Tech tycoon Bill Gates hit the headlines last year when he announced his five “grand challenges” to stop climate change.
He broke what is widely considered as the world’s greatest problem down into sections – energy, agriculture, industry, transportation and buildings.
The Microsoft founder’s words have now been echoed by Andy Parkinson, chair of Marketing Humber.
Mr Parkinson said the Humber region acts as the perfect model for the five challenges, and on the surface at least, the argument is strong.
Home to the 海角视频’s busiest port complex, the region is also a huge food producer, from leading fruit and vegetable suppliers to FTSE 250 listed pork and meat producer Cranswick.
The Humber is also the country’s heaviest polluting industrial corridor, and produces close to a quarter of the 海角视频’s total energy needs.
When you combine all of those facts and figures, it is no surprise calls have been made for the Humber region to become a priority area for decarbonisation.
Mr Parkinson said: "There is no better place within the north to develop, test and deploy the technologies which will help us decarbonise the economy and create clean growth.
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"The Humber is the perfect microcosm - we produce a vast amount of energy, we are a huge food producer, and we have the busiest ports complex in the 海角视频.
"The message to government is, within the north, there is no better place than the Humber. Come here and experiment, and let us get it done.”
Hull will this month host a major climate change summit, in what has been described by Mr Parkinson as “a call to action” for the region’s business community.
The Waterline Summit, taking place on November 28 at the Bonus Arena, will bring together businesses, campaigners, community groups, colleges and schools to showcase the biggest threat facing the region.
Mr Parkinson said the summit – comprising of an exhibition and evening debate – would focus on three key topics.
Here’s a look at some of the main talking points.
Carbon
Put simply, the Humber is the biggest emitting region for carbon dioxide in the 海角视频.
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It produces 30 per cent more CO2 a year than South Wales, which is the next biggest industrial area for emissions.
The Humber’s heavy industry corridor, which includes big hitters including British Steel, Phillips 66 and several major chemicals plants, is also a huge employer.
Cutting carbon emissions could prove pivotal in safeguarding tens of thousands of jobs across both banks of the estuary, as the 海角视频 works towards its 2050 net-zero carbon target.
Drax’s pioneering carbon capture and storage project is expected to feature heavily at The Waterline Summit.
Drax Group earlier this year successfully captured carbon dioxide for the first time at its power station near Goole, and is now part of the new partnership which hopes to turn the Humber into the world’s first net zero-carbon region.
Diagrams have also been released of what a carbon capture pipeline through the Humber region could look like.
It showed two separate pipelines running through the Humber.
One would be used to transport carbon dioxide, and would give the region’s big emitters the chance to either add to it, or take CO2 out for use in industry.
The pipeline would run into the North Sea, with the aim of storing CO2 safely in underwater pockets.
The second pipeline would be used to create a hydrogen technology network in the Humber.
Drax Power Station is already capturing a tonne of carbon dioxide a day from its innovative bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS) pilot project.
If it is scaled up, it could serve as the ‘anchor’ for a regional CCUS network capturing millions of tonnes of carbon each year from nearby industrial emitters.
While Drax’s pioneering carbon project will not solve the region’s problem alone, if successful, it could play a vital role in cutting down on CO2 emissions.
Energy
The Humber has defined itself as the 海角视频’s ‘Energy Estuary.’
Some have recently, understandably, called on the strapline to be altered slightly, to ‘Clean Energy Estuary.’
The Humber’s big renewable energy success story to date is undoubtedly its booming offshore wind industry.
It was announced this summer that 2GW of offshore wind capacity has been installed in the Humber.
With the 海角视频 hoping to increase its total offshore wind generation from 8GW now to at least 30GW by 2030, the Humber is poised to play a central role in reaching that goal.
But the Humber’s renewable energy sector could also hold other benefits.
Mr Parkinson said: “The Humber produces close to 25 per cent of all the 海角视频’s energy, but we only consume eight per cent of it.
“It has been shown that, for every gigawatt of renewable energy you install, it releases around £1.8bn of GVA (Gross Value Added).
“When you’re talking offshore wind, that value could be added through production, maintenance and distribution.
“If we produce all that surplus energy in the future, we could bring £10bn of GVA to the economy.”
Transitioning to a net-zero economy will bring with it huge challenges for the region’s energy sector.
It also provides a huge opportunity however, to build on the success of the offshore wind industry, create new jobs and wealth, and lead by example.
Water
A report published by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) warned we have 12 years to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Beyond that, and the risks of flooding caused by sea level rise begins to escalate.
The Humber has been identified as one of the coastal regions in the world most at risk of flooding.
The Waterline Summit will shine a light on the risks and challenges posed by climate change.
Mr Parkinson said: “This is the first big call to action to find out what you as a business, or individual, can do to fight climate change.
“This is something which is going to affect everyone. Come and see for yourself, and find out what you can do.
“I want to fill the room for the debate – that is the bit where people will come and hopefully say ‘we want to be a part of this.’
“I think it is correct to say Waterline will be the biggest dedicated climate change event in the Humber.”
The Details
Staged with event partner Yorkshire Water, the summit is in two parts – a free-to-enter, interactive exhibition and a showpiece debate.
The Waterline Debate will be led by internationally-renowned climate change keynote speaker Dr Gabrielle Walker.
Doors will open at the Bonus Arena at 2:30pm on November 28, with the exhibition running from 3pm to 5pm.
The debate will then take place from 5:15pm to 8pm.
More than 30 organisations will showcase projects and share ideas during The Waterline Exhibition, including holiday homes specialist Willerby, which has its 90-acre headquarters in Hull.
Willerby will bring its Innovation Zone to The Waterline Exhibition, showcasing concepts and solutions for meeting the challenges caused by environmental change, and will explore these further in a seminar.
For more details, times, and to book a free ticket for The Waterline, visit .
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Business Live's Hull & East Yorkshire journalist is Phil Winter, also the business editor at the Hull Daily Mail and Hull Live.
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