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FOUNDATIONS

FOR THE FUTURE

A new report from the National Engineering Policy Centre decisions that can rapidly mobilise entire
calls for greater investment in net zero capacity and digital industries must be taken if the UK is to
transformation, and a national workforce planning strategy meet its carbon emissions target of net
zero by 2050. In tackling the current
to increase technical capability. Here we bring you the key employment and economic crises caused
recommendations by the pandemic, the government must
not lose sight of broader objectives such
here is a large gap between With one year until COP 26, the UK has as net zero, resilience, international
government funding a responsibility to be a global leader for competitiveness and the need to create
commitments and the true rapid carbon emissions reduction. The a more equal society.
scale of changes required for paper calls on the government to step The UK has a chance to make the
T a net zero economic recovery up the level of investment it is prepared best use of its existing assets and to
from Covid-19, according to Beyond to make in clean growth to match that develop more flexible and efficient
Covid-19: laying the foundations for a of other ambitious nations such as infrastructure systems for the future,
net zero recovery, a paper published Germany and the Republic of Ireland, to says the paper. It recommends that
by the National Engineering Policy maintain international competitiveness, recovery funds for carbon-intensive
Centre, which represents 43 UK and build on the UK’s strengths and industries should require them to
engineering organisations with a capabilities in clean technologies. commit to ambitious but achievable
combined membership of nearly half Urgent action is needed to build net targets for reducing greenhouse gas
a million engineers. zero capacity, says the paper, and policy emissions. These include engineering

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