Net Zero 2050
How might we co‑create a credible, evidence‑based and costed pathway to net zero by 2050, aligned to CCC carbon budgets and evolving policy, that supports sector consistency and enables practical delivery.
The Water UK Net Zero Routemap provided a shared foundation for action. Since then:
- Emissions science has evolved, particularly around process emissions and Scope 3 boundaries
- Policy, regulation and market conditions are placing upward pressure on costs and delivery
- Companies now require actionable Net Zero Strategies and Delivery Plans aligned to AMP cycles and future regulatory frameworks
This sprint brings together the sector’s carbon experts at a time when the sector is revising its Net Zero Routemap to meet these challenges. We plan to rapidly align assumptions, pathways and delivery insight.
This is a time‑limited, delivery‑focused co‑creation sprint, designed to achieve strategic alignment within four days, by:
- Identifying, testing and closing knowledge gaps relevant to the sector’s Net Zero Routemap
- Making assumptions, uncertainties and limitations explicit but well-founded
- Aligning expert views on emissions boundaries, pathways, costs and delivery implications
- Proposing a clear, shared position that enables modelling and decision‑making within the UKWIR routemap
The sprint is not intended to complete detailed modelling. Instead, it ensures that the right questions are answered, the right assumptions are agreed, and the right methods are aligned—so modelling and delivery can proceed efficiently and consistently after the sprint.
- Updated, agreed emissions boundaries and assumptions
- CCC‑aligned, costed pathway frameworks
- Clear understanding of cost, pace and sequencing implications
- Transparent identification of policy and delivery gaps
- Practical near‑term delivery actions
- Strong, aligned foundations for UKWIR Net Zero Routemap
