With the culmination of COP28 in Dubai this month, the world reached a landmark moment in our planetary struggle to reverse the devastating impacts of climate change.
This year’s COP was always going to be special because it included the first Global Stocktake. Which allowed us to measure real progress against the Paris Agreements and will be repeated every five years moving forward.
Over two weeks of discussion, debate and deliberation, new initiatives were launched, agreements reached and finally, more than 190 nations accepted a text that calls on the world to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels.
This acknowledgement that the era of fossil fuels is coming to an end, will be the lasting achievement of COP28. It has been years in the making but will require a concerted collaboration across public and private sectors and industries to carry the positive momentum forward.
From idea to implementation
At Phoenix, we stand ready to do this – supporting the UK’s transition to a healthier, more sustainable, low-carbon society.
We see the potential to create more self-sufficient communities and societies, capable of generating their own renewable power, of reducing their reliance on fossil fuel-guzzling cars, of climate resilient and sustainable housing.
From our headquarters in Bourne, Lincolnshire, we also see the UK’s unique climate challenges – from flooding to water scarcity – and the obstacles that stand in the way of implementing an energy transition away from fossil fuels.
In the UK, those obstacles centre on infrastructure: grid modernisation, transmission and distribution networks, EV infrastructure and more.
In this, we’re proud to be playing a part. With a rich history of construction in housebuilding and renewable energy projects, we’re bringing forward visions for increasingly integrated projects that realise synergies between energy, transport and the built environment to realise multiple benefits for all.
SuSyHouse and Syntech – leading innovations, with impact
Two ways we’re connecting the hopes of a sustainable future with real solutions is through our companies, Syntech Biofuel and SusyHouse.
Part of Phoenix since 2022, Syntech is pushing the boundaries of waste to energy, turning organic waste oils, including used cooking oil, into high-grade biofuel.
Decentralising the power network will be crucial if the UK is to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and increase energy security. It’s also an important factor if the UK is to successfully transition to greater use of electric vehicles, as the requirement for charger access and the load on the network will continue to increase.
Syntech’s technology is ideally placed to support this ambition, facilitating communities to operate small scale energy production. This approach would support local investment and reduce the costs of transmission and distribution, as well as ensuring a reliable power supply for rural communities and reducing pressure on aging grid infrastructure.
Elsewhere, the team at SusyHouse is doing great work connecting everyday consumers with opportunities to improve the energy savings of their own homes.
Nearly a quarter of the UK’s energy goes into heating, lighting and powering our homes… and our housing stock is among the leakiest and most wasteful in Europe. SusyHouse pulls info on individual households out of public domain databases to highlight unique energy saving opportunities. They help identify the smartest green upgrades, connect with local installers, and find opportunities for supplements, grants and funding.
Both of these solutions are just examples of the real work we are doing every day to forward they UK’s green climate ambitions.
Towards a more sustainable future
And as the dust settles from COP28, it will be this work that makes a difference. There have been big promises made, and huge leaps set to be taken – but it all begins with the small and considered steps. To overcome our obstacles, to facilitate advancements in technology and innovation and to realise projects that can contribute to the UK’s sustainable future.
At Phoenix, we’re ready to be part of the transition.
By Karl Hick
Comments