IMechE’s response to the Net Zero Review

  Posted by: electime      16th January 2023

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers were delighted to feed into the Net Zero Review by hosting a roundtable with Chris Skidmore MP and a selection of our expert members.

Matt Rooney, Head of Engineering Policy at the Institution, responds: “The task to achieve Net Zero is the most ambitious engineering challenge ever untaken. But, as the Net Zero Review highlights, the benefits outweigh the costs.

There is a significant economic opportunity for the UK to lead on developing technologies that are necessary for decarbonisation, including offshore wind and advanced nuclear.

Important technologies for meeting Net Zero, notably carbon capture and storage, will be geographically dispersed around the country and so will assist with the Government’s ‘levelling-up’ agenda.

There are potential obstacles to achieving the rapid decarbonisation required, one of which being a lack of technical skills. Engineers and technicians will be vital to reaching Net Zero and we already know that there is shortfall in the pipeline of skills required. It is important that the Government recognise this and put forward the necessary resources to correct it.”

Climate change and sustainability are key priorities for the IMechE’s policy work and will form a core part of our policy work in the coming months and years, including an upcoming report on how industry will need to adapt to rising temperatures driven by global warming.

Chris Skidmore’s Net Zero Review referenced our recent report, Engineering a Net Zero Energy System, which you can read here.