UK Is Falling Behind On Race To Curb Emissions Warns Review – Net Zero

The UK risks failing on its net zero plans unless it takes a “new approach” to green targets, a review has warned. The report by a Tory MP says the government needs to be clearer and more consistent with its own climate policies. Delays in climate action also put the UK at an economic disadvantage, the report says. It calls for 25 actions by 2025, including onshore wind, eco-food labeling, and phasing out gas boilers.

Tory MP Chris Skidmore – who wrote the report – was commissioned by former prime minister Liz Truss to review the government’s delivery of net zero, to ensure it was “pro-growth and pro-business”. But Labour’s shadow climate secretary, Ed Miliband, said the government’s lack of “urgency and consistency” was “depriving our country of the economic opportunities climate action offers”. And Green MP Caroline Lucas said the review itself shied away from calling for “truly transformative measures to end our dependence on dirty, dangerous fossil fuels”. Net zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere.

The UK has set a legally binding target of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, as part of the global effort to avert the worst effects of climate change. Mr Skidmore is one of the greenest Tory MPs and signed the 2050 emissions target into law in 2019 when he was an energy minister.

He spent months travelling the country to meet politicians, business leaders and energy experts as part of his evidence-gathering process. Calling net zero “the growth opportunity of the 21st century”, Mr Skidmore says the UK “must move quickly” to reap the economic benefits of achieving the target. “We have heard from businesses that economic opportunities are being missed today because of weaknesses in the UK’s investment environment – whether that be skills shortages or inconsistent policy commitment,” Mr Skidmore writes.

“Moving quickly must include spending money. We know that investing in net zero today will be cheaper than delaying, as well as increasing the economic and climate benefits.” The review – a leaked copy of which was seen by the BBC ahead of its publication on Friday – said a key demand from across the country was “the need for clarity, certainty, consistency, and continuity from government”.

On top of setting out long-term goals, it outlines 25 actions the government should take in the next two years. These include:

In his conclusion, Mr Skidmore said the UK was in a “net-zero race” and delaying decisions risked losing jobs, infrastructure and investments to other countries.

The UK, he said, had “reached a tipping point” where the “risks of ‘not zero’ are now greater than the associated risks of taking decisive action on net zero now”. “This is why we need a new approach to our net zero strategy,” Mr Skidmore writes. “One which identifies stable 10-year missions that can be established across sectors, providing the vision and security for stakeholders and investors.” Sources in the renewable energy sector told the BBC it was vital for the review’s recommendations to be “taken forward immediately”, adding: “The government needs to take the same kind of agile and empowered approach as was used for developing the coronavirus vaccine.” A government spokesperson said Mr Skidmore’s report “recognises the government progress that has been made to date in working towards legally-binding net zero targets.

“The UK is leading the world on tackling climate change while also developing green jobs for the future – in fact we’ve cut emissions by over 44% since 1990 while growing our economy by 76%, and our policies have supported 68,000 green jobs since late 2020.”