Net-Zero North: Delivering the decarbonisation mission in the north of England

Article

The British economy is at a critical juncture. Its future success depends on overcoming two major, interrelated problems – long-term structural weaknesses in investment, productivity and trade, and the need to decarbonise. In this context, the north of England faces a particular challenge.

The North’s economy is more carbon intensive than the English average, and its many carbon-intensive industries face a challenging transition. It is also suffering from a lack of investment relative to other regions, particularly London.

However, the North has a large economic potential, more of which could be unlocked from directed investment, and is already realising many of the opportunities of decarbonisation, with a vibrant low-carbon goods and services sector and nearly half of England’s renewables generation.

Related items

  1. Towards a Communities Agenda 2.0

    Andy Burnham’s arrival in Downing Street creates an opportunity to go much further on the communities agenda than we’ve seen up to now. So what should more ambition look like in practice?
  2. Young male delivery cyclist working part-time, riding through city streets with food backpack on.

    Raising the bar: Strengthening living standards while banning exploitative zero-hours contracts

    Labour’s manifesto committed to banning exploitative zero-hours contracts as part of sweeping upgrades to workers’ rights.
  3. The Bank of England is watched over by a statue of the Duke of Wellington seated on his horse

    Beyond headroom: Why we need a better fiscal framework to fix the UK’s long term problems

    There has been long-standing debate about the UK’s fiscal rules and fiscal framework.