Laurence Kemball-Cook’s Post

On behalf of Carbon Re, I have signed an open letter to Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak calling for policies to accelerate UK ClimateTech to be prioritised under the next government. The letter was written by Startup Coalition and ClimateImpact and signed by over 180 ClimateTech leaders. Whoever wins on 4 July must prioritise #ClimateTech innovation - it is an environmental and economic imperative. https://lnkd.in/emQJsQJK

Entrepreneurs innovate and invest – let them! Our entrepreneurs shared their stories about boosters and blockers in the #GreenDeal with Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra in the first #SMEdialogue. Commissioner Hoekstra was in listening mode with #entrepreneurs from many sectors and several EU Member States present. They shared their stories with the Commissioner about what makes an enabling environment for their businesses. ➡ Make life easier for #SMEs: The next Commission’s mandate must be about making the Green Deal deliver instead of delivering more legislation. Give entrepreneurs the breathing space to innovate. Let’s harmonise, standardise and simplify reporting requirements. ➡ More tools, enough rules: Let’s implement simple and easy-to-use tools to support SMEs to comply with all the new legislation. Provide technical assistance close to the #entrepreneur along with mutual learning organised at the European level. ➡ Planning stability is key: Propose a 2040 climate target in due time, to ensure planning stability and investment certainty. It must be robust and feasible for our economy and society. Access to finance for #greeninvestments and investment certainty are crucial for SMEs. ➡ Keep energy prices affordable: The EU has to ensure a fair, well-integrated and resilient energy market that is free of fossil fuels as soon as possible. Reaching the EU's #climate and #energy targets will likely require all feasible technologies that enable clean energy production. ➡ Speed up #climatechange adaptation: Severe heatwaves, wildfires, floods and storms threaten the way we do business and run our daily lives. The long-term vision of a climate-resilient European society by 2050 must be backed up by concrete action and funding. ❓ So what’s next? SMEunited is looking forward to the follow-up meetings that the Commissioner announced during the #SME dialogue. We encourage the European Commission to bring forward an action plan outlining measures that make a difference for SMEs. SMEs are ready to drive the transitions – let them! 👉 Read our article here: https://lnkd.in/esbcjpai

The European Commission published its recommendations for 2040 targets towards climate neutrality today. Last week entrepreneurs representing SMEunited discussed their decarbonisation journey with Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra in a first SME Climate Dialogue. They explained concrete actions that would enable them to reach climate neutrality. Yesterday, SMEunited along with the other social partners, discussed how to put the Green Deal into action with EVP Maroš Šefčovič and Commissioner Schmit. In this spirit of cooperation, we have to develop joint solutions to tackle climate change and ensure #SMEs can do business. You can find out more about the proposals to allow SMEs to make the green shift in the post below!

😩 Record world temperatures 😩 A series of extreme weather events 😩 45% of UK businesses expecting to miss their 2030 decarbonisation targets 😩 Unprecedented low levels of sea ice surrounding Antarctica   2023 has provided too many reasons to fear for the future of our planet.   It was therefore another crushing blow to the #cleantech community in September, when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that his Government was watering down its Net Zero policies.   At Kiko Ventures we have dedicated our careers to combating climate change. Now, seeing the frustration at the Government’s move spread across the cleantech community, we knew it was important to voice our concerns.    We’re proud to sign this open letter alongside other leaders in cleantech, across founders and investors. Our hope is that this letter prompts the Government to reconsider its stance on developing a long-term, strategic economic plan which prioritises sustainability and reaffirms the UK’s position as a leader in this space.    Find out more here from Evening Standard: https://lnkd.in/erwVkhyq   AlbionVC Clean Growth Fund Deep Science Ventures Fifth Wall Ventures SPV I LP Green Angel Ventures Just Climate Imperial College London 2150 

📣 To achieve net zero goals, we need ambitious government support for new climate technologies. This is not just an environmental imperative, but an economic one too. ClimateImpact has written an open letter, in collaboration with Startup Coalition, to urge the next government to prioritize climate innovation as a central part of their agenda. Over 180 leaders in ClimateTech have signed the letter. By fostering a thriving #climatetech sector, we can ensure the UK leads in low-carbon industries, creating jobs and driving economic growth. We invite you to join us in this movement. Add your name to the open letter and help us advocate for climate innovation to be at the heart of the UK’s national agenda. Link to letter and signatories ⤵ https://lnkd.in/eHwdbpDm Charlie Mercer / Rishi Sunak / Jonty Leibowitz / Eli Robinson / Vidhya Alakeson OBE / Christian Hernandez Gallardo / Frédéric de Mévius / Sebastian Peck / Enass Abo-Hamed MBE / Lubomila Jordanova / Rt Hon Chris Skidmore / Michelle You / Bobby Healy / Raphael Güller / Eli Mitchell-Larson / Gunnlaugur Erlendsson / Will Pearson / Grant Aarons / Jason Rubottom / Mark Campanale / Timo Recker #ClimateTech #NetZero #Innovation #Sustainability #EconomicGrowth #KOMPASVC #ClimateImpact #StartupCoalition #BackingTheBuildersOfTomorrow

