Ministers are considering plans to weaken Britain’s carbon reduction plans by allowing unused portions of the last carbon budget to be rolled over into the next.
This would go against the strong recommendations of the Government’s statutory climate adviser, the Committee on Climate Change.
But it will make it easier to achieve your next goal. Britain’s carbon emissions have fallen more than expected in recent years due to factors including the coronavirus pandemic and weak economic growth. This should be ignored, the CCC says, with stricter emissions targets for the next five years, preferably reaching net zero by 2050.
Ministers have until the end of this month to make a decision, and have only said publicly that such a decision will be made “in due course”.
Activists are concerned that this loophole could be exploited.
Dustin Benton, policy director at the Green Alliance, said: “If the government weakens its emissions reduction plans and ‘delays’ the right to burn carbon, which only exists because of the slow growth rate of the UK economy, it will “You’re going to make a mistake in judgment,” he warned. When we set our third carbon budget in 2008, we thought: ”
The UK needs to meet the target of cutting emissions by 68% by 2030, set at the Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow.
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“Monetizing Phantom Credits does not change our international commitments. It simply means we will have to double our emissions reduction rate later this decade, making our job much harder.” said Benton. “It goes against advice from the UK’s climate change watchdog and is never a good thing. By shifting the goalposts, it sends another signal that this government is not serious about supporting the green industry of the future. I will send it.”
He pointed to research by the Green Alliance that showed that only half of the carbon cuts needed by 2032 could be covered by identified policies. “We need action to close the gap, not an excuse for inaction,” he said.
The UK achieved its third five-year carbon budget for 2018-2022, requiring a 38% reduction compared to 1990 levels.The budgeted emissions cap was 2,544 megatons of CO2 but the actual emissions were 391 MtCO2Less than budget or 15% less.
Under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Minister is permitted to include in the next carbon budget any surplus emissions reductions compared to budget requirements. That would make it easier to meet the next budget, but it could also slow the UK’s progress towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
In February, CCC asked the government not to carry over surplus savings.
According to the Ministry of Energy Security and Net Zero, the government has not yet made a decision.
A spokesperson told the Guardian: “We are the first major economy to halve our emissions and have the most ambitious legally binding emissions targets in the world. We have exceeded every carbon budget to date. We will continue to meet our emissions targets. A decision will be taken in due course as to whether the UK’s overachievement on the third carbon budget will be carried forward.”
