What is the Ten Point Plan of the United Kingdom?

The United Kingdom has already committed to working towards net zero emissions by 2050, and keeping global temperature rises under 1.5 degrees celsius. It has enacted a variety of measures and adopted various strategies to support this. One such example is the UK Government's Ten Point Plan.

'The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution' sets out the approach that the UK government will take to "build back better, support green jobs, and accelerate the path to net zero."

👉 What exactly is the Ten Point Plan? And has the Ten Point Plan proven successful? 

The Ten Point Plan introduced by the UK Government is a £12 billion strategy established by the previous U.K. Prime Minister, Boris Jonhson, which aims to implement a viable plan to encourage a Green Industrial Revolution throughout the United Kingdom – for example by introducing new benchmarks to utilise clean energy, decarbonising the transport sector which is guilty of producing excessive carbon emissions, and by creating more energy efficient and greener buildings and green jobs. 

The Ten Point Plan was drawn up back in the fall of 2020 because the United Kingdom is dedicated to achieving net zero emissions, and Boris Johnson didn't want the country to fall behind on any progress that had been made.

In addition to the environmental benefits of the Ten Point Plan, it was also Johnson's goal to create a greener economy while also aiding the U.K. in recovering financially following the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Unsurprisingly, the name of the 10 Point Plan gives away how many components there are in this strategy aimed at encouraging sustainability and reducing overall emissions.

Here are the ten key elements that make up the 10 Point Plan.

1. Improving Offshore Wind

The U.K. is dedicated to using more renewable energy sources, and is committed to improving their use of wind turbines throughout the country. By 2030, the U.K. plans increase their offshore wind four times to the extent that it is utilised now.

The overarching goal of this is to generate clean energy to power residences across the U.K., as well as create new jobs and stimulate growth and activity in the United Kingdom's coastal regions. 

2. Increase the Growth of Low Carbon Hydrogen 

In addition to increasing their use of offshore wind to promote clean energy throughout the country, the United Kingdom's Ten Point Plan also aims to increase the amount of low carbon hydrogen used – as it could be a method of providing fuel and heating for both homes and businesses throughout the United Kingdom.

Increasing the use of low carbon hydrogen throughout the U.K. could result in a significant reduction in emissions – up to nine percent of the total emissions the United Kingdom produced back in 2018.

3. Source more Nuclear Energy 

Nuclear energy may be controversial, but the United Kingdom wants to make the most of it. As the U.K. remains subject to urbanization, the country is determined to implement new, low-carbon methods to power the country's industrial activities.

If the U.K. is successful in meeting the nuclear energy goals as a part of the Ten Point Plan, they could generate enough electricity to power over 2 million homes across the U.K. 

4. Transition to Zero-Emission Transportation

The UK Government has recognised that if it's going to met net zero emissions, that the UK's transport sector is going to have to massively increase it's efforts to decarbonise. The most notable action that the UK has taken in this regard is the implementation of a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 (with new hybrid cars to follow in 2035). This is a huge push towards zero emission vehicles and essentially means that people living in the UK will either have to buy electric cars, opt for public transport, use a bike, or walk. 

I‍n addition to encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles, local governments throughout the UK are also adopting measures that encourage greener transportation habits. For example, many cities and towns now use green public transport. Examples of green public transport are things like electric buses and trams.

5. Providing Better Green Public Transportation

This part of the Ten Point Plan aims to create over one thousand miles of safe cycling and walking pavements by 2025.

By building thousands of miles of divided lanes for biking, and encouraging the use of electric bikes around the country, the UK Government hopes to change behaviour patterns and cut down on the use of heavily polluting cars. Cycling and walking will not only help to improve air quality across the country but is also generally beneficial for public health too - so it's win-win!

6. Jet Zero and Green Ships

The U.K. plans to invest in zero-emission aircrafts, and will also attempt to reduce emissions created from freight travel via water by investing in the development of green ships.

Doing so will help the U.K. lead the way for global reform for emission-free air travel, and create thousands of new jobs. 

