New government department promises 'whole economy approach to delivering climate change ambitions'

The new BEIS department, which swallowed up DECC has set out its mission in a document called The Machinery of Government. While not offering a detailed strategy, it does reveal some ofi its priorities.

The Cabinet Office paper states: ”The Government is bringing together the departmental responsibility for business, industrial strategy and the science base with the departmental responsibility for energy and climate change policy. This change will mean that Government will be best placed to deliver the significant new investment and innovation needed to support the UK’s future energy policy. Furthermore, it will create a single department committed to ensuring that this investment and innovation fully utilises the UK science base and translates into supply chain benefits and opportunities in the UK.”

One of the key strategies is to integrate energy and carbon reduction with business strategy. The document says: ”One of the main challenges in tackling climate change is to try to reduce carbon emissions without jeopardising economic growth. This merger will enable a whole economy approach to delivering our climate change ambitions, effectively balancing the priorities of growth and carbon reduction. Bringing together energy policy with industrial strategy will be beneficial to shaping a competitive business environment for energy intensive industries, including the UK steel sector. The new department will have a strong focus on the needs of customers, both business and domestic. It will help create the right economic conditions for growth and innovation.”