| TOM
DELAY, Chief Executive, The Carbon Trust |
|
In the last 12 months, creating a low-carbon economy in the UK has become an
important priority for government, business and investors alike. As the effects
of climate change become more apparent, cutting carbon emissions – the key cause
of climate change – has to become a core focus for all types of business. However,
cutting carbon does not have to stifle economic development. Tackling climate
change will not necessarily require businesses to rein in their operations and
lose market share or competitive advantage. Instead, the low-carbon economy offers
significant opportunities – in fact, one recent study estimates that so called
‘green business’ could inject a £530bn boost to the global economy. This is an
exciting opportunity that businesses cannot afford to ignore... |
|
| A
Changing Climate for Air Quality |
| ED
DEARNLEY, Policy Officer at the National Society for Clean Air and Environmental
Protection (NSCA). |
The
NSCA does not owe its 110-year history to bets and speculation, however we would
place a hefty wager that we are not the only ones talking about climate change
in this year’s EIC Guide. Climate change is now the biggest game in town, and
with it comes the need for all players in the environmental sphere to consider
how climate change affects their operations, and the opportunities its pre-eminence
may provide. The
draft Climate Change Bill, released in March of this year, places added emphasis
on the subject. Despite the argument around the lack of annual targets, the fact
remains that the Bill will for the first time, place legal obligations on the
Government to reduce emissions and ensure that three successive five-year ‘carbon
budgets’ are always in legislation. These measures will help to reassure industry
that climate change is not a flash in the pan issue, but one that needs to be
addressed and planned for... |
|
| Water
Management: A future framework |
| DR
MIKE FARRIMOND, Director, UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) |
The
environmental marketplace is now huge and global – it is growing at 5-10 per cent
per annum. These markets are primarily driven by national and international regulation
and are forecast to grow to $700bn by 2010 – triple the size of the global aerospace
industry. This is partly why as an element of the preparations for FP7
(the Seventh Framework Programme 7 - EU R&D budget blocks of 5 to 7 year agreements.
FP7 lasts from 2007 to 2013), the European Commission established the Water Supply
and Sanitation Technology Platform (WSSTP) (visit: www.wsstp.org) in 2004. The
objectives of WSSTP are to: improve the international competitiveness of the European
water sector, solve European water problems and contribute to the achievement
of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. We'd all like the UK to be well placed
to exploit this growing, global market and the research funding opportunities
that FP7 will provide, but how? |
|
| The
Land Remediation Industry |
| JEREMY
RANDALL, CL:AIRE Trustee |
If you
speak to anyone involved in contaminated land remediation, most will say they
have never been so busy. So are we experiencing a boom time, and if so, how long
will it last? Thanks to a combination of regulatory and economic drivers, many
believe the market will remain buoyant for a number of years, although we should
correctly anticipate a period of stability before we eventually start to exhaust
the economically-viable brownfield-land reserves. It might be useful to
note that in a report for the DTI’s Environmental Industries Unit (Emerging Markets
in the Environmental Sector, Nov 2006) dig and dump activities – reported here
as forming almost half of the land remediation market – are excluded from the
analysis of contaminated-land remediation (CLR) market figures, and included instead
within the waste-management subsector. This report estimates CLR market size as
£404M for 2005, growing to £630M by 2010 and £805M by 2015... |
|
| Waste:
a global resource |
| STEVE LEE, Chief
Executive, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management |
The
waste business is fast becoming the resources business. Our job is becoming one
of preventing waste, putting it back to work, or gaining value – including energy
– from what’s left over. We have to think in a global sense but must also maintain
an essential service to protect people and the environment locally. One
of the biggest policy challenges we have ever faced according to governments around
the world is carbon and climate-change impact. Waste management contributes around
three per cent of the UK’s impact but our real contribution is potentially much
greater through influencing better resource management of materials, products,
and services through the whole cycle and through fossil-fuel replacement... |
|
| PPC
in 2007 |
| TIM JAMES, PPC Policy Manager,
the Environment Agency |
The objective
of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive is to prevent
or reduce emissions to air, water and land (including waste). We have to use the
best available techniques to do this in order to achieve a high level of protection
of the environment as a whole. The Pollution Prevention and Control (England
and Wales) Regulations 2000 have implemented the Directive. The Welsh Assembly
Government has devolved authority in Wales for certain functions under the PPC
Regulations. Separate, but similar regulations cover Scotland and Northern Ireland... |
|
| Inland
Oil Pollution - The triumphs and the challenges |
| RICHARD
MARTIN, Policy Advisor: Diffuse Pollution, the Environment Agency. |
The
good news is that, with the Oil Storage Regulations biting and the partnership
work of the Oil Care Campaign bearing fruit, we can expect to see another fall
in the amount of fuel and oil-related pollution incidents in England in 2006.
