Embracing the Opportunity of Decarbonisation: Why Conservatives Must Not Sacrifice Net Zero

Co-founder of Whole Nation Conservatives Igraine Gray is a Conservative activist and former council candidate, writer, published author and rehabilitated rough sleeper. Prior to the 2024 General Election she was Policy Assistant to Sir Simon Clarke.

“Those people need to cook meals, heat homes, clothe themselves, find work. They need factories, roads, power stations. All these things are a part of our lives today and the ambition of the third world tomorrow. So the choice facing us is not industrial development or a clean environment. To survive we need both. Industry is part of our habitat; economic growth is one of the systems that sustain human life today… It’s we conservatives who are not merely friends of the Earth - we are its guardians and trustees for generations to come.” - Margaret Thatcher in her 1988 speech to Party Conference.

When many think of all that the late Prime Minister stood for, environmentalism is not what usually springs to mind first. But unsurprisingly, she was entirely correct. There are a great many reasons why it is in the whole nation’s interest to decarbonise, as part of our pursuit to protect our planet, and it is a goal that enjoys a relatively broad political consensus. Logically, whether you are coming from a place of climate change concern or climate change scepticism, all roads to decarbonisation.

Firstly, we have a moral duty to look after our home. I would hope that basic sentiment would need little qualification. We have to ensure there is still a habitable planet. The impacts of 1°C of warming are already being felt across the globe and will become more severe with additional warming. Even with 1.5°C of warming, climate change will have dangerous effects, such as severe heat waves that could affect more than 1 billion people once every five years on average (1). We have comparatively very little carbon budget left - researchers warn that if carbon dioxide emissions remain at 2022 levels of about 40 gigatonnes per year, the carbon budget will be exhausted by around 2029, committing the world to warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels (2). 

But it goes deeper than that. In the first world, we have built our entire societies, and crucially made significant strides forward in wellbeing and knowledge, off the back of energy consumption. It is woven into even the most basic of our daily tasks. At the rate we use fossil fuels, they are a finite resource. They take millions of years to form and seconds to burn. If we don’t decarbonise then, regardless of whether we take climate change seriously or not, we are willingly plunging future generations into darkness. If as conservatives we still believe in ensuring the next generation does better than the last then we know what we have to do.

Secondly, and I am willing to bet hard cash that this will be the arguable point for many, there is not just a sound economic case for decarbonisation but a real opportunity. The new low carbon and renewable energy economy (LCREE) adds a tremendous amount to our country. In 2022, UK businesses generated an estimated £69.4 billion in LCREE turnover, a £15.2 billion (28.0%) increase since 2021. LCREE employment in 2022 was estimated at 272,400 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, a 20,100 FTE (8.0%) increase since 2021. In addition to these turnover and employment rises, the number of businesses estimated to be active in the LCREE has increased by 9.6%, from 88,500 in 2021 to 97,000 in 2022 (3). This sector will only grow, as we innovate our way into renewables and nuclear, and phase out fossil fuels.

The economic opportunity in particular is an essential one, for those who believe in whole nation conservatism. Many of our post-industrial heartlands, scarred by the collapse of skilled, energy-intensive trades, are seeing the start of a rebirth thanks to the investment of the clean energy sector. Look no further than the Tees Valley, where investments by the likes of SeAH Wind and projects like Net Zero Teesside are starting to deliver high quality jobs and further investment. Levelling up, that idea that you should be able to get on in life regardless of where in this great country you live, has a doughty champion in decarbonisation.

Superficially, it is also electorally popular. Overall, three-quarters (76%) who said they were likely to vote in the local elections in 2024 supported the UK Government’s target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with 69% of the public as a whole also backing it. Support for the target easily outweighed opposition among voters of every party (4). More broadly action on climate change is an extremely unifying issue too with four in five Britons thinking it’s important that the government cares about tackling climate change - including nearly 80% of 2024 Conservative voters and two thirds of 2024 Reform voters (5). 

The objective is as straightforward as it gets in politics, a quantifiable goal and timeline. Where we differ from our opposition is the how, and arguably the means are just as important as the end. If we are to capitalise fully on the opportunity of decarbonisation, we must remove the barriers to success that state intervention has built. Government must get out of the way. Whether it be reforming our sclerotic planning system, to free would-be energy infrastructure builders from the astronomical costs of submission and over-bearing regulation, or modernising the rules that govern how our energy is generated, regulated, traded, stored and transmitted. Ofgem, in particular, should have a duty to increase competition and standards as John Penrose and the Centre for Policy Studies outline in A Cheaper Route to Net Zero (6).

All roads lead to decarbonisation. Morally, economically and electorally. As voters want to meet the goal but are not too keen are bearing the brunt of the cost (7) then the Conservatives have the answer, right in its first principles of enterprise and opportunity, and squarely in the spirit of Thatcher’s 1988 Party Conference speech.

References

1. How and when do we need to act on climate change? | Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment | Imperial College London

2. Window to avoid 1.5°C of warming will close before 2030 if emissions not reduced | Imperial News | Imperial College London

3. Low carbon and renewable energy economy, UK - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

4. Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit | Election poll: Voters for all… (eciu.net)

5. Climate and energy at the General Election (moreincommon.org.uk)

6. A Cheaper Route to Net Zero - The Centre for Policy Studies (cps.org.uk)

7. Survey Report (yougov.com)