Net Zero Northern ESSAY COLLECTION ESSAY Powerhouse The Conservative Environment Network (CEN) is an independent forum, Parliamentary caucus, and grassroots organisation for conservatives who support conservation and decarbonisation. We are particularly grateful for the support of Kevin Hollinrake MP and Katherine Fletcher MP who co-chaired this essay collection. Edited by Megan Trethewey and Jack Richardson Northern Powerhouse map & illustrations: Eleanor Hyland Stanbrook ([email protected]) Photos: Dr Neil Hudson MP, Trudy Harrison MP, Simon Fell MP, Katherine Fletcher MP, Jacob Young MP, Dehenna Davison MP, Kevin Hollinrake MP, Alexander Stafford MP - by David Woolfall; Chris Clarkson MP, Simon Clarke MP - by Richard Townshend. Layout and design: Wilf Lytton ([email protected]) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this essay collection do not necessarily reflect the views of each of CEN’s supporters, Parliamentarians, employees, ambassadors, steering committee, or board. The authors do not necessarily endorse all of the views expressed throughout the essay collection outside of their contribution. CEN is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Company Number: 08582661 Net Zero Northern ESSAY COLLECTION ESSAY Powerhouse Copyright © Conservative Environment Network 2020 CHAPTER II CONTENTS NORTH EAST Jacob Young MP Luke Hall MP 39 5 The potential of the hydrogen Foreword economy 44 Dehenna Davison MP CHAPTER I Putting the North at the NORTH WEST centre of global green trade 8 Dr Neil Hudson MP 49 Simon Clarke MP Agritech and the future of Greening heavy industry for a climate-friendly farming productive net zero Ben Houchen 14 Trudy Harrison MP 56 Backing the nuclear industry Teesside at the heart of a Net Zero Northern Powerhouse 20 Simon Fell MP Net zero skills and the case CHAPTER III for tidal barrages YORKSHIRE & THE HUMBER 25 Katherine Fletcher MP Unlocking the next generation 63 Kevin Hollinrake MP of clean energy innovators Retrofitting our homes and making them energy efficient Chris Clarkson MP 32 Alexander Stafford MP The Northern Forest – the 68 legacy we have begun to build Net zero northern railways and the role of hydrogen 5 Foreword The North of England was the birthplace of the industrial revolution, powered by coal. It is now set to be the birthplace of the green industrial revolution, powered by clean renewable energy. From offshore wind and hydrogen, to carbon capture and electric vehicles, the region is home to world-leading innovations, conceived in northern minds and built by northern hands. This essay collection sets out a vision for a Net Zero Northern Powerhouse which is already on its way to being realised thanks to the Government’s new 10 point plan. As this government seeks to deliver our 2050 net zero target, we must ensure that we bring everyone with us, and that it benefits all areas of the country. Our net zero mission is core to the levelling up agenda. It will create new opportunities for all of our communities in the clean industries of the future. As conservatives we know that industry and business can be our allies in delivering our environmental goals. That’s why we have supported them to innovate and decarbonise, through schemes like the £170 million Industrial Decarbonisation challenge, which has supported innovations in carbon capture and hydrogen in Teesside, Merseyside and Humberside. Over the next decade, we will build on that with a £1 billion investment in carbon capture infrastructure in four industrial clusters. 5 6 As the Prime Minister has said, ‘we owe it to future generations to build back better’. As part of this mission, we must level up and ensure that investment and opportunity reaches all corners of our United Kingdom. We’ve set out plans to boost connectivity and improve transport links, with additional funding such as the £500 million Restoring Your Railways Fund and £5 billion for cycling, walking and buses. We are committed to ensuring the benefits of net zero are felt locally. We want to ensure all homes are warm, all drivers have access to a public electric chargepoint, and all streets are lined with trees. That’s why we will also invest in giving people the skills they need to deliver these improvements in their communities. We have an exciting prize before us. A net zero Britain which leads the world in tackling climate change. A thriving, clean economy, supporting skilled and secure employment across the UK and exporting its expertise and technologies around the world. And greener, more prosperous communities, where homes are warmer and cheaper to run, and where people have access to beautiful green spaces. The Net Zero Northern Powerhouse will be the catalyst for the green industrial revolution - and this government is committed to giving it the tools to succeed. Luke Hall MP Minister of State for Regional Growth and Local Government 6 CHAPTER I NORTH WEST 8 CONSERVATIVE ENVIRONMENT NETWORK Dr Neil Hudson MP Agritech and the future of climate- friendly farming Dr Neil Hudson was elected MP The