Rhetoric is no longer an option

Mervyn Pilley examines the challenges ESTA members are facing as normality re-emerges and why there has been so sight of the Government’s Heat and Buildings strategy

 

There’s a feeling of being in ‘no mans’ land as far as many of our day-to-day operations are concerned. Similarly, it still appears to be a variable speed economy for our members. Some are rushed off their feet with work while others are just starting to reengage with clients.

The alien concept of people taking holidays seems to have resurfaced at the same time as face-to-face meetings have restarted. At the time of writing, I have started to put trips to London into the diary. I cannot pretend that I am looking forward to returning to the London Underground so taxis may be needed instead.

So far this year I have been having frequent discussions with members around where members perceive they gain their most value from their ESTA membership. I have not been too surprised to hear a common theme that many miss the physical events that for so long formed the bedrock of ESTA’s offering. I always knew that moving to virtual events was not going to be easy and while I am proud of having managed to get a number of virtual events of all types organised during the last fifteen months, we have not managed to replicate the human interactions and networking that many members have missed.

The good news is that plans are well advanced for a return to physical meetings, albeit with a recognition that, certainly initially, we will want to have a live stream option, certainly until the issues about meeting room capacities and social distancing rules are resolved. One of the challenges for a national association has always been that wherever you hold a meeting or an event, many attendees will have had to travel long distances. For an organisation like us where carbon reduction is part of our mission then offering attendees the chance to still play a part while not having to travel has to be worthwhile. Our AGM in October will be a hybrid event.

We are also planning to play a role at more trade shows going forward. This is part of our greater focus on collaboration among like-minded organisations. In reality, trying to just put on ESTA-only events has drained us of considerable resources in recent years and, in reality, the current challenges can be much better met by many groups working together. This collaboration with trade shows will start with the Smart Buildings Show in October and then EMEX in November this year. We are still having discussions about our input into these shows as well as some more events in 2022. Working with partners will also increase the value for our members as they will have more potential interaction with potential customers. I hope to meet many EiBI readers at one of these shows.

From time-to-time readers of this column will pick up on my frustration at the lobbying aspect of our work as a trade association. Members rightly expect their trade association to be their voice/mouthpiece with Government. Having spent 20 years working with various Government ministries I should by now be very used to fulfilling that part of the job.

When I received my usual reminder from the editor to write this column one of my reasons for delay was that I had entertained some hope that the Government would by now have issued the Heat and Buildings and Net Zero strategies. Certainly, the former document has been long promised. As I sit at my desk, I have just seen a report in the Times that suggests the Government is struggling to find the necessary Parliamentary time to publish the Heat and Buildings strategy.

As far as the Net Zero strategy is concerned Professor Sir Robert Watson – a former top scientific advisor to the UK Government and to the White House – is urging the Prime Minister that he must turn “rhetoric into action” if he is to successfully lead the world in tackling the climate and nature crises. The Government responded by saying: “We’re making tangible progress – in this year alone, we have set out the world’s first strategy for decarbonising heavy industry, agreed a landmark deal to transition the North Sea oil and gas sector, are investing millions of pounds into clean energy as well as cutting emissions from buildings and transport, and driving forward action to protect nature and improve biodiversity, including our historic new legally-binding species target for 2030.”The spokesperson added that government will set out its “overall strategy for achieving net-zero emissions… by the end of this year.”

And it is the last sentence that is of most concern to me. No clear commitment to publish the strategy in good time to allow organisations to reflect, consult with their stakeholders and respond prior to COP26. I find it truly amazing that a Net Zero strategy may not be fully formed before one of the most important COPs for a ling time is held with the UK taking the chair. It is very important that unlike the G7 meeting where photo opportunities seemed to be the order of the day, COP26 is built around a series of concrete actions being agreed. The time for rhetoric expired a long time ago and the time for policy action is now!