Letter tells Johnson to focus on low-carbon sectors

Contractors and consultants have joined more than 200 business leaders in writing to the prime minister urging him to prioritise environmental sustainability as he plans the nation’s recovery from the covid-19 crisis.

Multiplex, Bam and Willmott Dixon are among those signing the letter which was sent to Boris Johnson and published in the Financial Times yesterday.

UKGBC_Climate_015

Source: UK Green Building Council

UKGBC chief executive Julie Hirigoyen addresses a Climate Strike rally outside the Building Centre

They call for clear vision and a “clean, inclusive and resilient recovery” as the government develops its economic plans.

They write: “With the UK facing major economic and social concerns including the risk of high unemployment and rising regional inequality, we believe that an ambitious low-carbon growth and environmental improvement agenda can do a lot to address these concerns, as well as make the UK economy better prepared to deal with future shocks such as those related to climate change.”

They add: “The current crisis, in moving us all away from business-as-usual, has already created shifts in how we operate, and we believe we must use the recovery to accelerate the transition to net zero.”

The letter was co-ordinated by The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group in collaboration with UKGBC whose chief executive Julie Hirigoyen said the built environment could play a pivotal role in helping the country tackle the ecological crisis and reduce social inequality.

Other signatories include Arup, Argent, Bam Nuttall, Buro Happold, Cundall, Grainger, Grosvenor, Lendlease, Max Fordham, Ramboll, Aecom, WSP, Bennetts Associates and Grimshaw.