My startup is creating British jobs – but I couldn’t have done it without immigration

In doing so, they’re risking one of our most promising opportunities: the climate transition.

The UK is suffering from a critical green skills gap. We’re currently missing some 200,000 engineers, climate scientists, technicians, energy industry workers, and other professionals if we’re to reach net zero by 2050, according to PwC. And that’s assuming we can reskill every oil and gas worker who isn’t expected to retire.

While the Government has helped make its renewables and climate technology sectors what they are today, this focus on limiting net migration over bringing vital skills into the country puts our financial future and climate goals at risk.

It isn’t purely a climate change issue. The green economy is vital to energy resilience, national security, and economic growth - with the UK’s climate technology industry already valued at over £42 billion. As fossil fuel demand declines, the impact of this sector on all three factors will only increase.

We have the scientific prowess, financial resources, and renewable energy potential to become a global leader, but only if we act proactively to fill these gaps now. In the short term, this means attracting green talent from abroad, as well as training and retraining domestic workers. It can’t be one or the other.

In fairness, the Government has promised some improvements - reviewing the ‘Innovator Founder’ visa route while expanding the ‘High Potential Individual’ category, and doubling the number of workers certain businesses can send to the UK. All excellent proposals, yet they’re not enough and problematic measures remain. Reducing the length of post-graduation work visas, for example, will only discourage skilled students from settling here when we need them more than ever.

We started Mission Zero Technologies five years ago to deliver affordable carbon dioxide removal at scale, helping society to eliminate massive amounts of the planet-warming gas and make carbon products from air instead of oil. We now have three commercial projects underway. Almost half of our team is from outside the UK, and we couldn’t have gotten this far without their diverse, global expertise. Our story here is far from unique. We’re one of thousands of startups that are proud to attract exceptional international talent - but we need more of it.

Time is of the essence. Experts are leaving America in droves following Trump’s election - with a recent poll in the journal Nature showing that 75% of US scientists are considering leaving the US. We should be doing all we can to convince them, as well as anyone else with relevant skills in science, engineering, construction, and energy, to live and work in the UK. We can’t do it alone.

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Shiladitya Ghosh is Chief Operations Officer and co-founder of Mission Zero Technologies - a London-based Direct Air Capture startup.

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