Living and Working More Sustainably in a Greener Economy

The impacts of climate change are being felt across the world in increasing severity and frequency. As of 2024 temperatures were currently 1.28 oC above preindustrial levels. Nature in the UK is also under threat with wildlife having declined by an average of 19% since 1970, with nearly one in six species threatened with extinction. The international community has set obligations to deliver net-zero by 2050 with interim targets in 2030 and 2040.

The UK Government has been an early adopter of net-zero policy and has made great progress. The UK Government has committed to the overarching goal of net-zero by 2050, Scotland has its own target of net-zero by 2045. Within the overarching goals there are interim targets and sector specific targets. Current goals are for a net 68% reduction in emissions by 2030, and 95% clean energy generation by 2030.

This evidence review considers the academic literature, grey literature and policy documents to identify the burning questions and key challenges for sub-national actors in achieving a more sustainable, greener economy.

This research is for the Local Policy Innovation Partnership (LPIP) Hub which seeks to address nationwide issues through local partnerships and place.

By working with local LPIPs, the Hub aims to understand and solve local challenges around the UK through an innovative and effective service-driven approach to place-based policy-making and public service delivery. The LPIP Hub is designed to lead to a step-change in the quality and impact of the evidence created by universities and their local place partners.

The Hub has £3.6 million from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and Innovate UK. It is a national consortium, led by the University of Birmingham, convening stakeholders across the research and policy ecosystem.