More than 200 prominent business leaders have written to the Prime Minister calling for a clean, inclusive and resilient recovery from coronavirus.
The property and construction industry is heavily represented in the letter, with UKGBC members making up over a third of signatories.
The letter been co-ordinated by The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group in collaboration with UKGBC and others.
It states: ‘With the UK facing major economic and social concerns including the risk of high unemployment and rising regional inequality, we believe that an ambitious low carbon growth and environmental improvement agenda can do a lot to address these concerns, as well as make the UK economy better prepared to deal with future shocks such as those related to climate change.’
The signatories call on the Prime Minister to provide a clear vision for government recovery efforts, ensuring they:
- Drive investment in low carbon innovation, infrastructure and industries, as well as improved resilience to future environmental risks. This should include a combination of targeted public investment and clear policy signals to support growing private sector investment, such as tax incentives and carbon pricing.
- Focus support on sectors and activities that can best support sustainable growth, increased job creation and accelerate both the recovery and the decarbonisation of the economy. For example, building construction, renovation and energy efficiency, low-carbon power and mobility infrastructure, natural environmental improvements, and innovation to decarbonise hard to abate sectors.
- Include within financial support packages measures to ensure receiving businesses are well managed and their strategies are science based and aligned with national climate goals.
Julie Hirigoyen, Chief Executive at UKGBC, said: “A clean, inclusive and resilient recovery from coronavirus is vital if we are to learn the lessons from this health emergency and ramp up action to tackle the climate and ecological crisis and reduce social inequality. The built environment can plan a pivotal role in helping the country to build back better. We can unlock huge opportunities for resilient recovery through measures such as introducing ambitious new build standards; prioritising home energy efficiency; and investing in urban greening.”
David Partridge, Chair of the Board of Trustees at UKGBC, Senior Partner of Argent and Chairman of Argent Related said: “The threat of a global pandemic has demonstrated the measures Governments, businesses and individuals will put in place to protect lives. As we slowly emerge from this crisis, it’s critical that we again all work together to ensure that we commit to a sustainable and resilient recovery plan which addresses the ever-present and equally urgent matter of climate change.”
