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b'In 2019, the UK government passed trailblazing legislation committing itself to achieving \\u2018net zero\\u2019 greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The UK has already made significant progress in decarbonising its economy: carbon emissions have fallen by over 45% from the 1990s levels. This has been mainly achieved through centrally directed policy to decrease emissions from power generation, by substituting coal generation for gas and investment in renewable energy.\\n\\nBut reducing emissions further will require disruptive policy and behavioural change across a wider range of sectors, involving a more diffuse set of actors. Metro mayors and local government in England will play a key role, given their powers in critical areas such as transport, planning, housing, skills and economic strategy.\\n\\nThis event explored how mayors and other local leaders are using devolved powers to achieve net zero at the regional level, by supporting the growth of green industry and energy, investing in clean transport and infrastructure, retrofitting houses and buildings to reduce emissions, and upskilling the population for the green jobs of the future.\\n\\nDrawing on research it published earlier this year, Net zero and devolution: The role of England\\u2019s mayors in the climate transition,\\xa0the Institute for Government hosted a virtual event in partnership with The Royal Society to discuss these questions.\\n\\nTo explore these questions and more, our expert panel included: \\n\\nEd Cox, Executive Director - Strategy, Economy & Net Zero at the\\xa0West Midlands Combined Authority\\xa0(WMCA)Professor Joanna D. Haigh,\\xa0Research Fellow at Imperial College LondonRosa Hodgkin, Researcher at the Institute for GovernmentShirley Rodrigues, Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy at the\\xa0Greater London Authority\\n\\nThe event was chaired by\\xa0Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.\\n\\nThis event was kindly supported by The\\xa0Royal Society.'