As part of the Prince of Wales' Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change, SSE has today joined a host of other businesses to urge the Government to immediately enact legislation for a UK 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target.

SSE has been calling for action since last year to ensure the UK takes a leading role in tackling climate change.

In April, the highly regarded Committee on Climate Change (CCC) backed this stance, recommending a series of actions the Government should take to decarbonise the economy.

Now 128 businesses including SSE and as diverse as the CBI, Coca Cola, BT to Innocent Smoothies and Iceland Foods, have written to the Prime Minister asking that she rapidly enshrines this target into UK law.

The letter asks that the UK should show leadership on a global scale by being the first major economy to legislate an "ambitious, domestically achieved net-zero target supported by a comprehensive policy package" while strengthening the UK economy.

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It adds: "As leading businesses and investors, we are determined to support an affordable transition and drive innovation. Many of us are setting our own net-zero and science-based targets. We are also increasingly investing in and purchasing clean energy, using low emission and electric vehicles, converting land to carbon sinks and improving energy efficiency throughout our operations and portfolios – and making new green jobs in the process.

"We are doing this because we see the threat that climate change poses to our businesses and to our investments, as well as the significant economic opportunities that come with being an early mover in the development of new low-carbon goods and services. But we need effective, long-term policies to support the investment and innovation required if the UK is to accelerate the necessary transition and ensure it is delivered fairly.

"We urge and encourage you to legislate rapidly for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and to develop a comprehensive, just and inclusive delivery plan supported by all parts of Government."

SSE Chief Executive, Alistair Phillips-Davies, said the time for action is now: "The climate change crisis requires a bold, decisive, leadership position with an ambitious Government policy framework to enable the scale of innovation and investment needed. SSE strongly advocates for the UK to adopt a net zero by 2050 target if we truly want to combat climate change before it's too late."

Prince of Wales' Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change brings together European business leaders to accelerate progress towards a low carbon, sustainable economy.