using the Blockers and Enablers Toolkit produced as part of this transnational project. See video outlined Green Industrial Policy.
Forthcoming reports
Report exploring changes needed to overseas development finance for it to enabler rather than block zero carbon will be published in October 2021.
Videos and Podcasts
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Zero Carbon Policy Toolkit
Related Publications
What would a UK climate emergency plan that faces up to climate reality look like?
The UK does not yet have an economy-wide plan that responds to the severity and urgency of the climate crisis. This Green House report, written by Jonathan Essex in May 2020, sets out some of the ingredients needed for climate emergency planning.
Another Brexit is possible
Strategy for Brexit in the era of COVID-19 and climate chaos: Build resilience and security through greater national self-sufficiency together with global cooperation
This report argues that Brexit is an opportunity to build greater resilience by increasing local, regional, and national self-sufficiency together with increasing the way we cooperate globally to tackle global crises.
Open letter to the Committee on Climate Change
In response to 6th Carbon Budget report for the UK Government and National Infrastructure Strategy - Dec 2020
The UK does not yet have an economy-wide plan that responds to the severity and urgency of the climate crisis. This Green House report, written by Jonathan Essex in May 2020, sets out some of the ingredients needed for climate emergency planning.
Another Brexit is possible
Strategy for Brexit in the era of COVID-19 and climate chaos: Build resilience and security through greater national self-sufficiency together with global cooperation
This report argues that Brexit is an opportunity to build greater resilience by increasing local, regional, and national self-sufficiency together with increasing the way we cooperate globally to tackle global crises.
Open letter to the Committee on Climate Change
In response to 6th Carbon Budget report for the UK Government and National Infrastructure Strategy - Dec 2020
This work forms part of a wider project led by the Green European Foundation exploring what a ‘climate emergency economy’ would look like through a rethinking of trade, industry and infrastructure investment. The project involves Greenhouse Think Tank in the UK alongside Groenlinks in the Netherlands and Green Foundation Ireland.
Events:
July 2020 — Reaching Zero Carbon Transport: What will it take?
Green House Think Tank and the Green European Foundation hosting an Online event discussing what ‘zero carbon’ means for transport - and how we get there. Speakers include Natalie Bennett (Green Peer) and Professor Julian Allwood (University of Cambridge).
Green House Think Tank and the Green European Foundation hosting an Online event discussing what ‘zero carbon’ means for transport - and how we get there. Speakers include Natalie Bennett (Green Peer) and Professor Julian Allwood (University of Cambridge).
September 2020 — Achieving zero carbon trade, investment and industry
Green House Think Tank and the Green European Foundation hosted an online conference to share ideas on how to break through the obstacles currently preventing us reaching zero carbon goals – and what new policies could enable us to meet zero carbon goals. With speakers from the Netherlands and Ireland, panel discussions, breakout sessions, a political panel and chances for networking, please join us to explore what a climate emergency economy could look like. See recording
Green House Think Tank and the Green European Foundation hosted an online conference to share ideas on how to break through the obstacles currently preventing us reaching zero carbon goals – and what new policies could enable us to meet zero carbon goals. With speakers from the Netherlands and Ireland, panel discussions, breakout sessions, a political panel and chances for networking, please join us to explore what a climate emergency economy could look like. See recording
Published by the Green European Foundation with the support of Green House think tank. GEF Project coordinator: Sien Hasker, Green European Foundation. This publication has been realised with the financial support of the European Parliament. The Polden Puckham charitable trust have contributed to report design costs. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this project.
