The committee’s 2024 Progress Report to Parliament said that while progress has been made in phasing out coal-generated electricity, the UK economy needs to rapidly reduce its use of oil and gas.
The report found that while emissions fell significantly during 2023, only a third of the emissions reductions required to achieve the 2030 target (the UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement) are currently covered by credible plans.
Therefore, the committee has called for action from all sectors of the economy and fresh investment into low-carbon technology. It also set out 10 priorities for the remainder of 2024.
These were as follows: make electricity cheaper; reverse recent policy rollbacks; remove planning barriers for heat pumps, electric vehicle charge points and onshore wind; introduce a comprehensive programme for decarbonisation of public sector buildings; effectively design and implement the upcoming renewable energy CfD auctions; accelerate electrification of industrial heat; ramp up tree planting and peatland restoration; finalise business models for large-scale deployment of engineered removals; publish a strategy to support skills; and strengthen the third National Adaptation Programme.
‘System-level change required’
Commenting on the findings, Patrick Suckling, managing director at climate and nature advisory and investment firm Pollination, said the report was a “stark wakeup call” for the country.
“Absent leadership from the top signal it will be for less not more and that means the climate emergency gets worse and the opportunities for jobs and growth weaken at a time the UK needs these to strengthen,” Suckling added.
“The new Labour government has said all the right things about doubling down to net-zero and this report underlines the urgent need to translate that into action: now. We need this leadership to forge the collective effort, both public and private, so desperately needed to unlock the billons required for successful transition, to bring about the system-level change for the UK economy to become more sustainable, resilient and nature restorative.”
In other news, McCain Foods GB has issued an immediate recall notice for nine non-compliant products.
