Humber bids for place at UN climate conference
OPPORTUNITY: The Humber can lead the world in the drive to net zero. Picture by Tom Arran Commercial Photography
Leading organisations from across the Humber have put forward their case for inclusion at a major international climate change conference, known as COP26.
The event, being held in Glasgow in November, welcomed submissions from organisations across the UK – with bids from the Humber region including the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Marketing Humber, the University of Hull and Living with Water.
Hull is the city outside of London most at risk from rising sea levels, while the Humber region’s industrial cluster has the highest levels of emissions.
The COP26 (UN Climate Change Conference UK 2021) submissions tackle both the obstacles and solutions to climate change and decarbonisation in our area.
The submissions also seek to highlight the huge potential of the region, which is home to the largest windfarms in the world and is regarded as a global leader in renewable technologies.
The Humber LEP has co-ordinated three joint bids with local partners to participate in the COP26 ‘Green Zone’ exhibition, on the themes of: The Humber – Harnessing nature to deliver climate change; The Humber Energy Estuary: A local response to a global challenge; and The Humber – Striving towards living with water.
The LEP has spearheaded ambitions to create a net zero region by 2040, including working on a plan for industrial decarbonisation with CATCH and eight industry partners.
Stephen Parnaby OBE, Chair of the Humber LEP, said: “It’s fantastic to see so many organisations across our region coming together and working towards this shared goal – to see industrial emissions reduced, businesses finding more environmentally friendly ways of working and solutions to climate change issues, residents living in a sustainable way, and tackling the obstacles created by rising sea levels.
“The Humber is the place where the biggest impact can be had and we know that without change in the Humber, the UK as a whole cannot reach its goals for emissions, which is why we hope to be able to bring our whole-place message to COP26.”
The two-week exhibition presence would be complemented by live events led by Marketing Humber and Aura.
Marketing Humber, the region’s place marketing company, led and coordinated the submission to bring The Waterline campaign to COP26.
‘FANTASTIC’: Stephen Parnaby OBE
The campaign was launched in 2019 in partnership with the University of Hull and Yorkshire Water, bringing together a collaboration of businesses, communities, academics and students to build momentum for change and drive the race to net zero.
Highlights of the submission include the threat from flooding and coastal erosion, the Humber’s opportunity to decarbonise as the highest-carbon emitting region in the UK, and its potential as the UK’s Energy Estuary.
Bill Walker, Chair of Marketing Humber, said: “This is a collaboration of the greatest kind, with everyone connected through a shared goal.
“There is no question, reaching net zero for the Humber is a must for our communities and for the UK. And there is also no hesitation, decarbonising the Humber is a challenge we are already rising to.
“The Waterline campaign is bringing businesses, academia and communities together to play their part, change behaviours, create choices, and build a net zero future for all.”
Aura, led by the University of Hull, has submitted a proposal to showcase the first Festival of Green Innovation programme through the new virtual, immersive events platform, ‘Aura ConneX’.
The Festival of Green Innovation film seeks to celebrate and inspire SMEs in particular to innovate in the low-carbon space as they seek to adapt and build resilience for themselves.
Louise Smith, Aura Director, said: “The UN’s COP26 Conference in November is all about accelerating action for climate change.
“We know that small and medium size companies, which account for 99.9% of all UK businesses, are key to decarbonising our economy. They have a big role to play in building back better and greener and ensuring that the UK continues to lead the world in tackling climate change.”
The Living with Water partnership aims to bring together community engagement, engineering innovation, stakeholder engagement and policy change to deliver a holistic solution over the next 25 years to tackle surface water management in the area.
Lee Pitcher, Head of Partnerships at Yorkshire Water, said: “The focus on climate change mitigation and social value is an important element of this project and we’re looking forward to delivering benefits, through Living with Water, for communities that have been impacted by flooding in the recent past.”