A united front towards net zero progress

The Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC) report makes for sobering reading.

But while the challenge ahead seems monumental, could we also see opportunities for Greater Birmingham businesses?

Concerns about climate change are not new. In fact, in sorting through office cupboards a few weeks ago I stumbled across a Chamber manifesto from 2008 with a lengthy section dedicated to the environment and sustainability (and no doubt the topic had featured in many before).

This has been a long time coming.

What has changed is the urgency. With growing clusters of extreme events from wildfires to floods and landslides getting ever closer to home, climate change is not a far off concept or distant risk. This is real - and it is happening now.

As the proverb goes, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now. And as the IPCC 's analysis shows, there is still time to act fast to stabilise rising global temperatures.

With COP26 taking place in November we are likely to see growing numbers of government and international announcements concerning climate change and how to hit net zero emissions. Many of these may well hold implications for businesses.

Significant numbers of businesses and individuals are already taking steps towards hitting net zero. Just this week, global built environment specialists Arup announced that they will be moving 1,000 staff intro Brum in 2023. Good news for investment in the city - but also for sustainability as their new home, One Centenary Way has sustainable design - quite literally - built in to its core.

There are also businesses benefiting from pivoting into or starting up in a whole new sector of the economy. According to research by KMatrix, the UK 's low carbon economy is now worth more than £200 billion. More than 75,000 businesses from wind turbine manufacturers to recycling plants employ more than 1.2 million people in the green economy. And this is a sector that will no doubt only continue to grow.

Local stakeholders, including Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority have released their own ambitious plans for hitting net zero.

However, some readers may well fall into the same camp as me. Wanting to do the right thing by making changes here and there - but not always sure how and what will be the most effective. And after months of pandemic and Brexit impacts, it can be hard to get the head space to focus on it.

A recent Chamber survey of West Midlands businesses showed that 81 per cent are acting on their environmental concerns, but Covid-19 has impeded net zero progress for 78 per cent of businesses.

To help bridge this knowledge divide, ahead of COP26, the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) are teaming up with our neighbours in Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber on a Net Zero: Sustainable Business Series.

Over the course of October, we 'll be digging in to key elements of this agenda with expert advice and practical case studies and peer learning aimed at SMEs and the local business community across free webinars, events and content.

I look forward to learning a lot myself.

We are also calling for action on the key areas requiring government intervention and support. Led by the GBCC 's environmental sustainability policy advisor Will Hargreaves earlier this year we published a series of recommendations for accelerating business progress to net zero. These range from targeted financial support through to investment skills to enable a net zero transition.

We will continue to work closely with our members to understand and escalate their needs and priorities as this agenda continues to develop. This is going to be a heck of a journey, but one which we look forward to bringing businesses together on so that they do not have to travel it alone.

One thing is clear to me: Birmingham led the world during the industrial revolution. We 've got all the ingredients we need to do it again and become leaders of the green industrial revolution too.

Henrietta Brealey is chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce

This column first appeared in this week 's Birmingham Post