Although crucial to net zero, uptake of digital technologies is being hamstrung by policy shortfalls, underinvestment, and skills shortages, Green Alliance warns
The government must leverage the power of digital technologies in the raft of much-needed net zero policies and strategies it is expected to unleash in the coming months if it is to drive a green recovery to the coronavirus crisis, according to Green Alliance.
A new report by the environmental think tank today argues greater digitalisation of environmental technologies and solutions can speed up the UK's net zero transition, while helping the UK boost its competitiveness in the growing green international market.
Already today, it notes, digital technologies such as smart home devices, smart electric vehicle charging and mobility apps, and solutions designed to help help manufacturing and construction firms improve their waste and resource efficiency, are having a significant impact on the UK's low carbon transition.
But it warns development and uptake of these technologies is being hamstrung by policy shortfalls, underinvestment, and a nationwide skills and capabilities shortage, which has left the UK lagging behind international competitors such as South Korea, Singapore and Germany when it comes to industrial digitisation policy. Just one in five UK manufacturers make extensive use of digital technology in their operations, it notes, while three-quarters of construction firms believe the sector is not digitalising fast enough.
As such, the think tank is urging the government to explicitly link its digital and low carbon agendas. All digitalisation policy should explicitly supports the UK's climate and nature goals, it emphasised, while all climate and environmental policy must be designed to fully exploit the possibilities enabled by digital and data.
Caterina Brandmayr, head of climate policy at Green Alliance, said a more joined-up digital approach to green policy should be "right at the heart" of the government's economic recovery plans. "Using the power of digital technology to speed up the transition to a low carbon economy is a win-win for the environment and the economy," she said. "Smart solutions not only help to cut carbon and save resources but also increase productivity and profits for business."
A number of landmark strategy documents due to be published over the coming weeks and months provide government with a major opportunity to develop "cohesive" policy that drives business investment in smart environmental solutions, Green Alliance argues.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) was considering a request for comment at the time of going to press, but the government under growing pressure from businesses to put much needed flesh on the bones of its plans to deliver on its statutory 2050 net zero target, and is this coming autumn expected to publish an update to the Industrial Strategy and a new Digital Strategy, as well as the long-awaited National Infrastructure Strategy, Energy White Paper, Low Carbon Heat Strategy and Transport Decarbonisation Plan.
Elsewhere in in its report today, Green Alliance also called on the government ensure all infrastructure investments accelerate the deployment of digitally-enabled low carbon solutions. The National Infrastructure Strategy should ensure that all projects that receive public funding embeds smart technology, it argues.
In addition, the government must take steps to help businesses across the country develop and adopt digital services and products that minimise their impact on the environment, it said, including "a national programme for digital adoption that prioritises low carbon and resource-efficient development", and skills programmes specifically geared at supporting the growth of clean industries and digitalisation.
The government should also pay heed to public privacy and safety concerns and ensure that all data is used for public benefit, a goal that would require the government to find out what different groups in society want from digital technologies, Green Alliance argued.
Finally, it called on the government to ensure that the technologies themselves are as energy and resource efficient as possible. This could be done in part by updating the 2013 Waste Prevention Plan to set concrete policies that promote sustainable production and resource efficient business models, Green Alliance said.
Rodney Turtle, vice-president for public policy and government affairs at Schneider Electric, gave his backing to Green Alliance's report, and urged the government to make intertwined digital and low carbon priorities central to its economic recovery.
"Digital technology can be transformational in making better use of energy across our economy, boosting business efficiency and cutting unnecessary costs," he said. "Technical solutions to accelerate progress are already available and the UK should race ahead in making the most of these new opportunities by embedding digital and low carbon priorities in the plans for the recovery."