The Green Industrial Revolution is our future, our heritage
I’D like to invite you to join me on a journey – to a greener Britain. Imagine, just for a minute, a country where electricity made entirely from the wind and sun powers not only our homes and businesses but our transport too: cars, buses, trains – even planes.
A country where we grow grass to make the gas we need. Where energy is abundant and affordable. Where we have no air pollution because we don’t burn fossil fuels.
A country where our economy is stronger than ever because we are energy independent. Did you know that we spend £1billion every week to import fossil fuels – just to burn them? It’s an incredible waste.
Imagine too, a country where just through the food we eat, we avoid the chronic illnesses that cost our NHS billions every year. Where we save billions more in farming subsidies. Where food is abundant and more affordable.
And where the same food choice enables us to give back half of our entire country to nature. Reversing the last 100 years of wildlife decline and more, bringing back the insects, birds and mammals that we’ve lost. And the trees. And the wildflowers…
THIS is how Green Britain could be. It’s a place that I believe we need to build, together – not just for ourselves but for our children and their children.
Sustainability is often seen as just an environmental issue, but it’s an economic one too. Ultimately it’s about quality of life.And life itself. Green Britain offers all of this.
This Green Britain is not a pipe dream. Everything we need to build it we already have. And it’s cheaper to change than stick to the old ways. The changes we need to make are actually already under way...
Half of Britain’s electricity is already made from the wind and sun. When I started Ecotricity (in 1995), we were the world’s first green energy company – and that figure was zero.
Electric cars are taking over – it’s only 10 years ago that we built Nemesis, Britain’s first electric car. In just 10 more years you won’t be able to buy a new car powered by fossil fuels. Electric buses are on the roads, HGVs are coming next – by 2030 there will be passenger flights crisscrossing Europe powered by the wind and sun.That’s what Boeing and Airbus say, not just me.
I’ve lived my life in pursuit of answers and a different way to live. I’ve investigated, innovated and built businesses to bring change and prove the viability of another way to live. Having a business case for this change is essential – it can’t be just about doing the right thing.
The green economy is a logical evolution for humans. But it’s also a huge opportunity. Britain is the birthplace of the industrial revolution – that’s our heritage. The Green Industrial Revolution is our future heritage – we should lead it.
I’m really excited to be working with the Daily Express on this campaign. Over the next few weeks I’ll show you the things we need to be doing in the three big areas of life that need to change, share what I know – and show you how you can play your part. Because you have more say in this than you think.
I’ll also introduce you to some of the people and businesses that are already a part of this movement.
You may think that living a greener life is about being asked to give things up. I’ll show you that it’s not. Whether it’s burgers, cars or football and even diamonds, we just need to do the things we do differently. Yeah, one of the latest innovations is to make diamonds from the carbon dioxide that we have too much of. It’s a radical idea: modern alchemy and an industrial process that cleans the air rather than pollutes. A perfect example of how green living is simply living in a different way.
WE CAN’T do this alone, of course. We need businesses and government to play their parts. Businesses are already adapting and government are setting targets. They need to do more.
They have the big levers to pull on taxes, subsidies and regulations. They set the playing field and right now that favours the old way of doing things.
Later this year Britain hosts COP26, where the world comes together to agree action to tackle the climate crisis. It’s a great opportunity to show leadership. We have some ideas.
Tomorrow we launch the first of those: a campaign calling on the Chancellor to play his part. Zero for Zero is about taking the brakes off the green economy that we need to build.
We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
So I invite you to join me on this journey, come explore this idea of Green Britain and if you like what you see, help us to make it happen.