Utility Week

10 | MARCH 2021 | UTILITY WEEK Countdown to COP Analysis Countdown to COP Our new campaign – to run until November – will seek to present a pan-utilities roadmap to net zero. We will explore the sector's achievements to date and ask what needs to be done to unleash its full potential to drive forward the decarbonisation agenda. By James Wallin. W e are now just eight months away from the COP26 conference in Glasgow and the pressure is on to ensure the UK can show the world it is seri- ous about climate change. Utilities have already laid the foundations on which to build a green future and where many other industries have talked big, this sector has walked far. But there is much more to do and it is imperative that the ambitious, rigorously researched plans of utility companies mesh with wider agendas, most notably in policy and regulation, rather than being blocked by them. This is why Utility Week is launching a sector-wide conversation on net zero that will guide us towards the UN's 26th Confer- ence of the Parties. We will seek to bring together the multifarious decarbonisation strategies, blueprints and 10-point plans published across the electricity, gas and water sectors to create for the first time a pan-utilities road map to net zero. The aim is to present to government, the public and the world a concise story of how this sector can effect change and any barriers to progress that need to be tackled. COP26 is the time to do this and it pre- sents a truly unique moment to turn com- mitments into action. While previous COPs have been instrumental in binding countries to action on emissions, this conference must also seek to draw the public into the debate and stress that every person has a part to play in tackling climate change. In many cases, utilities will be the gateway to fulfill- ing that role. It is vital this conversation is an honest but also a positive one. Net zero is not zero cost and this cannot be brushed over, but the public must be given agency. By moving from passive to active players in the energy market and being mindful of how their use of water impacts not just this vital natural resource but their own carbon footprint, consumers will save money and live better, smarter lives. Once again, utilities will o‰en be the ones to preach this gospel so the mes- sage must be clear and consistent. Covid has already proved a hindrance to COP but perhaps it will also serve as an inspiration. The feat of making the impossi- ble possible no longer seems so far-fetched. The way the private and public sector have adapted to completely new ways of work- ing and the public has accepted fundamen- tally different ways of life has broadened the scope for change. Meanwhile, the vaccine rollout is a truly remarkable scientific and logistical feat underpinned by a common consensus that we are all fighting a shared threat. Countdown to COP will explore nine key topics through interviews, analysis, case studies, comment pieces and interactive tools as well as through events. As part of the campaign launch we will be bringing you the thoughts and hopes of sen- ior sector leaders, such as the chief execu- tives of Anglian Water, Drax and National Grid, among others. Our first monthly focus is on the chal- lenges of ensuring a just transition, a sum- mary of which you can find on p14-15.

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