The Greater Manchester Combined Authority held its sixth Green Summit in Salford today – bringing together politicians, industry leaders, environmental groups, and members of the public.
Held at the Lowry Theatre, it was the most highly attended summit to date.
Here are the key takeaways.
1. Burnham brands Tory climate u-turns “dangerous, defeatist, and divisive”
Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, launched a scathing attack on Rishi Sunak’s environmental backtracking.
Last month, the Prime Minister announced the scrapping of several key green targets – including the ban on the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.
The Labour mayor said he remained committed to Greater Manchester’s own net zero targets.
“I want to make something really plain. We’re not changing course on net zero. … or making it the front line of the culture wars.”
Burnham branded the government’s U-turn on climate policies “dangerous, defeatist, and divisive”.
Of course, with the Tory Party Conference taking place just down the road, the stark comparison was there from the outset.
“To make what should be the long-term direction of the country that gets everyone behind it – to throw it out as a culture war – is so depressing. It’s such a wrong turn at this particular moment in time.”
“We don’t want culture wars in Greater Manchester. … We stick the course. A green future is a better future”, Burnham said.
2. Anger at the government’s environmental policy changes was shared by industry and the public
Representatives from major industry present at the Summit expressed frustration at the Tory government’s announced environmental U-turns.
Officials from Autotrader, British Gas, Daikin, Electricity North West, SSE Energy Solutions, and United Utilities were asked to sum up the government’s approach in 3 words. The responses were pretty damning.
Speaking to people who attended the summit – some working in industry and others attending as interested citizens – the Tories were seen to have become a laughing stock.
One child, who opened the summit by reading a poem she had written, said: “How can you do this? How can you live like this? How can you not take responsibility?”
This very much captures the mood of the summit.
Even Sir Alok Sharma, the Conservative MP who presided over COP22, made clear his feelings on the government policy changes.
He said: “I think it’s important you have long term certainty.
“When you make decisions, when you decide how to invest your money, please think about the voices of young people.”
3. But the summit wasn’t all about the Tories. Instead, there was an emphasis on positive action being taken in Greater Manchester to move towards net zero.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority has set a target to become carbon neutral by 2038.
Andy Burnham admits that this is an ambitious target and the region is behind where it needs to be.
But, he insists that it is still possible to reach that target.
“It just about can be done. 2038 is still alive”, the Mayor said.
In 2019, the authority launched the region’s first five-year plan to work towards this climate target. In addition, there are 10 local area energy plans in place, which launched last year.
Louise Matrix Evans, the Five-Year Environmental Plan Forum Vice-Chair, said the 2024 plan would be “ambitious yet deliverable and putting people and fairness at the heart of it”. So what have the effects of Greater Manchester’s green strategy been so far?
In addition, Burnham announced plans to build 30,000 truly affordable net zero homes for rent by 2038.
Repeated by both politicians and industry leaders was the importance of investing in people to help tackle the climate emergency.
Burnham said: “Climate justice and social justice are absolutely the same thing.”
The Mayor stressed his commitment to working with people to help make net zero a reality and something which works for everyone.
Burnham’s plans for a Manchester Baccalaureate, which has sparked a bitter feud with the Department for Education, are intended to improve technical education as an alternative to university.
And this can also help the region rise to the challenge of net zero.
The MBacc offers “a clear path into the green economy”, he said.
There was clearly an awareness of Rishi Sunak’s attempts to rebrand himself as a “man of the people” – trying to present environmental U-turns as in the economic interests of the ordinary person.
But, the Mayor countered this by emphasising positive action being taken in Manchester to prove that net zero is in the best interests of everyone.
“If it’s about charges and bans, we will lose the public”, he said.
