The Guardian16 Jul 2026Macro
Automatically composed with AI from the cited sources
Andy Burnham set a local net-zero target for Greater Manchester of 2038, expanded and partially electrified bus services, began home insulation programmes, and in 2022 paused a clean air zone at a reported cost of £100m; he has rejected fracking in the north-west but remains “open-minded” about new North Sea drilling. The low-carbon economy is valued at £100bn a year and supports more than 1m higher-paid jobs, per CBI data cited in the article, while the UK’s three heatwaves so far this year have killed an estimated 2,700 people and cost at least £2.4bn in lost productivity. Burnham is considering Ed Miliband for chancellor, a move that would boost climate policy, though rivals brief that home secretary Shabana Mahmood may get the post.