Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, has today convened a climate change and energy forum bringing together the public sector, environmental and business groups to share and collaborate on plans for decarbonising our economy and moving towards a net zero carbon future.
The “Together for Our Planet” climate change and energy event, held today at St George’s Hall, Liverpool, has attracted around 200 delegates from across the city region.
The event features sessions on Sustainable Energy, featuring updates on wind and tidal power in the city region, Greener Homes, looking at housing retrofit programmes and modern methods of construction, Greening our Communities, including a look at the Paddington Village local heat network, and an afternoon session on Digital, Diversity and Inclusion, featuring learning from the Voi e-scooter pilot scheme.
Speakers at the event include Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Councillor David Baines, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Climate Emergency and Renewable Energy, Amanda Lyne, Deputy Chair of the Liverpool City Region LEP’s Clean Growth Board, and MD of ULEMCO Ltd – a global hydrogen technology company, and Gideon Ben-Tovim, Chair of the Liverpool City Region Climate Partnership and of Nature Connected.
Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:
“I’ve been very clear that the climate emergency is the existential crisis of our time and that it will require a huge collective effort to successfully tackle it by reducing emissions. Events like today’s, bringing environmental groups, businesses and the public sector together, are an important part of building consensus and collective action.
“In our city region we are already working together to put ourselves at the forefront of the green industrial revolution we need to tackle the climate emergency. With our Mersey Tidal Power project, the huge investment in offshore wind in Liverpool Bay, exciting developments in hydrogen power and carbon capture through the Hynet project, and our pioneering contribution to new ways to build and retrofit homes, we can become the UK’s renewable energy coast.
“Put those assets together with our transformational plans for digital connectivity – a key enabler for all of the green technologies I’ve mentioned here – and we have a compelling vision for the future; a vision I will be sharing with the world at the COP26 conference in Glasgow.”
Councillor David Baines, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Climate Emergency and Renewable Energy, said:
“We know that the joint actions on Climate Change present some of the biggest challenges but also tremendous opportunities for our region.
“As portfolio lead for climate emergency and renewable energy I am working to ensure we create a practical regional plan that involves all the parties that will need to act to make Net Zero a reality in Liverpool City Region.
“Today’s event offers a key insight into the work of partners from different sectors and how it will take a co-ordinated and huge effort from everyone working together to take the thousands of small steps across the city to reduce energy consumption and switch to lower carbon fuel sources.
“Working together I am sure we will rise to the challenge.”
Amanda Lyne, Deputy Chair of the Liverpool City Region LEP’s Clean Growth Board, said:
“Today’s event has been a real showcase for work across the city region, showing the contribution we can all make to tackling the climate emergency.
“From huge schemes such as the Mersey Tidal Power programme and Hynet, through to local projects funded through the Community Environment Fund, we have seen today that, while it will take effort, imagination and determination, we have already made a strong start down the road towards a net zero carbon Liverpool City Region. The only way we will make it to that destination is together.”