Unfortunately, they will still be measured in the 1,000s, not the 100s. And whilst
there has been a welcome introduction of the Scottish Oil Storage Regulations,
there is still nothing in place for Northern Ireland and Wales (where the Environment
Agency has recorded an increase of these incidents). Another striking feature
of these incidents is that the reductions are not purely in the area covered by
the Oil Storage Regulations. There have been reductions in all the causes of oil-related
incidents, including the campaign’s key areas of focus – delivery and pipework.
This demonstrates that the modern regulatory approach, such as partnership working,
is having a significant impact... |
|
| Preparing
the Marine Bill |
| AMANDA THOMAS, Marine
Bill Team, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (Defra) |
Managing
our use and impact on the marine environment is one of the most significant challenges
we face today. It is a vast and important resource providing us with valuable
economic, environmental and cultural benefits. A healthy and productive marine
environment is not only vital for those who make a living from its resources,
but it is critical to the balance of the earth’s ecosystems, and the fight against
climate change, as the sea has a crucial role in absorbing greenhouse gases. There
is a need to balance and effectively manage the different and increasing pressures
from human activities on the marine environment and protect the unique biodiversity
our seas contain. In Europe, emerging policy developments addressing this issue,
the European Marine Strategy Directive and the European Maritime Green Paper,
are progressing in a way that support our direction for the marine environment.
Other broad national developments will also influence what we do in the marine
environment, for instance our proposals on climate change and planning reform... |
|
| Transport
and Pollution: An industry challenge |
| JOHN
MURLIS, Vice Chair, Transport Working Group, describes the main new policy developments
that will affect the environmental industries in 2007 and some of the emerging
solutions that will shape policy in the years to come. |
Road
transport is widely recognised as a major source of air pollution. Emission of
fine particulates from road transport account for some 80 per cent of the measured
total in urban areas, and vehicles on UK roads account for some 25 per cent of
the national greenhouse-gas inventory. There is also a continuing and strong demand
for road haulage and distribution services and for private motoring. It is not
surprising therefore that the EIC Transport Working Group members continue to
report a high level of interest in the solutions they develop and market for reducing
emissions from vehicles. As in other parts of the UK environmental industry,
it is developments in national and international policy that provide the forces
that pull solutions into the market. In the UK, there is a strong tradition of
evidence-based policy and the proven performance of environmental solutions gives
policy makers benchmarks for the measures they can take... |
|
| Environmental
Analysis in the 21st century |
| HAZEL
DAVIDSON, Technical Manager, ALcontrol Laboratories |
Today,
although the modern environmental analytical laboratory is more and more dependent
on sophisticated instrumentation, emphasis on quality and robust procedures for
analysis are, if anything, more important than ever. Recent changes in
demands for performance testing and validation of methods are aimed at ensuring
data is fit for purpose across the very wide range of matrices and contaminants
found within the environmental industry... |
|
| Riding
the Wave |
| DR MARTIN GIBSON, Director,
Envirowise |
This year has seen an
unprecedented interest in the environment from government, business and the public.
People are more aware than ever of the issues facing the planet and, perhaps more
importantly, want to do something about them. This presents EIC members with tremendous
opportunities. The trick will be turning those opportunities into outcomes for
both our businesses and the environment. Currently, many companies still
see environmental issues as something outside of core business activities. Although
some leading companies recognise that environmental issues are affected by every
business decision, they are still a small minority. One of the aims of Envirowise
is to embed resource efficiency consideration into everyday business decision-making.
Such issues should be as normal to take account of, as finance and human resources.
Changing perceptions so that environment is treated this way would raise the perceived
value of environmental goods and services and, hopefully, widen opportunities
for both EIC members and their customers... |
|
| Delivering
carbon reductions through transport biofuels |
| GREG
ARCHER, Director, Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) |
By
2010, drivers are expected to fill their vehicles with a five per cent blend of
biofuels – liquid energy from renewable, plant-based sources. If recent European
Commission proposals are accepted, this will rise to about 14 per cent by 2020.
Some drivers may even choose to take up the option of driving specially adapted
vehicles such as flex-fuel cars that can operate on up to 85 per cent ethanol.
Increased biofuel use in the UK is being driven by the Renewable Transport
Fuel Obligation (RTFO). This is due to be introduced in April 2008. This requires
fuel suppliers to source five per cent of all road transport fuels from renewable
sources by 2010. It requires oil companies to supply biofuels (or purchase Renewable
Transport Fuel Certificates) rather than pay an alternative ‘buy-out’ penalty
charge... |