passage of the Agriculture Act through for Penrith and The Border in Parliament into law clearly demonstrates this 2019 and sits on the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Government’s commitment to reaching net Affairs Select Committee. zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This Neil is a qualified veterinary surgeon with specialist clinical Act will provide the necessary legislative and research qualifications. framework to achieve this ambitious goal He trained at Cambridge University’s Veterinary School. in our farming sector. An important tenet Neil has worked in veterinary of the Agriculture Act is the introduction of practice in the UK and Australia and in the Veterinary Higher Environmental Land Management (ELM) Education sector. Neil is a schemes which, through the concept of public Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and a monies for public goods, will support farmers Principal Fellow of the Higher to adopt innovative agritech and farming Education Academy. practices that benefit both agricultural In 2001, Neil spent a period productivity and the environment. as a Veterinary Inspector during the Foot and Mouth The new ELM schemes act as a useful Crisis. Neil is the first vet in the Commons since 1884 and and exciting vehicle to provide funding to brings extensive professional those who manage land and water to deliver experience to help inform policy in areas such as public goods. The overwhelming majority of education, rural affairs, animal participants in ELM will likely be farmers. welfare, science and health. 8 NET ZERO NORTHERN POWERHOUSE 9 It is proposed that tier one of the scheme will be aimed specifically at farmers and will pay for actions that the majority of farmers can take across their land, such as nutrient, pest and soil management. Crucially, the Government recognises that environmental benefits can be provided across farms, rural properties and estates, woodland, and other open or green spaces. Many landholdings and farms will embrace not only land that is farmed, but also wetlands and woodlands. The ELM schemes will enable farmers to receive revenue from unproductive pieces of land by creating new habitats, which will support pollinators and store excess rainwater in order to improve agricultural productivity on neighbouring farmland. To make the ELM schemes a success there needs to be significant buy-in from a wide range of farmers and other land managers. The more uptake, the better the opportunity to maximise the environmental benefits of the scheme. The Tenant Farmers’ Association and the National Farmers’ Union have been consulted closely during this process and it is essential that their voices, along with other stakeholders, are heard during the changeover from the old payment system, to ensure payments are as smooth as possible and that there is no ‘cliff edge’. Tiers two and three of the ELM schemes could fund projects which include flood mitigation. Sadly, Cumbria is uniquely vulnerable to changes in weather including extreme flooding and storms. Measures such as tree planting can help with flood mitigation, but this must be done sensibly and consultatively so as to ensure that it is the ‘right tree in the right area’. These are all examples of large collaborative projects which would allow us to improve the health of our environment, as set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan, while helping us to deliver our commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. 9 10 CONSERVATIVE ENVIRONMENT NETWORK The National Farmers’ Union is also committed to helping the country reach this goal by aiming for net zero greenhouse gas emissions across all agricultural production by 2040. It plans on achieving this through improving farming’s productive efficiency, changing land use to capture more carbon and boosting renewable energy. In the progressive move to innovate, new techniques in agriculture that could be adopted include GPS-targeted input application, agricultural drones, hydroponics and livestock management apps. These new innovative techniques need not necessarily radically change the way in which hard-working farmers already operate; they are suggestions that could help them with time-management and efficiency. In theory, all of these technologies could potentially be funded through the ELM scheme, or the productivity capital grants scheme which is also being established by the Agriculture Act. It is vital that high quality agricultural education is sustained in Cumbria and the wider United Kingdom. Newton Rigg College in my constituency of Penrith and the Border is one such institution, where a strategic review is currently being carried out by the Further Education Commissioner. I have triggered this Government-led review in order to try and save the college, as the current owners have indicated they are withdrawing from running it. Colleges such as Newton Rigg are not only integral to their local and regional communities, but in this case the college is vital for the national economy.