My one-year fixed energy tariff is coming to an end soon and I started crying when I was quoted a 122% rise in monthly bills from July. Clearly, setting my heating at a cool 16 degrees throughout the winter isn't counting for much at the moment, given the energy crisis we're all facing as a consequence of crises elsewhere. The risk of this pushing more and more people into fuel poverty is something we need to keep a close eye on over the coming months.
 
Of course, energy price rises are also affecting our businesses in the region, all of which have already been hit terribly hard by a combination of Brexit, Covid lockdowns, inflation and supply issues driven by all sorts of factors. Our role is to support business become more resilient to these shocks. This is why we're planning to dedicate our next Innovative Zero Carbon Working Group meeting on (TBC) 30 June to the energy crisis, showcasing businesses who have used innovation to improve their resilience and reduce their energy spend.
 
But we're also conscious that other shocks will keep on coming. Climate change will lead to an increase in extreme weather events, such as more frequent and intense flooding, heatwaves and water scarcity. So, also in June and in partnership with the Environment Agency, we're running a series of workshops for businesses to help them cope better with these issues, and adapt their products, processes and services to climate impacts.
 
To get involved in any of the above, click the links or get in touch with us, as we try and do our bit to help businesses through these challenging times.

Alan Carr, Senior Sustainability Adviser, on behalf of the team at SWM