Areas at risk of economic disruption due to net zero goals

New research from the Centre for Progressive Policy has identified the top 74 areas in Great Britain at risk of economic disruption from the transition to net zero.

The case for net zero is irrefutable but the transition must be fair. Currently nine million people live in communities which could suffer an economic hit in the transition to Great Britain going carbon-neutral and so urgent help is needed to make the transition fair to meet government’s essential net zero targets.

Areas most at risk range from rural areas in the south of England to ‘Red Wall’ areas - such as Hartlepool and Redcar - which are widely seen as a key battleground at the next general election.

CPP identified areas most at risk based on their reliance on high emitting employers and their underlying economic vulnerability, calculated through measurements such as local employment rates, skills levels, population size and average age.

Within the 100 areas most reliant on high emitting employers, CPP identified 74 economically vulnerable areas and 37 extremely vulnerable high-risk places, which includes both rural agricultural and manufacturing areas.

Members of CPP’s Inclusive Growth Network - a cross-party collective of political leaders from 12 local and combined authorities - have set out how they plan to deliver ‘just transitions’ to net zero. IGN members have made five flagship commitments aiming to tackle long standing social and economic inequalities whilst focusing on the challenges of climate change. These include playing a central role in driving the switch to green energy and retrofitting on a street by street, home by home basis, and using local skills infrastructure to identify those at risk of unemployment.

Zoe Billingham, Co-Director of Centre for Progressive Policy, said: “Getting to net zero fairly is essential. Our research has revealed the variation in economic risk between communities which must be dealt with head on as we move towards net zero. A truly just transition will consider the lived realities and unique needs of each community, which we are working to deliver through our Inclusive Growth Network. We hope that our work, will help the central government in pinpointing where to best support citizens in retraining for new, green jobs, where to incentivise new green jobs and the importance of addressing the broader economic resilience of local areas.”