COP26 – Our part in a UK Net Zero future

Published: 10 November 2021

As world leaders turn for home after the opening days of COP26, leaving their teams to thrash out the difficult details, climate change is at the front of everyone’s minds.

The terms ‘carbon’, ‘fossil fuels’ and even ‘beef’ have almost become dirty words. A difficult time, you might think, for companies like QEM Solutions, whose roots lie in the oil and gas industry. However, we’ve been quietly working towards the UK’s net zero aims for quite some time. Here’s how.

Hydrogen for clean energy

The BBC daily briefings from COP26 are full of chatter about hydrogen, and its role in a UK Net Zero future. Because hydrogen can be combusted in a way that produces no greenhouse gas emissions, it’s critical for delivering this aim, with all major research expecting it to have a significant role. Alongside carbon capture and the development of hydrogen-ready domestic appliances, hydrogen can be used in the UK’s existing gas network, making it a cost-effective choice, too. At QEM, we’ve been supporting several of the major gas networks as they collaborate on the build and operation of new hydrogen and repurposed networks under the ‘Gas Goes Green’ programme. Together, these key projects will not only interconnect to help deliver a UK Net Zero, but assure Britain’s place as a world leader in large-scale decarbonisation strategies.

Carbonfile – tracking our carbon footprint

If a customer were to ask – what is your business doing about carbon – how would you respond? As more people make greener choices – from consumers, to lenders and even insurers, businesses must have an answer to this question if they’re going to survive on the road to UK Net Zero. In response, we’ve designed intelligent software to help ourselves and others keep track of, and reduce, our carbon impact. Based on ISO 14064, the international standard for recording and reporting greenhouse gas emissions, Carbonfile produces two inventories: a private inventory, which only users can see; and a public inventory, which can be seen by anyone. Users have the choice to selectively publish results from their private inventory in the public one – distinguishing their business as a greener choice. Further, Carbonfile records these efforts in the blockchain, in preparation for any future carbon legislations we don’t yet know of. Just as climate change is a global emergency, managing carbon will soon become an everyday challenge for all businesses, no matter their size.

Helping others towards ISO 14001

For those companies who’ve come late to the Climate Emergency ‘table’, QEM can help them start making effective changes – now. We have already helped many organisations gain certification to ISO 14001:2015, the internationally recognised standard for environmental management. (And we have a 100% success rate.) By implementing an ISO 14001 compliant management system, we can support businesses as they take control of waste management, pollution prevention and emissions reduction. In turn, this will not only dramatically reduce the risk of breaching environmental legislation, but delivers an edge in our increasingly ‘climate conscious’ marketplaces.