Big Big Battery Plan

 Reposted from Edie:

Europe's largest battery storage system planned for Teesside

14 December 2021, source edie newsroom

Sembcorp Energy UK has today (14 December) unveiled plans to create a 360MW battery storage facility on Teesside, which would be largest system of its kind in Europe.

Pictured: The existing 70MW battery system. Image: Sembcorp Energy

The developer already hosts a 70MW battery in the UK and has secured permission for a further 50MW, which is due to come online in 2022.

Seperately, it has now announced plans to host 360MW of capacity at the Wilton International Industrial site. 

This capacity is more than three times greater than that of the UK’s largest batter array at present – a 100MW system operated by Shell and based in Wiltshire. A second 100MW system is in the pipeline for Capenhurst, near Chester, under plans from Zenobe.

Wilton International is a 2,000-acre site that plays host to industrial facilities including chemical manufacturing, biofuel production and plastics recycling. Sembcorp Energy UK has stated that it already owns enough land at the site to develop the batteries, and the required infrastructure to enable “swift installation” of the new batteries in phases.

Sembcorp Energy UK will need to apply for planning permission for the additional expansion and has not yet announced a likely timescale for completing the project’s phases. In summer 2020, the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) moved to ease planning restrictions for utility-scale batteries, permitting cells over 50MW in England and arrays over 350MW in Wales. The decision was taken to help stimulate investment amid Covid-19, recognising the battery sector’s role in the net-zero transition and the capacity for shovel-ready job creation.

According to Sembcorp Energy UK, the planned expansion will create 70 new jobs for the region.

On the environmental piece, the point of the battery is to offer balancing and flexibility services to the grid, which will see demand patterns changing as sectors such as transport become increasingly electrified. The units can supply power in “milliseconds”, to the grid, Sembcorp Energy UK said in a statement. The units will also help to maximise the business case for the clean energy generation capacity planned for installation at Wilton International.

“Now, more than ever, flexible energy sources play an increasingly important role in maintaining secure and reliable energy supplies. With a growing reliance on renewables, the UK energy system needs to be flexible and able to respond quickly to changes,” said Sembcorp Industries’ chief executive for the UK and Middle East Andy Koss.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Hands added: “As we shift to a greener electricity grid on our path to net-zero, flexible energy storage will be key to ensuring we get the full benefit from our world-class renewables.

“This project will help put Teesside at the heart of the energy transition, bringing green growth to the region, while helping us deliver on our ambitious climate change commitments.”

According to RenewableUK’s latest Energy Storage Project Intelligence research, the UK had more than 16GW of battery storage capacity planned across more than 700 projects as of February.

Wilton International

The news on the battery expansion forms part of Sembcorp Energy UK's wider plans to decarbonise Wilton International in line with the UK’s long-term net-zero target.

In July, the company announced its intention to use carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to “net” the emissions from the 300MW Whitetail gas power station. It has signed agreements with cleantech firm 8 Rivers Capital to help deliver the technologies, which enable gas to be combusted using oxygen rather than air, then using CO2 in working fluid form to drive the turbine instead of steam. The CO2 fluid attracts the new emissions and captures them. The CO2e captured will then be sequestered in rock formations under the North Sea.

The UK Government has, since then, confirmed plans for all unabated gas-fired electricity generation to come offline by 2035. 

Elsewhere, Sembcorp Energy UK is looking to purchase hydrogen to help decarbonise industrial heating processes at Wilton International. The company has stated its potential intent to purchase blue hydrogen from BP, which is planning a facility with up to 1GW of capacity by 2030 at Teesside.

The UK Government is notably targeting 5GW of “low-carbon” hydrogen production by 2030 under the Hydrogen Strategy – a feat it estimates will attract £4bn on private sector investment.  It sees both blue hydrogen – which is made using natural gas with co-located CCS – and green hydrogen playing a role. This is despite the fact that some studies have found that blue hydrogen could generate 20% more emissions over its life-cycle than burning the natural gas in the first instance.

Sarah George

Two new EV charging "forecourts" announced

 Something of a case of "Slowly, Slowly, Catchee Money" (to misquote). It's a step in the right direction but plenty more of such infrastructure is required. It will be interesting to follow the closure of petrol and diesel serving outlets in the future (if I live that long!).

