Mayoral Summit to Discuss Decarbonisation in the British Isles

SSE Energy Solutions supported by Green TV will host a Mayors’ Leadership Group from 7th to 8th June with participants invited from across the UK and Ireland to discuss the actions needed to decarbonise cities and entire regions. 

Following the success of an inaugural summit last November, the two-day event at the Science and Industry Museum in  Manchester will bring together representatives from the private and public sectors for panel discussions and direct engagement on how the UK can tangibly progress towards net-zero by finding local solutions to national challenges.

On day one of the summit, the Mayors Leadership Group which includes Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham and Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin will join others from across the UK and Ireland to discuss how they can collaborate to accelerate net zero across transport, energy and heat in their cities. 

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, who called the first Decarbonisation Summit “One of the best discussions I’ve had at COP 26,” will return to the 2022 event taking place in the very city he represents alongside counterparts from across the UK and Ireland.

The summit will take place at the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester, a venue on its own journey toward full decarbonisation following news last year that it will receive £4.3million funding from the UK Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. 

The museum will host discussions from industry experts on topics including working towards environmental sustainability in cities, maximising new renewable technologies, job sustainability, and much more. The summit itself will be decarbonised by Zellar, which will work with event organisers to prioritise and action sustainability over the two days. 

Nathan Sanders, Managing Director of SSE Energy Solutions, Distributed Energy, says: “We are thrilled to be putting collaboration at the heart of this year’s Decarbonisation Summit by bringing together leading Mayors and local government representatives with industry experts, academics, and technological innovators. We hope to facilitate and fast-track ground-breaking collaboration between the public and private sector on net zero targets through exciting panel sessions sparking real debate and progress. 

“We have national challenges to get to carbon net-zero and we believe local solutions and empowerment are key to resolving them. SSE is creating 1,000 jobs each year to 2025 as we work to deliver £12.5bn worth of vital energy projects and support the UK Government’s new energy strategy. We are also proud to be supporting the region in partnering with the Energy Innovations Agency. The EIA aim to transform Greater Manchester’s energy systems making them cleaner, greener, and more sustainable, lowering carbon emissions and making energy more accessible to communities, businesses, organisations, and industry, whilst tackling the impacts of the transition to net zero and the demand and opportunities for skilled jobs in the UK.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, adds: “Now is the time to reflect on the actions we have taken since COP26, but more importantly to look at the work we still need to do together across the UK to reach our decarbonisation targets.

“This isn’t just about making our city-region greener. It’s about making it fairer – by creating thousands of good jobs in the green economy, building and retrofitting better homes that are cheaper to run, and putting in place a sustainable, integrated transport network for generations to come. Greater Manchester is right at the forefront of this revolution, and I’m looking forward to meeting with other Mayors and industry leaders to discuss how we can keep working together toward our shared goals.”

Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, says: “Since COP26, people across the UK have faced an escalating cost of living crisis, compounded by soaring energy prices and a lack of action of ‘levelling-up.’

“I passionately believe that the action we’re taking now in West Yorkshire on the climate emergency – to help bring down household energy bills through retrofitting, transforming our public transport network and helping equip young people with the skills they need for the green jobs of the future – will begin to truly level up our region.

“This conference will mark the first time leaders and experts have gathered since Glasgow’s crucial UN summit and I’m looking forward to sharing our ideas, innovations and plans for the future.”

The Decarbonisation Summit 2022 is open to anybody with a professional interest in decarbonisation, and this year will take place in-person at the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester, and will also be live streamed across the globe. 

You can register to attend the summit in person by visiting: https://www.decarbonisationsummit.com/registration or attend virtually via https://www.decarbonisationsummit.com/eventbrite-register-to-watch.