The government is not taking the necessary policies to achieve the UK’s zero net targets, its statutory advisers have said, in a progress report to parliament.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) expressed fears that ministers could deny the legally binding commitment to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and noted “significant political failures” and “little evidence.” delivery “.
Lord Deben, chairman of the committee and former secretary of the Conservative Environment, said the government had set firm targets to reduce emissions, but lacked a policy to achieve them. “The government has wanted the ends, but not the means,” he said. “This report showed that the current plans will not meet the commitments [to net zero]. ”
He said zero net policies were also the best way to reduce the rising cost of living. Average household bills would be about £ 125 lower today if previous plans on green energy and energy efficiency had been followed. “If you want to deal with the cost of living crisis, this is exactly what you need to do,” he said.
The biggest failure was the policy of isolation. Homes in the UK are the most common in Western Europe, heating costs are paralyzing family budgets and heating is one of the main sources of carbon emissions, but the government has no plans to help most of the people to insulate their homes.
“It’s a political psychological problem: somehow our politicians don’t see energy efficiency as something with which they can claim credit,” Deben said.
Deben also responded to proposals for a new coal mine in Cumbria. A decision is expected on July 7. “[This] The coal mine is absolutely indefensible, “Deben said.” Eighty percent of the coal produced will be exported; it will contribute nothing to our domestic needs. [On the international stage] it creates another example of Britain saying one thing and doing another. “
He also questioned the viability of fracking. While the committee cannot call for a ban, it said potential investors should be aware that the government’s climate plans require gas use to be phased out by the mid-2030s, unless accompanied. carbon capture and storage.
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However, Deben said he was “not concerned” that coal-fired power plants would increase generation in response to rising energy prices, calling it a “short-term measure” needed to “maintain the lights on ”that would have little long-term impact. on emissions.
In its annual progress report to parliament, the CCC outlined how it has monitored milestones on the road to achieving the net zero goal. In some, the government is working well: renewable energy generation, for example, has increased substantially and the use of electric vehicles has been driven by the government’s goal of gradually eliminating the sale of new cars from gasoline and diesel for 2030.
But these have been accompanied by notable failures, such as the absence of clear policies on 12% of UK emissions from agriculture and land use. “Defra [the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] it’s really failing, ”said Chris Stark, the CCC CEO.
Stark also noted widespread fears within political circles that the government, having tightened its targets in the run-up to last year’s UN Cop26 climate summit, was changing course in response to the crisis of the cost of living.
Stark said that while there had been no major political setback, he was concerned about the “change of rhetoric” of ministers.
Ed Matthew, campaign director for thinktank E3G, said: “This report is an indictment of the government’s abject failure to support its ambitious goals with credible actions across the economy.”
Ami McCarthy, a political activist at Greenpeace UK, contrasted the lack of containment measures with incentives for new fossil fuel exploration: “The cost of living crisis should give a boost to the kind of action we have to stop climate change by destroying the energy waste of our homes.However, this government seems determined to push the action of fossil fuel giants by offering tax exemptions to encourage new drilling with the false pretense that we will get out of this mess. “
A government spokesman said: “The UK is ahead of most other countries with around 40% of our power now coming from cleaner and cheaper renewable energy. This is backed by 6 billion of pounds of funding to make our homes and buildings more energy efficient, planting up to 30,000 acres of new trees a year and more electric cars than ever on our road. [We are] decarbonize our cars and vans faster than any other developed country “.