Towards the new normal: increasing investment in the UK’s green infrastructure

Strategic government intervention can maximise opportunities for private green infrastructure investment.

Increasing private investment in green infrastructure presents huge opportunities for the UK. It offers a growing market for professional services and is a crucial way of reducing the cost of meeting the UK’s strategic and environmental policy objectives, securing more jobs, economic growth and export potential. We need to catalyse action on green infrastructure investment now to move the financial system towards the new normal.

There is real urgency: up to £693bn investment in low carbon infrastructure will be needed by 2031 in the UK[1] and $90tn worldwide over the next 15 years[2]. The ambitions within the government’s recently published policy strategies, including the Industrial Strategy (IS), Clean Growth Strategy (CGS) and 25 Year Environment Plan (25YEP) will need to be met with new and resilient infrastructure. This includes new and retrofitted energy efficient homes, infrastructure to manage an increased risk of flooding, sustainable water and wastewater management, a nationwide network of electric vehicle (EV) charging points, low carbon heating solutions and significant new low carbon power generation. The majority of these needs will have to be met by private investment.