Post: Government policy will miss net zero target, CCC warns

Government policy will miss net zero target, CCC warns

Existing policies will not deliver on the UK’s net zero carbon emissions target, according to a new report by the Climate Change Committee (CCC).

In its Progress Report published on 29 June by the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) has found what it calls “major failures” in delivery programmes towards the achievement of the UK’s climate goals.

In its 600-page assessment, the CCC said there are some areas of progress, but in most areas the likelihood of under-delivery is high. The report states that for the UK’s climate lead to be effective, the world must have confidence that “we will keep our promises and that we have a clear and effective programme to achieve our commitments”. Further progress must be led by government policies with clear direction, credible delivery mechanisms and suitable incentives to shape private sector action. In no sector of the economy is this yet complete.

The report makes over 300 recommendations for filling out policies over the next year, reflecting the scale of the task at hand as the government moves from strategy to implementation.

According to the report, UK emissions are now almost half (47%) their 1990 levels. But emissions rose 4% in 2021 as the economy began to recover from COVID-19. It notes that emissions from electricity generation have fallen by nearly 70% in the last decade. With offshore wind, business has shown that given the right market conditions and support it can cut costs dramatically and deploy low-carbon solutions rapidly. Electric cars are being adopted in greater numbers each year. Their rise is already ahead of CCC and government growth projections, showing that consumers and households are willing to adopt low-carbon options when offered a cost-effective, good quality product.

But it called for further action and policies to support energy efficiency in homes, decarbonisation of the agriculture sector and clarification of how central, devolved and local government will operate in concert to deliver net zero.

GridBeyond Managing Director for UK and Ireland Mark Davis said:

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