Fighting Climate Change Doesn’t Have To Cost The Earth

Date: 18/01/23

This week, the BBC’s first ever Climate Editor, Justin Rowlatt, has released a short film asking: ‘Can the UK Afford Net Zero?’

It is an interesting question, and perhaps not one that the political parties would like to draw attention to. On the one hand of course, we can’t afford not to tackle climate change. Look at the news on any given week, and you will see an extreme weather event somewhere in the world, from flooding in Pakistan to wildfires in Australia and California. Even here in the UK, the effects of climate change can be clearly seen. Rivers are flooding more than ever before, drought has become a regular challenge for farmers, and in some areas, such as Yorkshire, the coastline is eroding at a rate of 10metres per year as sea levels rise.

Yet on the other hand, in the face of a cost of living crisis and rising energy bills right now, it is easy to understand why people are less concerned about the future. When your energy bills are rising every month, seeing a levy on your bill to fund net zero projects, for a target that is decades away, can be hard to take.

Climate change is clear

Few people doubt climate change these days. No less than the U.N. Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, is shown in the BBC film stating: “we are on a fast track to climate disaster”. Here in the UK, politicians of all sides share the vision of Britain achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Polls show that the public is broadly behind the idea too, or at least they are in principle. The same polls show that even those who are convinced by the arguments in favour of net zero, are often not so keen on the costs involved.

A growing resistance

There is a small, but growing, movement that is questioning whether net zero is something the UK can afford to target right now, especially in the current global economy. Some commentators think that we are moving too fast, and at too great a cost, to make net zero worthwhile. The Net Zero Scrutiny Group, backed by as many as 50 MPs and led by Craig MacKinley and Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker, think that the net zero target is too big, too hasty and too expensive. Nigel Farage, never one to hold back his opinions, goes even further, describing it as an ‘expensive delusion’.

Affordable action

However, for the construction industry, working towards net zero does not have to come with significant costs. In fact, with Think Hire, changing to more environmentally friendly power supplies will save you money – and that’s guaranteed. Make Think Hire your renewable energy partner and we guarantee to reduce your onsite operating costs as well as your harmful carbon emissions.

Think Hire have a range of hybrid power hire options to suit a wide range of sites, making the benefits of solar and hybrid power hire available to all. Our experts will help you to tap into the carbon-free energy of the sun, through solar powered lighting and solar generators, with the back-up of traditional power sources, such as diesel generators, to deliver dependable energy around the clock.

Hybrid power hire

Hybrid power hire makes action on climate change affordable. Think Hire may not have the solutions on a national level, but it’s not a cliché to say that every little helps, because it really does. If every site can cut its emissions through hybrid power hire, the effects will soon mount up. Add this to other small changes being made across the industry, such as the introduction of electric vehicles and plant, and that net zero target looks more affordable all the time.

To find out more about hybrid power hire, and how your company can play a part in the fight against climate change and the net zero goal, talk to the Think Hire team today. Together, we can make the fight affordable.

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