The UK must not walk away after COP26

 A quick summary of the CCC's view here. A repost from Edie.

Climate Change Committee: UK Government needs to 'raise ambitions' on reaching net-zero

2 December 2021, source edie newsroom

The UK's climate watchdog has called on the UK Government to deliver a "genuine increase in ambition" to reach the measures detailed in the new Glasgow Climate Pact at COP26, including the submission of new emissions targets, rewriting the tax system to phase-out fossil fuels and strengthening international collaboration between countries.

Following COP26, the CCC has called on the UK Government to strengthen domestic and international approaches to reaching net-zero

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has released a statement this morning (2 December) offering its thoughts on how the UK can implement measures listed under the Glasgow Climate Pact to strengthen its approach to reaching a legally binding net-zero emissions target set for 2050.

Under the Glasgow Climate Pact, nations are encouraged to formulate and publish updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement for 2030, by the time COP27 begins in Egypt next year.

These nations should strive to align their climate targets and plans with a 1.5C temperature pathway, the text says. Some nations had been pushing for this to be a requirement, others for its omission entirely. In the end, the document states that the UN will “take into account different national circumstances”. Nations including China, South Africa and Indonesia have stated they will likely need more time.

In a first for any COP, the final text mentions fossil fuels, stating that “unabated” coal power should be phased down as a priority and that “inefficient subsidies” for all fossil fuels should be removed. The final draft had included "phase out" as the official language, but this was changed to phase down after objections from India.

Following COP26, the CCC has called on the UK Government to strengthen domestic and international approaches to reaching net-zero and aligning the global economy with the 1.5C target of the Paris Agreement.

CCC chairman, Lord Deben, said: “The UK must not walk away after COP26. Glasgow was a step forward in global efforts to address climate change, including a genuine increase in ambition to reduce emissions worldwide. We also saw important technical advances, with new rules agreed for reporting emissions and on international carbon trading, and multiple initiatives and sector deals. This is real and welcome progress, but success depends on what happens now.

“The next year is critical for climate action in the UK and internationally. At home, we need to walk the talk and urgently deliver actions in the Net Zero Strategy. Globally, the UK must continue to encourage stronger action on climate and insist on rapid emissions reductions and stronger adaptation through all diplomatic channels. The ultimate success of the Glasgow Climate Pact will be measured by climate risks averted, not words on a page.”

Renewed action

With COP26 still putting the world on course for temperature increases of between 2.1C and 2.7C, the CCC believes the UK should use its COP Presidency position and team to deliver a crucial 12 months of climate action that sets the world up to deliver emissions reductions in line with scientific requirements through to the 2030s.

To build on this, the CCC has made a series of new recommendations to the Government. The watchdog notes that the UK will have to publish a strengthened Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) prior to COP27. It calls on the Government to include stronger plans on climate adaptation through quantitative targets and potentially making the new targets legally binding. This, the CCC suggests, should also clarify approaches to offsets and carbon removal technologies.

The CCC notes that the UK already has one of the most ambitious 2030 targets for reducing emissions in the world and one that is consistent with the Paris Agreement. However, the CCC notes that steps have not been put in place to meet it.

Despite the publication of the Net-Zero Strategy, the Government has refused to share any detail on actual emission reduction requirements for sectors to reach net-zero. The CCC has called on the Government to strengthen the delivery of the net-zero strategy, including “robust” plans to reduce agricultural emissions.

With the Glasgow Climate Pact calling for the “phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”, the CCC has called for the Treasury to review the role of the tax system in reaching net-zero and delivering a more consistent and reflective carbon price. Importantly the CCC believes that no fossil fuel subsidy should be classified as “efficient”.

Prior to COP26, the Treasury warned that policies must be put in place to address a £37bn deficit that could arise from a loss of tax revenue as the shift away from fossil fuel continues.

International efforts

On international action, the CCC suggests that the UK applies stronger product standards to imported goods, while also reviewing carbon border adjustment mechanisms and trade levers.

With the UK holding the COP Presidency for the next year, until COP27 in Egypt, the CCC also calls for the Government to continue to prioritise high-level leadership through the Presidency team.

Specifically, the CCC notes the importance of the UK steering progress on the delivery of doubling funding for climate adaptation through transparent reporting. Additionally, the UK will need to support the establishment of dialogue on loss and damage.