7. Sustainable Infrastructure

Nearly thirty million homes throughout the United Kingdom contribute to twenty two percent of the country's overall emissions, making implementing sustainable infrastructure in homes and office design imperative for the country if they want to reach their net-zero targets. 

The Ten Point Plan states that buildings should be made to evade the need for fossil fuels, but no further details on how this goal would be achieved was provided in the initial Ten Point Plan – besides declaring commitment to improving the energy efficiency of household products throughout the U.K.

8. Implementing Carbon Capture and Storage

Carbon Capture and Storage systems, if accessible, are an amazing way to reduce carbon emissions from the source of industrial activity – and to remove carbon dioxide emissions directly from the atmosphere.

The United Kingdom plans to install more carbon capture and storage facilities in order to both drastically reduce emissions, and create more jobs for British citizens. 

9. Protecting Nature & Biodiversity

The U.K. has made it clear on their stance protecting nature, as they were the first ones to implement a Green Belt. This part of the Ten Point Plan is dedicated to protecting valuable natural resources, landscapes, mitigating flooding, restoring biodiversity, and safeguarding wildlife impacted by climate change.

All of these efforts, like many other components of the Ten Point Plan, will also create more jobs in the United Kingdom. 

10. Green Finance 

The United Kingdom cannot move towards a sustainable future without a sustainable economy, and encouraging green finance can help to ensure that only sustainable projects and businesses can thrive.  

Investments can make a huge difference in a country or company's sustainable efforts, and there are a wide variety of green financing options to choose from: such as impact investing, socially responsible investing, and green funding.

Despite only being intact for one year, the Ten Point Plan has already made progress towards many of its goals. 

For instance, the Ten Point Plan's goal to transition to net-zero transportation is well on its way – as the U.K. has implemented a ban from purchasing any new cars requiring petrol from 2030 onward, a full decade in advance than originally planned. The U.K. automobile industry has also received £500 million in funding in order to improve motorways, major roads, and public transport such as railway and bus services. 

However, some of the goals listed in the Ten Point Plan have not progressed since the strategy's initial release. The goal to improve sustainable infrastructure has not made substantial progress, but £800 million has been allocated to the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to help improve the energy performance in homes across the United Kingdom.

The Energy Company Obligation, otherwise known as the ECO – will also help the Ten Point Plan to achieve this goal by improving the energy efficiency in low-income homes throughout the country. 

In many ways, the United Kingdom's Ten Point Plan is strikingly similar to their Environment Act of 2021 – but the two plans are slightly different.

Both plans strive to protect nature and biodiversity, but ultimately – the U.K. Environment Act of 2021 is more concerned with helping local governments implement regulations that will improve the overall well-being of the environment: such as mitigating waste, recycling, air and water quality, and preserving nature like the U.K.'s Greenbelt. 

Both the Ten Point Plan and the Environment Act will help the United Kingdom to establish the measures necessary to improve upon the worsening state of climate change, but the two plans have separate ulterior motives.

The Ten Point Plan makes great strides and innovative efforts to reduce emissions not seen in other country's climate legislation yet. However, the Ten Point Plan poses a vital flaw – steps for concrete actions, and how those actions are to be measured to ensure progress in the future.

Not all components of the plan have concrete actions or steps that will help them accomplish their goals. For instance, the sustainable structure has made little to no progress since the Ten Point Plan's initial release, and despite its grandiose claims to make great strides in green infrastructure such as the installation of 60,000 pumps by 2028 – the plan doesn't delineate exactly how this will be accomplished.

The Ten Point Plan did clearly convey how much money is being allocated towards each point, and while money is a great resource – without greater insight on how that money will be used to improve the various sectors mentioned throughout the Ten Point Plan, the goals will ultimately never be met. 

Therefore, it is imperative that the U.K. creates a system to track and monitor the progress of these goals, as they are long-term projects that will require revisions along the way. 

The most complex, well-thought out goals are accomplished with one step at a time, with the little goals achieved ultimately working towards the final goal – a crucial element lacking in the Ten Point Plan. 

After all – Rome wasn't built in a day. 

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