The launch of The Waterline Summit 2022 was hosted by renowned broadcast presenter and journalist Louise Minchin.
It included a panel discussion involving Professor Petley; Mark Goldstone, Head of Regional Policy at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI); Jenny Sutcliffe, Principal Consultant Regulatory Affairs at energy company Phillips 66; Cathy Yitong Li, OneStepGreener Ambassador, COP26; and former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Chris Huhne.
Beckie Hart, Regional Director for the CBI Yorkshire and the Humber, who attended the summit, said: “It’s been great to see so much commitment from businesses to such an important agenda.
“It’s vital the business community is united in projecting a vision for how it wants to see the Humber develop in the next stage of its evolution. It now has that vision.
“In recent years we’ve seen businesses move from exploring and learning about decarbonisation, to knowing they have to do something. That’s why the momentum created by The Waterline Summit is so important.”
The winners of the Waterline Student Sustainability Challenge, which encourages young people across the Humber to come up with their own eco solutions, were also announced at the summit.
The Loyal Leaders, from Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire, won the top prize of £2,000 for their school and a trip to Norway with sponsor Equinor.
Team members developed and implemented an energy pledge at Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire, investigated ways to reduce energy consumption and is now working with the Finance Manager to cut the school’s energy bills by a third.
Students attending the session also enjoyed a talk from three-time Olympic champion cyclist Ed Clancy OBE, who shared his tips on how to succeed in even the most high-pressure environments.
The Waterline Summit 2022 was supported by Event Partner, Phillips 66. Arup sponsored the Adaptation and Resilience Day, Equinor and SSE Thermal sponsored the Student Sustainability Challenge and Exhibition, while innovation consultancy Edenic Group and offshore wind global leader Ørsted were Waterline Hackathon Sponsors. The Oh Yes! Net Zero campaign, in partnership with Hull City Council, were the Networking Sponsors throughout.