This is blog three of the ‘Net Zero Blog Series’. 

Introduction

The Climate Change Act passed in 2008 by the UK Parliament is the basis for the UK's plan to tackle climate change. The Act set out targets to reduce emissions making the UK, the first country in the world to have a legally binding climate change legislation. The initial target was to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. However, in 2019, the target was changed to 100% making the UK the first major economy to commit to a complete decarbonization of its economy. Following this, a set of policy documents was published by the country in 2021 mapping out the plans to achieve the net zero target by 2050 - ‘Net Zero Strategy - Build Back Greener’. This document was based on the reports released by the Climate Change Committee (CCC), an independent climate advisor to the UK government. 

Based on the Climate Change Act, the CCC releases ‘carbon budgets’ setting a cap on the amount of emissions that the UK can release over a period of five years. These budgets are determined at least 12 years in advance. The first, second and third budget targets (2008-2022) were met, however, the country is not on track for meeting the fourth carbon budget (2023-2027) target. The UK High Court ruled the strategy unlawful, showing major gaps in the plans. Owing to this, the UK released the latest climate and energy policy package in 2023, of which the main feature is ‘Powering up Britain’. The document focuses primarily on reducing emissions from seven sectors through a wide range of policies and innovative decarbonisation technologies. The document consists of, 

1. A Net Zero Growth Plan

2. An Energy Security Plan which highlights the importance and plans of energy security across the nation. 

3. A Carbon Budget Delivery Plan based on the Carbon Budgets 4 (2023-2027) - Carbon Budget 6 (2033-2037). 

Highlights

In March 2023, the approximately 3,000 page policy suite was released out of which, the central document was ‘Powering up Britain’. The document discusses roadmaps to a net zero economy, a plan for energy security and economic opportunities from a net zero transition. The plan focuses on seven sectors as described in the table below which highlights the central points of actions in the sector.

Conclusion

Most of the policies described in ‘Powering up Britain’ are not new and were promulgated prior to the publication of this document. Interestingly, certain targets, particularly in the transport and building sector, were weakened in just under six months of the release of the document. The power sector was also affected by this decision. It is important to note that those sectors have been seen as necessary sectors for decarbonisation plans. The move, dismally, seemed to be more political than based on a scientific consensus and therefore has been sharply criticised on many levels since the UK has been on the forefront of climate leadership.