The Climate Change Committee has published its annual report on the UK Government’s progress to date in reducing carbon emissions, saying that while the UK now has a solid net zero strategy in place, policy gaps remain and delivery is lagging behind ambition.
The report’s foreword by chair Lord Deben states that: “In targets, the UK is indeed a world leader. However, this Progress Report reveals that, despite important achievements in renewable energy and electric vehicles, the Government is failing in much of its implementation. Sharply rising fuel costs should have given added impetus to improving energy efficiency, yet the necessary programmes are not in place.”
“We are still building new homes that do not meet minimum standards of efficiency and will require significant retrofitting. Not only are we waiting for the promised Future Homes Standard but there is as yet no sign of the changes in the planning system necessary to reflect Britain’s legal obligations for climate mitigation,” Lord Deben adds.
While the report praises the “solid” net zero strategy laid out by the government and its emissions targets, it says that “greater emphasis and focus must be placed on delivery. This is needed for the UK’s climate ambitions to be credible.”
It goes on to say that “the Net Zero Strategy is not fully credible until the Government develops and begins to implement contingency plans. These should broaden the Government’s approach, in particular by including demand-side policies.”
Calling for demand side solutions indicates that the committee wants the government to use its taxation and spending power to realise its ambitious goals.
Despite over 3,000 pages of new detail, our confidence in the UK meeting its goals from 2030 onwards is now markedly less than it was in our previous assessment a year ago. A key opportunity to push a faster pace of progress has been missed. https://t.co/UW39u8pm9C pic.twitter.com/RBAuiYGCl6
— Climate Change Committee (@theCCCuk) June 27, 2023
Responding to the report, Lawrence Slade, chief executive of the Energy Networks Association, which represents the UK’s energy network operators, said: “This is a major wake-up call from the CCC. The country is risking decision paralysis if deadlines and milestones slip.
“In particular, there’s a clear imperative for radical reform in planning policy so the government, regulators, local authorities and the energy sector can create a more straightforward and streamlined process for delivering vital projects and upgrades, such as grid infrastructure.”
Meanwhile, the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) welcomed the report to, saying that “transparency and ambitious targets are no substitute for real delivery.”
“The REA recognises that glimmers of the Net Zero transition can be seen in growing sales of new electric cars and the continued deployment of renewable capacity, however, the scale up of action overall is worryingly slow.”
The REA called on the government to implement the Resources and Waste sector reforms to ensure we are making the best use of our resources, contributing to Net Zero and producing valuable products to help protect our soils and decarbonise agriculture.
Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, chief executive of the REA, said: “As is highlighted in the CCC’s report, the UK has indeed sent confusing signals on its climate priorities to the global community. We agree with the CCC’s criticism of Government in the recent months of prioritising new fossil fuel exploration, while other advanced countries are providing renewed fiscal support and legislation to advance the energy transition, such as the EU Green Deal Package and the US Inflation Reduction Act.
Skorupska called on the government to “use the upcoming Autumn Statement to respond to this report by delivering real polices designed to deliver against the Governments own power, heat, transport and circular economy targets. The budget must respond to significant policy gaps that remain and focus on creating an attractive market for low carbon investment.”
Sam Richards, founder and campaign director for Britain Remade, said: “This report should be a wake-up call for everyone in Government. Not delivering the clean energy infrastructure we need to decarbonise our economy means higher bills, for longer, for millions of people across the country.
“Britain could be a clean energy superpower with an abundance of clean secure domestic energy. But as the Climate Change Committee points out, this cannot be delivered without fundamental reform to our outdated planning system.”
Richards called for the dropping of the ban on onshore wind, slashing the time it takes to build offshore wind and the “red tape holding back the new grid connections that will make us all better off.”
Elsewhere, Transport & Environment UK say that “nothing seems to be progressing in Whitehall” and that the UK government has “dropped the ball on tackling aviation emissions”.
Matt Finch, policy manager at Transport and Environment UK, said: “The CCC’s verdict is clear and damning: the Government has dropped the ball on tackling aviation emissions. Last year’s Jet Zero strategy was effectively a license to pollute: lots of fluffy talk, but scarce on policy details. The CCC has seen through the fluff and has called on the Government to up its game considerably. Unrestrained growth from such a highly polluting sector in the middle of a climate crisis is complete madness.”
The chorus of groups lining up to criticise the government is growing, yet with a general election less than 18 months away, and the Conservatives spending more time on local campaigns to try to hold on to their seats, the legislative calendar in Westminster is bare. It looks very much like a lame duck Parliament, saying the right things but distracted by other priorities.
At such a pivotal moment for the progress of policies to decarbonise the economy, the next 18 months is not time that consumers or the environment can really afford to lose.