🌏🍃 Australia is at a crossroads… The Federal government has ruled out an Australian replica of the US Inflation Reduction (IRA) 😲, while local leaders are escalating their calls for similar legislation. The $734 billion IRA has given American businesses a boost via tax credits, subsidies and grants - ensuring sustained support for green technology. While our #climate tech industry grew by 23% last year, it faces a potential exodus as Australian talent is lured overseas by better #funding and support. Sally-Ann Williams FTSE, CEO of Cicada Innovations, Australia's premier deep-tech incubator, said, “The United States’ Inflation Reduction Act will likely pull Australian #entrepreneurs offshore,' according to Williams, at a time when the local #technology sector is grappling with a ‘brain drain’ problem. Mick Liubinskas, founder of Climate Salad, warns that Australia risks missing out on a trillion-dollar industry, especially as Europe surges ahead. “With Europe so far advanced and the Inflation Reduction Act in the USA driving so much investment, Australia risks missing out on playing a key role in this trillion-dollar industry,” Liubinskas said. The industry is urging swift action. As Sally-Ann said, “In Australia, the risk of doing nothing is that we will end up with nothing.” Do you think that this kind of legislation would boost our climate tech sector? Or is it a little too late and we need something more radical to drive the #innovation that the country needs? Are you on board with the government's approach to slowly tailor new legislation to address our climate tech challenges, or do you side with innovators advocating for radical change similar to the IRA approach? Read more 👇🏾 https://lnkd.in/gas6Tm_x 🌏 Every share, comment, and action counts. —------------ Tap 'Connect,'🔗 hit follow 👍 + Repost 🔁 for more climate, tech, and finance updates! 🌐✨

I had the privilege of attending the Climate Congress of Poland. This event was a unique opportunity to gain important insights. Experts from various sectors shared their knowledge on both the energy transition and the economy as a whole. It was a great and valuable discussion. It covered regulatory, financial and political perspectives. The paradigm shift in the business world has already begun. The beneficiaries of this shift will not only be the next generation, but also the entrepreneurs who understand it best. Those who care about the impact of their business will be ahead of the game. #energytransition #climatechange #EU #policy #ESG #business

This 💯. In NSW we're waiting waiting waiting for the Minns Government to take some action, but all we've seen is cuts, delays in decision-making and very little demonstration that any minister actually cares about investing in/regulating for tech, innovation or start ups. Australia could be at the forefront of renewables generation, manufacturing and distribution, offering some of the world's cheapest energy to businesses and residents through our abundant wind, sun and land. The idea that we lose this once-in-a-generation (maybe once-in-ten-generations) opportunity because governments can't get their act together is madness. #climatetech #innovation #startups #inflationreductionact

Discover how @InvestEuropeEU's manifesto champions private investment as a catalyst for Europe's innovation, climate action, and infrastructure strength in a rapidly changing world. #PrivateCapital #EuropeanInnovation #InvestmentGrowth

Pilita Clark's article in the Financial Times over the weekend describing how investment in climate tech is thriving despite the Government backtracking on Net Zero policies was very encouraging. I went to a talk by Rupert Read of the Climate Majority Project last summer and rather than despairing about how we each individually could make any difference to the climate crisis, he recommended that we all looked to take action in the particular circumstances specific to us where we could make the most difference. For us at Accountech, that is helping Scottish founders of climate tech start-ups (and other impact driven start-ups such as those in life sciences and medical devices) by doing everything on the finance side for them so that they can concentrate on scaling their businesses. That includes helping them with financial projections, the requirements for raising EIS investment and then assisting them to claim R&D tax credits on the research and development that they use that investment for. It was appropriate that the FT article also covered Greg Jackson's Octopus Energy as I also finally got round to switching to them as an energy supplier over Easter. Not only was that a very easy exercise and I and my friend who is a current customer both got £50 back, I also loved how you get to choose the music for when you are on hold to Octopus and that it defaults to the best selling single in the year that you were 14 years old. 🎸 I am curious though as to why in some years it is the second best selling single, although not complaining as the ones where that happened included years where Mistletoe and Wine by Cliff Richard and Can We Fix It by Bob the Builder 👷♂️ were the best sellers. Octopus say that on average you will be on hold for less than 2 minutes though, so I'm wondering if HMRC might follow their example? The average on hold time for calls to HMRC in 2022 was 12 minutes 22 seconds which is long enough to fit in the live version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Free Bird (around 12 minutes), which is my current favourite. For 2023, that has increased to 16 minutes, 24 seconds so there is even time for another track now too! Links in the comments to the following: 🟢 The FT article - "Britain's Quiet Green Business Success Story" 🟢 List of the Best Selling Singles by Year since 1952 🟢 Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird", Oakland 1977 (11 minutes 48 seconds) 🟢 BBC article on HMRC waiting times 🟢 Claire Owen-Jones "Music for Accountants" track list of 21 remixes of HMRC's hold music which includes a children's party remix and medieval, country, reggae and rock versions. What would you choose as hold music if you could select any track that you liked? 🎶 #climatechange #climatetech #hmrc Click and follow #techaccountantscotland To see all of my LinkedIn posts