Mayoral statement on Net Zero Strategy and Heat and Buildings Strategy
Published: Tuesday 19 Oct 2021
Commenting on the Net Zero Strategy and the Heat and Buildings Strategy, both announced by government today, Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the WMCA, said: As the home of the green industrial revolution we are already developing the solutions to achieve our own ambitious target of becoming a net zero region by 2041.
So, we welcome the announcement today of these two new strategies in which government sets out a clear path on how the UK can reach its national net zero target by 2050.
Our automotive and transport industries are already leading the world in the move to net zero. The further investment announced in the Net Zero Strategy will help support this important sector and our future economic prosperity.
We are also pleased to see the establishment of a net zero forum which will bring together central, regional and local government. We have been working closely with government on this following our Net Zero Summit in July.
We now look forward to building on this partnership with government. We are hungry to go further and faster towards net zero but regions like the West Midlands will need long-term funding, powers and responsibilities to make that happen.
As regional leaders, we understand our economies best and recognise that ‘one-size solutions' will not fit all. While some regions will lead on energy generation, the West Midlands is leading innovation on its distribution and use. The race to zero can generate tremendous economic opportunities for the region, with the potential to create more than 90,000 jobs for local people over the next two decades.
The continuing growth of the low carbon and green industries in the West Midlands can play a critical role in achieving net zero and crucially, with the right investment, in the wider levelling-up of the UK economy