Climate Change Programmes Will Not Deliver Net Zero Warns CCC

IN ITS FIRST comprehensive appraisal of UK’s Net Zero Strategy, the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) warns it will not meet the UK’s climate goals.

In a 600-page Progress Report, CCC finds major failures in programmes designed to deliver reduced carbon emmissions.

Climate Change

CCC says that credible Government plans exist for about a third of the UK’s required emissions reductions to meet the Sixth Carbon Budget in the mid-2030s. It estimates that another quarter could be achieved, but that over a third of policies cannot be relied on to deliver the necessary emissions reductions.

The CCC says Government should develop contingency plans, such as encouraging reduced consumer demand for high-carbon activities through healthier diets, or curbs to growth in demand for flights.

Pointing to the lack of progress, the CCC says the Net Zero Strategy “contains warm words on the wider enablers of the transition, but little progress”.

Energy Efficiency in Homes

The CCC assessment says that given soaring energy bills, there is a “shocking gap in policy” for better insulated homes.

The report says Government promised significant public spending in 2019 and committed to new policies last year – neither has yet occurred. The UK continues to have some of the leakiest homes in Europe and installations of insulation remain at rock bottom – the average annual energy bill for UK households is around £40 higher than if insulation rates from pre-2012 had continued for the last decade. The report says much now rests on the promised energy advice service, which must be a major undertaking that reaches millions of households and supports them through implementation of options to cut their bills and emissions.

The CCC report also says reform of planning legislation to reflect Net Zero is required, as well as the “urgently needed” Future Homes Strategy. Bottlenecks, such as skills gaps and planning consents for infrastructure, should be anticipated and tackled early, it says.

It pinpoints the lack of a public engagement strategy three years after the Net Zero target was signed into law and that the Treasury has yet to set out a tax strategy needed to support carbon reduction targets.

The CCC welcomed the new Local Net Zero Forum, but says it remains unclear how central, devolved and local Government will operate to deliver Net Zero.

Net Zero Template

Recognising the UK as an example of what can be achieved, as a template for other countries to draw on, the CCC says effective delivery of Net Zero will be needed across the world if the Glasgow Climate Pact is to have the legacy that the UK aimed for at COP26 last year.

CCC Chairman, Lord Deben, said: “The UK is a champion in setting new climate goals, now we must be world-beaters in delivering them. In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, the country is crying out to end its dependence on expensive fossil fuels. I welcome the Government’s restated commitment to Net Zero, but holes must be plugged in its strategy urgently. The window to deliver real progress is short. We are eagle-eyed for the promised action.”

UK Emissions

UK emissions are now almost half (47%) their 1990 levels. Emissions rose 4% in 2021 as the economy began to recover from COVID-19 but were still 10% below 2019 levels.

CCC adds that 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, it says.

Today’s report makes over 300 recommendations for filling out policies over the next year, reflecting the scale of the task.

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