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Mapping our path to net zero
This week, we published our climate transition plan, outlining the tangible steps we’re taking to achieve net zero, writes Miles Lewis, director of sustainability at Clarion Housing Group
Miles Lewis is director of sustainability at Clarion Housing Group
This week, we published our climate transition plan, outlining the tangible steps we’re taking to achieve net zero, writes Miles Lewis, director of sustainability at Clarion Housing Group #UKhousingThere’s no getting away from it: our climate is changing.
2024 was the hottest year since records began, and wildfires, flash floods and extreme weather warnings are becoming almost commonplace.
Climate change affects us all, but for those living in social housing, the impact could be far greater, given the increased prevalence of chronic health conditions, disabilities and other vulnerabilities.
That’s why, as the UK’s largest social landlord, providing homes for more than 360,000 people, we know we must accelerate actions.
This week, we published our climate transition plan, outlining our path to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 through a series of tangible steps.
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As we mark our 125th anniversary, as well as looking to the past, we’re also looking to the future and considering how we can best mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change while supporting our residents and communities.
The product of 18 months of baselining, stakeholder engagement and collaboration, our climate transition plan outlines how we’ll scale up our programme of retrofitting homes, drive down embodied carbon in new developments, and ensure our operations align with net-zero ambitions by decarbonising our heat networks, fleet and workplaces.
It’s not just about the numbers, though. Our residents are at the heart of everything we do, and we’re committed to ensuring they won’t be in a worse financial position due to these initiatives. This is about delivering homes that are cheaper to run, more comfortable, healthier to live in and more climate resilient, reducing our environmental impact and improving life for our residents – a real win-win.
And while we’re proud to be the first housing association in the UK to publish our climate transition plan, for us it’s all about sharing learnings and challenges. We want colleagues in the sector and beyond to use this plan, challenge it and engage with us on it so that we can work together to maximise our collective impact.
We’ve been transparent about the methods we’ve used and the emissions gap we face. It’s a gap we can’t close on our own – as a sector we need to pull together to tackle this challenge head-on, driving engagement, partnerships and innovation to find new solutions.
These include new financing solutions. Through this work we now know the cost of decarbonising our homes, but we also know that we need to develop innovative financial models to bridge the gap.
We know this plan will change over time, and that’s OK, as we can’t predict all the new policy, emerging technologies, market, economic and social factors which will change over the next 25 years.
“The bottom line is that while we have faced many challenges in our 125-year history, none has been as great as climate change”
And as we publish this ambitious plan, we will continue to call on, and proactively work with, the government on long-term funding solutions, and clear policy and support to invest in green skills and incentivise sustainable housing growth. Without this, we know that accelerating the delivery of our plan will be extremely difficult.
The bottom line is that while we have faced many challenges in our 125-year history, none has been as great as climate change.
We must accelerate the pace to mitigate and adapt to its impact on our business, residents and communities. Our climate transition plan sets out our path and will hold us all accountable for taking much-needed action.
Miles Lewis, director of sustainability, Clarion Housing Group
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