Net Zero Strategy a major step forward, says CCC report

The Climate Change Committee has issued its independent assessment of the government’s recently launched Net Zero Strategy, describing it as a significant step forward for UK climate policy.

The CCC report describes the landmark Strategy as an affordable and achievable vision of the path to a net zero UK. However it also points out policy gaps that need to be addressed if the Strategy is to be a success.

Issued on 19 October, the Net Zero Strategy sets out, for the first time, how the UK government plans to deliver its emissions targets of Net Zero in 2050 and a 78% reduction from 1990 to 2035 (-63% relative to 2019).

Chariman of the CCC, Lord Deben, said: “Until now, only the Climate Change Committee had offered a path to Net Zero. Now we have the government’s own plan for meeting the UK’s emissions targets. Ministers have made the big decisions – to decarbonise the power sector by 2035, to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles, to back heat pumps for homes. And they have proposed policies to do it.

“Now they must deliver these goals and fill in the remaining gaps in funding and implementation. My Committee will hold their feet to the fire, as we are required to under the Climate Change Act. This is the UK’s climate governance working as it should.”

The Strategy’s plans cover commitments across a range of areas. Key among them is the ambition to fully decarbonise the power sector by 2035. This would be supported by harnessing low carbon hydrogen, to phase out fossil fuels from transportation, home heating and much of industry.

The government also offers proposals for driving up delivery and scaling up private investment. These include contract auctions for renewable power, a zero-emission vehicle mandate, an obligation on boiler manufacturers to grow the heat pump market, grants and contracts for carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) and hydrogen use.

The CCC report also identifies some strategic gaps, as well as uncertainties, over how the Government’s ambitions will be delivered in some sectors. For example, plans to tackle emissions from agriculture are still unclear, while methods of drumming up public engagement are described as insufficient.

In addition, while the committee welcomes the government’s backing for a major scale-up of the heat pump market, it’s still early days. The price disparity between gas and electricity needs to be addressed without delay, and vague plans on improving home energy efficiency need to be pinned down for the 60% of UK households that are owner-occupiers but not in fuel poverty.

The CCC report urges the government to address the gaps identified in its report, and the strong proposals in the Net Zero Strategy should be moved through consultation and policy development into implementation as quickly as possible.

The CCC says it will monitor progress on delivery closely and report its findings in its annual report to Parliament next summer.

The ‘Independent Assessment: The UK’s Net Zero Strategy‘ can be read here.