CCC states government ‘off-track’ to hitting 2030 targets
Despite the UK government being more transparent on its net-zero plans, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has said its confidence in meeting 2030 goals is “markedley less” than a year ago.
Specifically in the sectors of transport and energy, the committee said in its report ‘Progress in reducing emissions 2023 Report to Parliament‘ that sales of new electric cars “continue to grow ahead of our pathway”, but it criticised commercial vehicle progress, saying “electric van sales are still lagging and remain significantly off track.”
It also said that although renewable electricity capacity increased in 2022, it was “not at the rate required to meet the Government’s stretching targets, particularly for solar”. The committee said an opportunity for rapid deployment of onshore wind and solar, which could have grown the UK’s clean energy supply, had been missed.
Stating that “time is now very short”, it did say that the “glimmers of the net-zero transition can be seen in growing sales of electric cars” and renewables capacity, but the scale up was “worryingly slow”.
It also stated that support for a decarbonised industry was “lacking” in an era of global competition, and called for a rapid reform to planning rules so that essential upgrades to the electricity grid and other net-zero infrastructure wasn’t “stymied by restrictive planning rules”.
According to the CCC, there was also “still no clear plan to support industrial electrification” and “little evidence that industry is preparing to electrify at scale”.
Elsewhere in the report, the committee called for more work on hydrogen and electric heating as well as work on the decarbonisation of buildings and intensive agriculture.
Lord Deben, Chairman of the Climate Change Committee, said: “The lesson of my ten years at the Climate Change Committee is that early action benefits the people of this country and helps us to meet the challenges of the coming decades more cheaply and more easily. Yet, even in these times of extraordinary fossil fuel prices, Government has been too slow to embrace cleaner, cheaper alternatives and too keen to support new production of coal, oil and gas.
“There is a worrying hesitancy by Ministers to lead the country to the next stage of Net Zero commitments. I urge the Government to regroup on Net Zero and commit to bolder delivery. This is a period when pace must be prioritised over perfection.”
Industry reaction:
The REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology) has welcomed the Climate Change Committee (CCC)’s report to Parliament on progress in reducing emissions. The report emphasises that better transparency and ambitious targets are no substitute for real delivery.
Chief Executive, Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, 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 U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.
“It is clear that government should now 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. The targets are there, but government must now crack on with delivery.”
UK100, the only UK-wide network of local authorities committed to ambitious Net Zero action, has welcomed the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) new report.
Jason Torrance, UK100’s Interim Chief Executive, said:”The Climate Change Committee’s report is a vital reminder of the crucial role of local authorities in reaching Net Zero. Some trailblazing local authorities are achieving enormous change despite the regulatory and resource challenges the report highlights — but many are still hamstrung by “Kafkaesque” rules and short-term competitive funding pots.
“The Progress report only reinforces the urgency of our call for an end to short-term competitive local authority funding and a Net Zero Powers Bill. This will capitalise on progress made by trailblazing councils and address the critical gaps still hampering wider local Net Zero delivery.”
“Ministers must now take heed of both reports and prioritise local action that accelerates Britain towards Net Zero while halting investments that drive us further from our world-leading goals.”
Lawrence Slade, Chief Executive, 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.
“I was pleased the committee continues to recognise there’s no one solution to get us to the governments’ net zero targets and we agree the plans for a rapid expansion of zero-carbon generation and general electrification work should be supported by a correspondingly clear vision for the development of hydrogen production and storage infrastructure.
”To translate this to delivering the required infrastructure, we need Government to provide greater certainty for investors, more transparency around how decisions will be made and more speed to the creation of schemes that everyone agrees are needed.
“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.”
Fiona Howarth, CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles, comments: “The electric car market continues to skyrocket in the UK. As recognised by the Climate Change Committee, it’s one of the few shining lights in our journey towards a greener energy system, but now isn’t the time to take our foot off the pedal.
“The Government must provide clear and firm policies and incentives to make the UK a global leader in our race to clean, green driving. The ZEV mandate has a big role to play. By setting a clear route to ban new dirty fossil fuel cars by 2030, the Government will ensure long-term investment in charging infrastructure, save UK drivers billions in running costs, and not to mention help to look after the planet.”
Gill Nowell, Head of EV Communications at ElectriX, part of LV= General Insurance comments: “Zero tailpipe emission vehicles are essential in our drive towards net zero. As today’s Climate Change Committee report shows, what was once perceived as a useful stepping stone to all-electric, we now know that plug-in hybrids are up to five times more polluting than previously thought. With the range of fully electric cars increasing, with many EVs running for over 250 miles on a single charge, and public charging infrastructure also improving, our focus must be on helping the driving community make an easy, affordable and enjoyable switch to all-electric.”
The second Transport + Energy Forum will take place on 16th November in Birmingham – with a key focus for the event centred around moving further and faster to accelerate the transition to a decarbonised future.
The event, which is taking place at the Birmingham Conference & Events Centre, will bring together over 200 transport and energy leaders with some of the most compelling speakers from across the sectors to take part in presentations, panel discussions and networking sessions.
British politician Chris Skidmore – commonly referred to as the Government’s climate tzar for overseeing the flagship Net-Zero Review, leads the speaker lineup. Find out more and book your place here.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock.
