Net zero strategy shows UK will miss...

[Michael Grove]

2030 emissions cuts target

The government’s analysis, however, shows that its new policies will meet only 92% of the emissions cuts required and, without further changes, the target will be missed.

At the heart of its strategy is the UK’s legally binding requirement to reach net zero emissions by 2050, and its commitment under the Paris agreement to a plan – called a nationally determined contribution, or NDC – to cut emissions by 68% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. The 2030 pledge, boasted of as “world-leading” in the run-up to the Cop26 summit in Glasgow in 2021, is vital to get the UK on track to meet the long-term goal, and will be closely scrutinised by other governments.

Within the dense pages of analysis and recommendations, the official assessment of the NDC stood out: “We have quantified emissions savings to deliver 88 megatonnes or 92% of the NDC. We are confident that the delivery of emissions savings by unquantified policies detailed in this package will largely close this gap and the government will bring forward further measures to ensure [it] will meet its international commitments if required.”

However, Chris Venables, the head of politics at Green Alliance thinktank, said: “Our analysis shows that even that 92% is a very generous reading. It is hard to celebrate an announcement that says itself it’s not enough. The bottom line is that this plan doesn’t plot a route to net zero. There are only so many times we can claim climate leadership while falling short of our own targets.”

[Michael Grove]

 UK GOVERNMENT  RE[ACTION] • POTENTIAL DISASTER...

That would mean other sectors of the economy would have to cut their emissions further and faster to enable the UK to stay within its carbon budgets, if the Rosebank field went ahead.