‘Our children will not forgive us’: UK climate watchdog delivers damning review

The UK’s Climate Change Committee has slammed the government for its “hesitancy” and “inaction” on net zero over the past year, with progress falling behind in all but a few areas of the economy.

The CCC, which holds the government accountable for progress against the UK’s legally-binding climate commitments, delivered its annual Progress Report to Parliament at the end of June.

The 437-page report concludes that ministers have failed to deliver on any of the priority recommendations the CCC made last year. Confidence in the UK meeting its climate commitments from 2030 onwards is now “markedly less” than a year ago, the committee warned.

Although UK greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 46 per cent from 1990 levels, the annual rate of reduction must now quadruple if the UK is to meet its next milestone of a 68 per cent reduction by 2030.

The good news

• Transport: Sales of new electric cars are growing ahead of expectations and there is some evidence that car use has reached a ‘reduced steady state’
• Energy: The rollout of battery storage on the grid is on track, while progress on ‘dispatchable low carbon capacity’ – which includes measures like replacing natural gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS) or hydrogen – is also determined ‘good’
• Energy prices: Policy changes during the energy cost crisis have moved electricity prices closer to gas prices, which will aid incentives to adopt electric technologies
• Government: The government is on track to achieve its own emissions targets for public sector estate.

The bad news

• Transport: Electric van sales are significantly off track and van traffic is increasing faster than planned. Plans for multiple airport expansions are still continuing despite advice that there should be no net airport expansion across the UK
• Energy: Renewable energy capacity is not growing at the rate required, particularly for solar power. The government has still not reversed a de facto ban on onshore wind, despite this being one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy, and is also sending “confusing signals” by planning to expand the production of fossil fuels
• Buildings: The government has committed to scale-up the market for heat pump installations to 600,000 by 2028, but current rates are around one-ninth of this. Installation rates of insulation and other energy efficiency measures also continue to be below the necessary levels and fell further in 2022
• Land use: Tree-planting rates must double by 2025 if the UK is to reach its target of planting 30,000 hectares of woodland per year. Peatland restoration – another key measure to capture and store carbon naturally – is also significantly off track
• Agriculture: Reported meat consumption in the UK has fallen but much more progress needs to be made in encouraging the shift towards healthier low carbon diets
• Industry: Although industry has reduced emissions year-on-year, much of this is due to the grid becoming greener rather than action by businesses themselves. Crucially, there is no clear plan to support the electrification of industry.  

UK being ‘left behind’

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the outgoing chair of the CCC, Conservative peer Lord Deben said: “The UK has lost its clear global climate leadership while game-changing interventions from the US and Europe, which will turbocharge growth of renewables, are leaving the UK behind."

“Our children will not forgive us if we leave them a world of withering heat and devastating storms where sea level rises and extreme temperatures force millions to move because their countries are no longer habitable. None of us can avoid our responsibility. Delay is not an option.”

The Progress Report finishes with 300 recommendations for action, a searchable list of which can be found on the CCC website.

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