The CCC also claims that the UK could revisit its climate finance contributions by restoring a commitment to spend 0.7% of GDP on climate aid as soon as possible.

The CCC will publish a comprehensive assessment of UK progress in summer 2022.

Matt Mace

Renewables Capacity Growing - But Not By Enough

 This report from Edie quoting forecasts from the IEA could be read as good news. The bad news is that the rate of growth in renewables is nowhere near fast enough to track to net-zero by 2050. More and more a global economy based on growth, growth and yet more growth looks unsustainable. It's an unpalatable message for governments to give - so they don't - which means there are some nasty shocks lurking down the line.

Auditors: "Business As Usual"

 This is a repost from Edie. It outlines a very sad state of affairs and just goes to show how much greenwash there is sloshing about.

Shareholders ignoring auditor approaches to climate risk, report warns

30 November 2021, source edie newsroom

Shareholders at listed UK companies are failing to hold auditors to account on an inability to manage and address climate-related risks, a new report from Greenpeace has warned.

Greenpeace is calling for the UK Government to introduce “specific duties” for companies and auditors to ensure that “climate risk is reflected in financial statements”

A new report from Greenpeace found that between January and August this year, shareholders voted by 90% or more to reappoint the auditors at all but 3 of 349 large listed companies. Greenpeace notes that these firms were either listed on the UK FTSE100 or FTSE250, or were one of 78 of major global emitters whose audit reports were identified by Carbon Tracker and the Carbon Accounting Project as failing to meet ‘good practice’.

Indeed, ClientEarth found that only 4% of the audit reports of the 250 largest listed UK companies included clear explanations of whether auditors were considering climate change in their decision-making factors.

Greenpeace UK’s senior programme adviser Charlie Kronick said: “Polluting companies and their auditors are failing to integrate climate change and the 1.5C  target of the Paris Agreement into their business plans and financial statements - for example over-valuing fossil fuels, rather than recognising they need to be phased out.

“This leads to bad investment decisions that not only harm company profits, but also wreck the climate. Our findings show that investors aren’t going to force auditors to improve any time soon. We’re calling for the government to step in by creating a duty for companies and auditors to ensure climate risk is reflected in financial statements.”

Greenpeace is calling for the UK Government to introduce “specific duties” for companies and auditors to ensure that “climate risk is reflected in financial statements”.

Indeed, the Government is introducing a mandate on corporate non-financial disclosure, in alignment with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). However, it seems that policy is relying on investors to hold these companies to account.

The Greenpeace report notes that shareholders in the UK have the power to vote against auditors, but that they tend not to.

The findings come as investors increasingly call on the government to introduce a mandate for companies and auditors to align accounts with the pathways of the Paris Agreement.

Insufficient audits

Earlier this year, a survey of more than 700 chief audit executives found that just over one in ten (12%) believe their organisation is making sufficient efforts to measure, reduce and adapt to climate risks.

The survey was conducted by the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (Chartered IIA). Climate change and other environment-related risks have been steadily climbing the list of risk priorities in recent years, the report revealed. It was ranked in the top five risks by just 14% of professionals in the 2020 edition of the report, published in 2019. That proportion rose to 22% last year and 31% this year. No other risk area saw year-on-year increases in prioritisation this steep.

Nonetheless, that leaves 69% of audit chiefs not viewing climate risk as a top-five risk. The Chartered IIA’s definition covers physical risk, such as flooding; transition risk, such as stranded assets or increased costs from altered legislation, and potential reputational risk.

Moreover, just 12% of the survey respondents agreed that they, their teams and their organisations are prioritising spending significant time and effort preparing for the climate crisis. As well as professionals working in the private sector, those working in NGOs and the public sector were also polled.

Matt Mace

The Rise of the Gigafactory. An Investment Opportunity Already Gone Begging?

 Edie reports that to achieve the UK's EV ambitions there will need to be some 50M sq ft of Gigafactories. The investment required is substantial but with the push of legislation could this be a good place for some of my spare cash? Ethical investing is becoming a hot topic and this could just be a decent niche to tap into.

Wind Powered Mobile Masts - Interesting Idea

 Vodafone are to trial mobile 'phone masts with inbuild wind generators. It's an interesting idea. Coupling these generators with battery storage should help to solve the problem of remote mobile coverage where grid connection is not possible at economic rates. 

