Net Zero: What does it even mean?Webinar presentation by Josh Bullard

May 2020

YOUR PRESENTER

JOSH BULLARD

Director – Smart Energy and Sustainability

CONTACT

07880 540684

joshbullard@hydrock.com

H Y D R O C K I S A M U LT I - D I S C I P L I N A R Y E N G I N E E R I N G D E S I G N C O N S U LTA N C Y.

We have over 450 staff operating from 17 UK offices including Manchester, London, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow and Leeds.

TRANSPORTATIONSERVICES STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING GEOTECHNICS

INFRASTRUCTURE& CIVILS LAND QUALITY

NUCLEAR MANAGEMENTCONSULTANCY

ENVIRONMENTAL FLOOD RISK

PROGRAMME DELIVERY

SMART ENERGY &

SUSTAINABILITYENERGY STORAGE

MASTERPLANNING UTILITIES

LIFECYCLE LCA / LCC

CLIMATECHANGE

BPE (M&E) FIRE ACOUSTICS &AIR QUALITY

RENEWABLES LZC

DECARB-ONISATION

OUR ENERGY WEBINARS• Net zero - what does it even mean?• The route map to net zero -21 May• Funding net zero: the opportunities

- 27 May• The global climate emergency vs.

the local planning system - 02 June

CONTENTS• How did we get here? – Context and

challenge• How are we doing? – Progress to date• How do we measure carbon? – Scope

emissions• What is net zero? - Definitions• Green revolution? – Next steps

H O W D I D W E G E T H E R E ?

Context and work to date

CONTEXTUN Framework Convention on Climate Change

Kyoto Protocol -Agreement on emissions targets

The Climate Change Act – UK 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050

Paris Agreement –limit global temperature rise to below 2°C

UK 100% reduction in CO2 emission by 2050 (Net Zero)

1992 1997 2008 2016 2019 2020

COP26 (postponed)

N ET ZERO GREEN HO USE GAS EMI SSIONS:

UK

Scotland

Wales

2050

2045

95% BY 2050

SCALE OF THE CHALLENGE

2050 (True Net Zero)

H O W A R E W E D O I N G ?

Progress to date

PROGRESS TO DATE

SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY

LOCAL AUTHORITIES• 274 (67%) have now declared a Climate

Emergency• Majority have chosen more ambitious

target of 2030 • Make a commitment for the Council’s

operations and activities to be carbon neutral by 2030

• Seek to identify and offset remainder of authority… ‘where viable’

• Some like Bristol and GMCA have substantive and well formed strategies now being deployed

• Most do not have a “real” plan yet…

H O W D O W E M E A S U R E C A R B O N ?

Scope emissions and carbon inventory

SCOPE EMISSIONS

• National: Standard industrial classification of economic activities (SIC)

• Corporate accounting: Greenhouse gas protocol (Scope 1-3)

LAST RESORTS (OFFSETTING & CARBON SINKS)

W H AT I S N E T Z E R O ?

Corporate accounting

CORPORATE ACCOUNTING• No common agreed definition of net

zero for corporate accounting• SECR regulations (Scope 1 and 2)• Science Based Targets Initiative • Working definition (Net Zero):

“Achieving a state in which the activities within the value chain of a company result in no net impact on the climate from greenhouse gas emissions. This is achieved by reducing value chain greenhouse gas emissions, in line with 1.5°C pathways, and by balancing the impact of any remaining greenhouse gas emissions with an appropriate amount of carbon removals”

(CDP SBTI, 2019)

CORPORATE ACCOUNTING‘CARBON NEUTRAL’

• PAS 2060 –Requires carbon reduction plan but no specific level of ambition. Allows offsetting.

‘NET ZERO’• Requires reduction aligned to 1.5degC

science based target. Only allows certain forms of offsetting in certain instances.

Work still to do:

• Develop a prescriptive approach • Physical boundaries

• Accounting boundaries

“A net zero company will set and pursue an ambitious 1.5°C aligned science-based target for its full value-chain emissions. Any remaining hard-to-decarbonise emissions can be compensated using certified greenhouse gas removal.”

(CARBON TRUST, 2019)

W H AT I S N E T Z E R O ?

Building design

NET ZERO BUILDINGS

• Buildings account for 40% of GHG emissions

• 100% of buildings must be net zero by 2050

• 80% of the existing stock will still be in place by 2050

NET ZERO FRAMEWORK

1. Construction2. Operational energy3. Whole life (definition

underway)

Approved Document Part L

BS EN 15804

G R E E N R E V O L U T I O N ?

Next steps and UK as a leader

UK AS A LEADER• All party consensus for Net Zero• 2050 is a binding legal target• Don’t get left behind / the new normal • 1-2% of GDP investment to meet goals

“Like COVID-19, climate change does not respect borders”

LORD DEBEN, CHAIR, CCC

• Resource and energy efficiency• Extensive electrification (transport and heat)

• Uplift in capacity for renewable generation (3x)• Energy storage to underpin embedded generation (6x)• EV and high speed electrified rail

• Key technologies to mitigate harder sectors: carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and nuclear (small modular reactors)?

• Changes in the way we farm • Sequestration and biomass production• Emphasis on healthier diets• Tree planting, energy crops and peatland restoration.

• Our next seminar looks at key policy to help drive this.

WHAT DOES NET ZERO UK LOOK LIKE?

Q & A T I M E

Please use the question box to type your questions, starting with your name and who you work for.

L O C A T I O N S

BRISTOL BIRMINGHAM

CARDIFF CAMBORNE

GLASGOW GLOUCESTER

LONDON MANCHESTER

NORTHAMPTON PLYMOUTH

SOUTHAMPTON STOKE-ON-TRENT

TAUNTONWETHERBY