Natural Capital
‘Supercharging’ the Oxford-Cambridge Arc is as literal as it is figurative if we set our sights on the untapped potential of renewable energy and new technologies pushing the frontiers of decarbonisation.
A ‘Green’ Arc equally relies on new perspectives on biodiversity, conservation, and net zero attainment, all of which are within our grasp if we position the Arc as a standard-bearer for environmental enhancement.
To reimagine the role of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc as a standard-bearer for a green future, we must consider ‘green’ in its broadest terms. The Arc should be home to clean, environmentally friendly infrastructure, but it should also seek to test the boundaries of efficient energy use by leveraging the science and enterprise taking place within the region. The Arc must also act as the testbed for practices which actively add to, augment, and safeguard the natural environment, adopting a nature-based solutions approach to conservation, biodiversity and environment net gain, and land management.
In the face of an impending climate crisis worldwide, innovative solutions are both welcome and vital to the fragile ecosystem that hangs in the balance. This means taking a multi-pronged approach that leaves no stone unturned, appraising an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions wherever possible, and changing our behaviours to adapt to an ever-pressing emergency.
CHAPTER AUTHORS
Richard Hepworth, Director of Project Management, Urban & Civic
Peter Bachmann, Managing Director, Sustainable Infrastructure, Gresham House
Martin Garratt, Chief Executive, Cambridge Cleantech
Dr Andy Gilchrist, The Energy Systems Accelerator Oxford
Rich Stockdale, Managing Director, Oxygen Conservation
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