Oil and Gas Majors are a Bad as Electricity Utilities

 Following on from yesterday's report from Edie on how electricity utilities and car manufacturers are way behind the curve to achieve just 1.5C warming now comes another analysis to show the, sadly unsurprising, conclusion that oil and gas majors are similar laggards. I've reposted this report, too.

Eight in ten oil and gas majors on track to breach Paris Agreement, despite increase in net-zero pledges

24 November 2021, source edie newsroom

An analysis of the emissions and climate plans of 58 oil and gas giants has found that most are failing to decarbonise in line with climate science, with Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil and Chevron among the worst offenders.

In terms of market capitalisation, ExxonMobil was one of the top three offenders named in the report

Published today (24 November), the analysis from the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) is the first to confirm that multiple oil and gas firms are now operating in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C pathway, namely Eni, TotalEnergies and Occidental. Additionally, Imperial Oil and Tatneft were deemed to be aligned with the Paris Agreements’ 2C pathway.

This means that, ultimately, 48 of the 53 companies are set to generate emissions higher than their carbon budget in a Paris-aligned world. This cohort includes some notable firms which claim their net-zero frameworks are robust, including BP and Royal Dutch Shell.

A particular weakness was found to be the disclosure of Scope 3 (indirect) emissions and credible targets for reducing them. For oil and gas majors, customers using sold products will typically account for vastly more emissions than their direct operations.

The TPI assessed companies’ current levels of emissions as well as the strength of their emissions reduction plans through to 2030 and 2050 – and the likelihood of them achieving them under current company governance and investment approaches. The 1.5C net-zero pathway used by the analysts is that detailed by the International Energy Agency (IEA).  

More than 110 investors with more than $39trn in assets under management collectively have pledged to support the TPI, so the findings could push those investing in the energy sector to increase engagement with many of the named firms. 

“Concerningly, for investors there remains a significant distance between net-zero rhetoric and net-zero reality in the case of most fossil fuel majors,” said the TPI’s chairperson Adam Matthews.

Mining and utilities

The TPI also looked at the decarbonisation progress and pledges of 76 electric utilities and six diversified mining firms with coal mining operations. Across this whole cohort of 140 businesses, most (66%) were not aligned with either of the Paris Agreement’s pathways.

The only companies aligned with 1.5C, other than the three oil and gas majors mentioned above, are E.ON, RWE, Orsted, Public Service Enterprise Group, EDP, Eversource Energy, Con Edison, CMS Energy, AES, Meridian Energy and Enbw Energie. The TPI has said that, while electric utilities deserve credit for setting credible net-zero targets, progress remains too slow overall.

“While the pace of transition efforts in energy supply sectors has increased, it has not yet reached the level which is necessary to prevent the worst consequences of climate change,” said co-author Nikolaus Hastreiter.

“One-third of the assessed electricity utilities have published encouraging net-zero targets, even though particular attention must be paid to their timelines. To keep global warming to 1.5C, the sector must reach net-zero already by 2040 on a global level. The sector plays a crucial role as a first mover in the zero-carbon transition, given that the decarbonisation plans of other sectors anticipate the use of carbon-neutral electricity in the future." 

Earlier this week, a separate analysis of 50 large electric utility firms found that almost all (98%) companies were operating in a manner inconsistent with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C temperature pathway. That analysis was conducted by the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), CDP and ADEME.

Sarah George

Another Depressing Report on the Road to 1.5C

 This is a repost from Edie and makes for depressing reading. Electric utilities and car manufacturers form two of the industrial sectors most in the limelight in terms of CO2 emissions. If they are failing to operate in ways consistent with the 1.5C target what hope is there for the rest of industry? A "hockey stick" of concerted activity is required!

Almost all electric utilities and carmakers failing to decarbonise in line with 1.5C, says damning report

24 November 2021, source edie newsroom

Just 7% of large carmakers and 2% of large electric utility firms are decarbonising at the pace required to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis, according to a major new analysis of 80 corporates out today (24 November).

35 of the 50 electric utilities assessed will likely see emissions increasing in the short-term

The study, conducted by the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), CDP and ADEME, assessed the climate commitments of 50 large electricity firms and 30 major automotive firms, as well as their progress on decarbonising operations and products and services to date.

