Actions
We will change our economy without leaving anyone behind
The investments we make in order to meet the climate challenge will be into the people who need them to thrive: tackling fuel poverty, giving people space to change career direction, improving skills, providing affordable connectivity, cleaning the air and ensuring the quality and availability of public spaces and assets.
What does this look like?
We prepare thoroughly for the economic shifts we can anticipate:
This is about the human side of big economic shifts. No-one wants to look another person in the eye and tell them that, soon, no-one will be able to buy what they are selling. This is a region that remembers what it is like to lose industry, a local brand, or a beloved high street retailer. That isn’t just about a job that pays the bills, important as that is. It is about doing something purposeful, something that makes you proud, something that matters to the people you know and the place you call home.
All of this means that we cannot take this part for granted. Some of these changes will be painful, even if we manage them with care and precision. To soothe that sting, our new industries will have a sense of place and pride, a story we can all shape and tell.
People have space to learn new skills and broaden their horizons without risking poverty:
Changing career is not easy, even when you have space to plan. Many people will not have that – every hour they spend in training, development, or even thought is an hour they could be spent earning money, or caring for their families. We need to give people space in their minds and their budgets, so that they can work out what they would like to do, and how they would like to get there, without being pushed into illness or poverty.
Everyone’s air is safe to breathe:
The emissions that pollute the air and warm the planet are not always the same ones10, but there is a great deal of overlap, and they stem from the same behaviours – burning fossil fuels in the places where people travel, live, work, and play.
No-one has to choose between heating and eating:
People in energy poverty cannot afford energy to meet their needs, and often have to choose what to do without: transport, hot food, or a warm home. The poor energy efficiency of many homes contributes to this dilemma. There are 1.7 million existing houses in the West Midlands, and at least 200,000 of these are in ‘energy poverty’. In order for everyone to stay on the journey to 2041, people must be able to afford the energy they need to participate in society.