Ambitious action on emissions is needed if the UK is to achieve its 2030 target. In its 2024 Report to Parliament the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) assessment is that only a third of the emissions reductions required to achieve the country’s 2030 target are currently covered by credible plans. The 2030 target is the first one set in line with a Net Zero trajectory.
This news comes against the backdrop of a more positive story – that the country’s emissions are now less than half the levels they were in 1990. This is largely due to the phase out of coal and the rapid increase of renewables. This project has been a huge success – but to continue to decarbonise, the UK will now need to see ambitious action on emissions not just in the energy sector, but also across transport, buildings, industry and agriculture. The plans in place from the previous Government will not deliver enough action.
The Committee has written a priority list of ten recommendations in its report presented to Parliament on 18 July to encourage ambitious action on emissions. Top among these are to make electricity cheaper, reverse recent government policy rollbacks, and increase rates of tree planting and peatland restoration.
Much of the low carbon technology needed is already available the report says. Yet almost all indicators for the increase and implementation of that technology are off track, with rates needing to increase significantly. By 2030:
- Annual offshore wind installations must increase by at least three times, onshore
wind installations will need to double and solar installations must increase by five
times. - Approximately 10% of existing homes in the UK will need to be heated by a heat
pump, compared to only approximately 1% today. - The market share of new electric cars needs to increase from 16.5% in 2023 to
nearly 100%.
The Committee draws attention to the damage done by the previous Government’s policy reversals. These have increased the gap between the UK’s plans and its targets, leaving the UK further off track. The broader messaging, both domestically and internationally, also caused significant uncertainty about the country’s commitment to Net Zero. The Committee urges the new Government to address this, with a clear commitment to the Net Zero transition, backed with rapid policy action and a sharp-eyed focus on removing barriers.
The report points out that polling shows that the public has no appetite for climate division. Until last year, as well as showing domestic leadership, successive UK Governments had played a leading role in international climate diplomacy and could fairly claim to have accelerated action worldwide. The Committee hopes the new Government will take the opportunity presented by COP29 to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan from 11 – 22 November, to re-establish UK leadership on the global climate stage.