In the electric utilities space, almost all (98%) companies were operating in a manner inconsistent with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C temperature pathway. Only Orsted was found to be on track for keeping within its 1.5C carbon budget through to 2035.

Globally, the sector is on track to produce 57% more carbon within the next 15 years than it would need to to keep 1.5C alive. Firms in Asia and the US were generally weaker on decarbonisation than those in Europe. The report warns that things will likely get worse before they get better, with 35 of the 50 firms forecast to increase fossil fuel use and emissions.

In the automotive sector, only two of the 30 companies – Tesla and Renault – are operating in line with 1.5C and have credible plans to stay within their carbon budget through to 2035.

The report also raises concerns over slow progress on low-carbon vehicle manufacturing. In 2020, just 7% of the vehicles sold across the 30 companies assessed were low-carbon. While this is a notable increase from 2% in 2015, the proportion will need to reach 64% by 2030 in a 1.5C pathway, the report states,

Particular laggards include Honda, Mahindra & Mahindra, Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki, Ford and Toyota, which all saw low-carbon vehicles accounting for less than 1% of sales in 2020. The report additionally calls on VM, GM, Stellantis and SAIC Motor to accelerate progress, as they are the largest firms included in the report.

The report’s authors have described the findings as “red flags” that “could undermine the legacy” of COP26.

Just transition planning

Using the WBA’s research, the reports also assess the extent to which the 80 businesses are planning for a “just” low-carbon transition, in which worker and community rights and wellbeing are safeguarded and improved.

Automakers, in general, fared worse than the electric utilities. The average score for a carmaker in the WBA’s just transition assessment, out of a possible 16, was just 2.9.

The report concludes that the electric utilities sector has improved ambitions and actions and is now performing “well” overall. European firms were the best performers, with names including Orsted, SSE, E.ON, Vattenfall and EDF energy at the top of the benchmark.

SSE has notably already published a just transition plan to net-zero, ahead of the implementation of a UK Government mandate for large, high-emitting corporates to make this move. This will come into effect in 2023, it was confirmed at COP26.

The organisations behind today’s report are now calling on other nations to follow suit – and for other parts of the value chain to put pressure on high-emitting sectors.

“While policymakers are wondering if, when and how to address the question of companies’ transition plans alignment with 1.5C, these updated benchmarks prove once again that the world can’t only rely on private sector’s commitments to reach planetary carbon neutrality,” said ADEME’s coordinator for the ACT Initiative, Romain Poivet.

WBA’s decarbonisation and energy transformation lead Vicky Sins added: "With companies in these sectors lagging behind on both transition planning and in reducing net emissions, we need investors, governments, civil society and other actors to engage with these keystone businesses and hold them accountable for the gaps between ambition & performance right now, and not in the future.”

Sarah George

Charging Points - A Good Move - But Is This Levelling Up?

 Boris Johnson has confirmed that from 2022 it will be mandatory for new homes to have EV charging points. This is an important small step but let's be clear - these will be private points accessible only to the home owner (or owners where a site is multi-occupancy). Much more important is access generally to rapid charging infrastructure. We are still "watching this space".

More Flying Hypocracy

 What is the matter with this government? First we had the ridiculous cutting back on air passenger duty on domestic flights and now we have subsidies announced for a couple of those routes. And I have to take a very large pinch of salt to get anywhere near believing the statement that this is temporary while other forms of connectivity are improved. Joined-up thinking this is not.

"If you aren't serious about public transport then you aren't serious about net-zero"

 My headline is a quote from Colm Britchfield and says it all about HM Treasury in particular and the UK Government in general. The Rail Plan is yet another missed opportunity. The trouble is that planning in Government seems to mirror Boris Johnsons' style - all spur of the moment, glib sound-bites. Any rounded, whole-picture strategising just doesn't happen. This is a repost from Edie:

Integrated Rail Plan: £96bn rail extension and electrification scheme draws lukewarm reaction from UK's green economy

18 November 2021, source edie newsroom

The UK Government has published its highly anticipated £96bn Integrated Rail Plan, stating that it will assist in delivering levelling up and net-zero agendas - but the reaction has been lukewarm at best.

Image: HS2

The Plan was published by the Department for Transport (DfT) this afternoon (18 November) and is the first comprehensive update of this scale to Government’s rail approach in more than a decade.

