WSP reaction to Climate Change Committee's 2022 Progress Report

The Climate Change Committee has today published its annual Progress Report to Parliament on the UK Government's plans to deliver?net zero?emissions by 2050.

WSP's Rachel Skinner reacts to the findings of the 2022 report below, outlining what is needed to achieve a net zero economy.

Rachel Skinner, Executive Director at WSP and Immediate Past-President of the ICE, said: “The Climate Change Committee’s stocktake is another pertinent reminder that the UK cannot afford to be complacent in its approach to achieving net zero by 2050.

"We wholeheartedly agree that our collective focus must be on delivery and bold, short-term action in this decade. We must accelerate the delivery of diverse solutions that cut emissions fast and forever in a fair and equitable way.

“We agree also that the right people with the right skills and mindset are key to creating lower carbon infrastructure systems, in balance with nature, out in the real world. Today’s report recognises that the current availability of skilled workers poses a significant risk to our ability to deliver net zero. The UK’s skills challenge must be urgently addressed to support the decarbonisation of everything from our power systems and transport links, to our buildings and homes.

“To navigate the bottlenecks and lack of progress identified in today’s report, close and deliberate collaboration between government, business and the public will be required; ultimately we will only achieve our targets by working together towards one shared goal.”