The head of the government’s own climate watchdog has slammed its response to an annual progress report as “just not good enough”.
Speaking at yesterday’s Current± Theatre Lord Deben, chair of the Committee on Climate Change, said the government’s response to the CCC’s annual progress report had failed to provide sufficiently detailed answers to questions raised.
Earlier this year the CCC issued its annual progress report which examines the progress made towards carbon budget targets. Yesterday the government issued a response as it opened Green Great Britain Week, but Lord Deben was unimpressed.
“It’s not good enough. It does not produce the necessary steps which, by law, they have to reach,” he said.
And Lord Deben went on to discuss the possibility of taking legal action against the government for its failure to act with sufficient ambition.
“It won’t be us that takes them to court, but I fear I will be first witness for the prosecution,” he said, before stating simply that the government “needs a kick up the backside”.
Lord Deben did, however, have kinder words for the way in which government policy has impacted on the price of established renewables, and in particular solar PV.
“Solar is one of the great achievements. It stands alongside onshore wind on how, if you do it right, you can bring the cost down and defeat your enemies by becoming cheaper than their dirty fossil fuels,” he said.