Without a change in approach, the DfT has admitted, it would have taken until the 2040s and up to £185bn to deliver promised improvements to high-speed tail. The Plan had originally been promised around 12 months ago.

Outlined today are plans for three new high-speed lines across and between the North of England and the Midlands, as well as a string of electrification projects which – once completed – will mean that 75% of England’s main lines will be electric.

On high-speed rail, the Plan scraps proposals to extend HS2’s eastern leg to Leeds, prioritising investment in the eastern leg between Birmingham and Sheffield and in the western leg between Birmingham and Manchester. Understandably, many in Leeds have voiced disappointment at this decision.

The Plan also provides an update on the Northern Powerhouse Rail project, claiming its approach will cut journey times between Leeds and Manchester from 55 minutes to 33. However, some have pointed out that the detailed upgrades to the existing TransPennine line were already promised under previous Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.

The DfT has its this approach will result in quicker journey times for many and that it will enable a doubling or trebling of journey capacity on key routes.

It has also stated that “under earlier plans, smaller towns on existing main lines such as Doncaster, Grantham, Huddersfield, Wakefield, and Leicester would have seen little improvement, and in some cases, even their services cut back”. The Plans are slated as an improvement in this respect.

There are, additionally, plans to integrate the new high-speed rail projects with existing transport systems in the towns and cities served and to improve intra-city transport for these locations.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority will receive £200m to begin the delivery of a new urban transit system. The DfT has stated that it is “righting the wrong that Leeds is the largest city in Western Europe without one”.  Options have also been proposed for completing the Midlands Rail Hub, which will increase local rail services across the region.

It’s electrifying

On electrification, the Plan outlines a commitment to electrify more than 180 miles of route, including the TransPennine Main Line between Manchester, Leeds and York, and the Midland Main Line from London to Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield.

These steps build on a commitment to remove all diesel-only trains from the English rail network by 2040, as outlined in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan. Transport is notably the UK’s most-emitting sector, so needs to be a key focus area in the transition to net-zero by 2050.

The DfT has stated that all projects detailed under the Plan will meet the Government’s existing requirements for calculating and reducing emissions. They will also need to meet a requirement for all major public infrastructure projects to have a net-positive nature update. Papers on that requirement specifically mention HS2. Going beyond an existing commitment to no net loss in biodiversity on HS2 – a commitment many green groups believe the developers are set to break – there will be a requirement for the project to deliver a net gain. But, recognising that ancient woodland cannot be replaced, the Government has chosen to exclude it from calculations on no net loss and on net gain. 

Green economy reaction

As well as decarbonising rail lines, it is clear that the UK will need to increase public transport uptake and improve the efficiency and accessibility of systems to meet its net-zero target.

But the Plan has been widely criticised, by those campaigning for levelling up and those working on the net-zero transition alike.

Sky is reporting that communities and universities across the North East and Midlands, as well as MPs representing local regions, feel “misled”, as today’s plan does not deliver all that has been promised for years.

The director-general of train operator trade body Rail Delivery Group Andy Bagnall said that  "leaving out key pieces of the jigsaw will inevitably hold back the ability for the railways to power the levelling up agenda and the drive to net-zero” in a “fair, clean recovery” from Covid-19.

Green Party MP for Brighton Pavillion Caroline Lucas argued that the Government is not taking a joined-up approach to decarbonising transport. She Tweeted: “We need a decarbonised, affordable and fully integrated transport network across the whole country.

“Pledges on rail are broken while the Government makes domestic flights cheaper and plans a £27bn spend on roads.”

E3G's researcher for place-based transitions Colm Britchfield Tweeted: "Scrapping half of HS2 and cutting TfL to the bone (get ready for reduced tube/bus, no new cycle infrastructure and no new air pollution measures) is utterly negligent from HM Treasury. If you aren't serious about public transport then you aren't serious about net-zero, simple as that." 

Green Alliance's executive director Shaun Spiers Tweeted: "I got a lot of flak when I was at CPRE for supporting high-speed rail. For me, it was always about increasing capacity, 'redrawing the economic geography of the country' and [a case of] sustainable rail versus polluting roads and aviation. 

"But what we have now looks like the worst of all worlds: a truncated HS2, significantly reducing its benefits; a £27bn roads programme; and a Government keen to boost domestic flights and airport expansion. This makes no sense economically or socially, let alone for the environment."

Sarah George