Now – more than ever before - the concept of a green recovery must gain real traction.
The reason for this is simple.
The economic and social shock of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for years to come - but there is a silver lining we can cling to during these difficult times.
The global acts of solidarity to protect each other are proof that rapid collective action is possible at scale, and that together we can have a hugely positive impact on the world around us.
I believe that the green economy will be truly pivotal when it comes to the future global recovery.
One of the main things that so many people have learned is that the environment matters most to them.
For many of us, lockdown has opened our eyes to the benefits of cleaner air, quieter streets and access to nature. The opportunity we have now is to use this experience to re-build a greener, better economy that is fit for the future.
And Greater Manchester will have an absolutely essential role to play.
Building Back Better
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The concept of a green recovery has quickly gathered strong support from the business community.
In May, more than 60 leaders of major businesses and environmental organisations sent an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for nature and the climate to be put at the heart of the recovery effort.
At the international level, over 150 of the world’s biggest companies have signed a UN-backed statement asking governments to align their economic relief plans with science-based climate targets.
Here in Greater Manchester, mayor Andy Burnham and the GM LEP, along with their counterparts in the Liverpool City Region, are supporting a Build Back Better campaign that is calling on government and businesses to help set a new course post-Coronavirus.
Two of the campaign’s key goals are to re-think the way we travel, by supporting active travel modes and the switch to cleaner vehicles, and to re-think the way the economy works by stimulating investment in energy efficient retrofit and low carbon buildings.
Let’s look briefly at each of these...
A new approach to travel
In Greater Manchester air pollution levels have dropped by around 30 per cent since lockdown began.
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Road traffic levels have more than halved, while cycling journeys have increased by 42 per cent.
Walking and cycling now account for around a third of all journeys. These are changes we need to lock in permanently if we’re to see the long-term benefits of lower emissions and active livelihoods.
Speaking from home at a recent press conference on the Build Back Better campaign, Andy Burnham called on businesses to work with him to encourage more home and flexible working after lockdown, with staggered start and end times to the working day to reduce congestion. “The traditional 9 to 5 working day doesn’t work particularly well for us,” he said.
You’d struggle to find a commuter who disagrees.
When we do need to travel, walking or cycling should be the first port of call. Greater Manchester is one of several major cities already seizing the opportunity to build on high levels of active travel during lockdown.
Deansgate in the city centre has now been part-pedestrianised and £5m of emergency funding has been made available to create enhanced spaces for pedestrians and cyclists across the city region. Plans for a Greater Manchester-wide bike hire scheme are also progressing.
Nationally, a £2bn funding package was launched in May to support new cycling and walking measures, along with fast-tracked statutory guidance telling councils to reallocate road space for active travel. E-scooter trials have also been brought forward by a year to explore what effect they could have on clean transport in towns and cities.
When walking and cycling isn’t an option, we need our vehicles to be cleaner.
Greater Manchester has now sent a renewed funding request to government to help businesses upgrade their old vehicles ahead of the introduction of a city region-wide Clean Air Zone.
This includes a £98m Clean Commercial Vehicle Fund for vans, HGVs and other large vehicles (increased from £59 million), and a new £10m ‘hardship fund’ for small businesses facing additional financial concerns to help them switch to compliant vehicles.
Green homes and green skills
Another key agenda for Build Back Better is a programme of investment in low carbon homes, and the skills needed to deliver them.
Achieving Greater Manchester’s 2038 carbon neutral target will require retrofitting at least 61,000 homes every year with energy efficient technology.
This is a huge economic opportunity – one estimate suggests that domestic retrofit has the potential to support over 13,000 additional jobs in the city region to 2030.
As well as upgrading existing buildings, focusing on zero carbon, modular construction methods for new housing could create thousands more jobs.
Greater Manchester City Region has recognised this opportunity and is leading calls on the government to invest in retrofit and green construction skills as part of the national recovery effort.
Digital working
For a significant portion of the workforce, the way we work will perhaps never be the same again. The lockdown is proving that for many of us, commuting to work every day is unnecessary and we can work effectively using virtual tools.
Remote working will almost certainly remain a growing trend thanks to the virus, bringing with it less congestion on our roads, more public transport capacity for those who need to travel, and cleaner air for all of us.
And while we may complain about the kids interrupting us during conference calls, the truth is that most of us are benefitting from spending more time with our families.
More home-working could also speed up positive changes in our energy system.
Heating and lighting individual homes is more demanding on the grid than sharing office spaces, but this is an incentive to accelerate the shift to a more responsive energy network that can adapt to fluctuating supply and demand, encourage small-scale renewables onto the grid and support the creation of innovative new services that transform how consumers store and use energy.
An energy system dominated by distributed, flexible power sources will also be more resilient to crises like COVID-19 because it will be less dependent on large power plants, which rely on a stable fuel supply.
All businesses have a key role to play.
We now have proof that less travel is not only possible, but desirable. We should think very carefully about which journeys are essential, and which can be avoided – especially if it involves flying.
We know that working from home can be both productive and enjoyable.
We know that sustainable supply chains are the most future-proof, and that procurement must prioritise long-term resilience over short-term profit.
And we know that the right foundations are in place for a green industrial revolution if we support it.
In return we will not only help the planet, but also help ourselves.
Sustainable supply chains
It’s not just working practices that have changed.
The pandemic is forcing businesses and investors to re-think how they measure success.
The amazing acts of generosity and support we’ve seen within the business community over the last few weeks has shown that working together to achieve a common purpose is less difficult than some might previously have thought.
According to some experts, the pandemic will likely lead to increased investment in activities which deliver social or environmental value.
Those businesses that take a ‘triple bottom line’ approach to procurement - valuing people and planet as well as profit - will be much more resilient to future crises than those who focus purely on securing lowest cost supply.
As an example, fast fashion has been one of the sectors worst affected by supply chain disruption during the current crisis.
Massive amounts of stock are stuck in warehouses, destined never to be worn, and companies are being called out for failing to protect suppliers and workers in the developing world.
The environmentally destructive business model of fast fashion is struggling to show resilience in the face of crisis and will have to change as a result.
In conclusion
The pressure is now on to ensure that the post-pandemic stimulus packages governments put in place prioritise the shift to a green economy rather than doubling down on fossil fuels.
With the right policies in place, hundreds of thousands of new jobs could be created in renewables, energy efficiency, clean transport and green industry.
The landmark ‘COP26’ UN climate summit in Glasgow may have been delayed to 2021, but when world leaders finally do meet to negotiate a ramping up of climate commitments, the focus will now be on how we can drive a green recovery from this crisis.
Here in Greater Manchester, our burgeoning green technologies and services sector has the potential to be an economic powerhouse for the city region.
From solar panel installers to smart mobility services, hundreds of companies stand ready to support the shift to a climate-friendly economy.
Many of them can be found on our virtual Low Carbon Network.
All businesses have a key role to play. We now have proof that less travel is not only possible, but desirable.
We should think very carefully about which journeys are essential, and which can be avoided – especially if it involves flying.
We know that working from home can be both productive and enjoyable.
We know that sustainable supply chains are the most future-proof, and that procurement must prioritise long-term resilience over short-term profit.
And we know that the right foundations are in place for a green industrial revolution if we support it.
In return we will not only help the planet, but also help ourselves.
Businesses working within the green technologies sector, or looking to diversify into it, can access fully-funded support, webinars and the Low Carbon Network at .