Fighting for the Climate

If you’re reading this then I probably don’t need to explain why climate change is one of the more important threats to humanity we face.

But climate breakdown is not the only emergency we face. I no longer own a car, I cycle to meetings, I have solar panels on my roof. But that’s not an option for everyone. If you live in suburb with no metro and expensive buses, and have to drop your kids off at school before heading to the first of your two minimum-wage, part-time jobs, you won’t be thinking about buying a Tesla – you’ll be too busy putting food on the table. The drag of poverty is as urgent as the climate crisis, and it causes long-term scarring to our whole society. And they are two sides of the same coin. Covid, and the climate crisis, has caused us to rethink how our economy works. It can no longer be about rising share prices or housing bubbles. It’s about a secure future for everyone. That’s how we take people with us. We build a Zero-Carbon, Zero-Poverty North East.

If you add up what we have committed on just 2 of our projects; the green new deal and offshore, you get over £50m of direct investment in climate related growth. This is not just talk, we are putting our money where our mouth is.

NTCA have agreed a strategic approach with an emphasis on:

• Unlocking the potential for accelerated growth in the clean energy sector – building on already world-class assets in offshore wind, subsea technology, and the associated supply chain as part of a North East wide sector strategy.
• Creating the conditions for radical innovation across industries;
• Growing our capacity as a region to build the skills base to support new jobs and transition to cleaner ways of working;
• Investing in the capacity of citizens, communities, businesses and public services to inspire changes to the way we live, work, travel and communicate.

We are not doing this alone, we are using the convening power of a Mayoral Combined Authority to get local, regional and national stakeholders working together on this agenda of supporting decarbonisation whilst also supporting the economic opportunity and creation of good green jobs. We are working closely with our Local Authorities; North East Energy Catalyst; regional universities; Offshore and Renewable Energy Catapult; North East Environment Coalition etc.

This is the power of devolution. We can bring organisations together and breakdown the siloed way of working.

We’re investing £25 million in our offshore wind and subsea sector. Partnering with the Catapult.   Improving infrastructure, like stronger cranes to handle bigger turbines, and funding high-tech solutions like digital technology with sensors, cable arrays, and digital twins to reduce the costs of installing offshore wind.

Investment to bring the old Swan Hunters Yard back into productive use. This is an iconic site on the River Tyne. It’ll be a momentous day when this site is up and running again.

Too many of our brightest and best have innovative ideas, but can’t raise the capital to get them off the ground. Our Green New Deal directly funds investments into solar capacity and energy efficiency. This £18 million fund will create hundreds of jobs, and save our partners, public and private, on energy bills and reduce fuel poverty. It is also aligned with our Good Work Pledge.

We’re also working with the Energy Democracy Project and Transition Economics to explore how we can practically support a just and inclusive transition to greener jobs. It is a research project talking to people in a wide variety of industries across the North of Tyne area. This is about capturing the attitudes and views of workers on the ground. Some will be in high carbon industries like plumbers who fit gas boilers. They will be asked how they see their future and what training opportunities they are aware of. But views will also be captured from workers in a wide variety of other industries which could include mechanics, farm workers, hoteliers. Some will be unionised, some won’t be. This will offer a fascinating insight into the reality of delivering a just transition.

And North of Tyne Combined Authority is leading by example. The transition to net zero is embedded into our Corporate Plan.

Our Environmental Policy commits us to embed climate change into our decision making processes and work towards becoming a net zero organisation – our carbon footprint report explains that we have invested in local woodland creation that will, over time, produce verifiable emissions reductions locally while we continue to work to reduce our corporate emissions.

Our Strategic Skills Plan demonstrates that green growth and energy are priority growth sectors for North of Tyne, emphasising the opportunities around developing green skills and a just and inclusive transition to a green economy.

Our Zero Carbon, Zero Poverty Crowdfund commits us to work with communities to tackle the climate emergency and food poverty. This funds projects brought forward by all sorts of communities and could be anything from a community garden, to supporting the reduction of food waste, or a community food club.

I want to make sure kids and young people are getting a hands-on climate education so set up the Mayor’s School Climate Challenge.

And we have the ongoing work responding to the Citizens’ Assembly’s recommendations around energy, housing and skills.

Related Achievements