Energy & Climate
‘What we really need is action’
Climate Change Committee advises UK reduces emissions by 81% by 2035.
26 October 2024
Yesterday (26 Feb), two youth activists from Green New Deal Rising unveiled banners in Westminster Hall, reading ‘there’s no growth on a dead planet’ and ‘Listen to the CCC’.
The action coincides with the release of the Seventh Carbon Budget report from the country’s climate advisors, the Climate Change Committee (CCC).
The report outlines the sweeping scale of action required to meet the UK’s legally binding emissions reduction targets and avert the consequences of the climate emergency.
In the report, the CCC sets out how to decarbonise the UK by 2050, and what decisions need to be made in the coming years to ensure success.
The report models that we must reduce emissions by 87% (compared with 1990 levels) by 2040 – and show how this is feasible.
The report also highlights substantial economic benefits associated with the emissions reduction pathway it outlines.
These include reductions in household driving costs and energy bills of £700 each and significantly increased energy security.
‘This report makes it clear that there is no tension between economic success and climate action. In fact, the green economy presents a vast economic opportunity: well-paying jobs in left-behind communities, permanently lower bills, safety and security without the huge instability the climate crisis threatens.
‘Instead of pandering to the likes of Reform UK, who want us to stand by and do nothing as our futures go up in smoke, it’s time this government made good on its promise to be the greenest ever.
‘They must stop pursuing climate-destroying projects like the third runway at Heathrow, expansion of Gatwick and the Rosebank oilfield and urgently get on with delivering mass investment, funded by taxing the super-rich, into the green economy, breathing life back into communities and keeping us all safe from the climate emergency.’
FATIMA IBRAHIM
Co-director at Green New Deal Rising
Concern about the government’s climate credibility has been growing since Labour, when in opposition, dropped its flagship £28 billion green investment pledge.
It has been reignited in recent weeks following comments by the chancellor that economic growth is the government’s number one priority, even if it comes at the expense of net zero, and her subsequent backing of the controversial third runway at Heathrow.
The prime minister has also signalled that he may back the Rosebank oilfield, even though its approval by the previous government was recently ruled unlawful.
The action is part of the Green New Deal Rising campaign, ‘there’s no growth on a dead planet’, organised by the youth climate campaign group.
The aim is to push back against what the group says is a series of worrying signs that the government is u-turning on its commitment to climate action.
‘The Committee is delighted to be able to present a good news story about how the country can decarbonise while also creating savings across the economy. For a long time, decarbonisation in this country has really meant work in the power sector, but now we need to see action on transport, buildings, industry, and farming. This will create opportunities in the economy, tackle climate change, and bring down household bills.
‘Our analysis shows that there is no need to pitch action on climate change against the economy. We will need Government and business to deliver the investment, but we are confident that this Seventh Carbon Budget offers a secure, prosperous future for the UK.’
PROFESSOR PIERS FORSTER
Interim chair of the CCC
Climate Change Committee advises UK reduces emissions by 81% by 2035.
Confidence in net zero goals plummets as industry faces policy & investment hurdles.
Majority of households support net zero – but 71% would only continue to support the strategy if energy bills don’t rise further.
