Credit: oversnap/istock

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has today (Thursday 2nd May) published its report ‘Net Zero The UK’s contribution to stopping global warming’ which sets out advice to government on the UK’s long-term climate target. The CCC recommends that the UK achieve net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050.

The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment has said today that the government must swiftly put the CCC’s recommendations into practice to stop the necessary reforms becoming more expensive for taxpayers.

Professor Sam Fankhauser, Director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, said:

“The government has now been passed the baton for limiting climate change and must act swiftly to put the CCC’s recommendations into practice.

“If the UK is to continue to be a world leader in addressing the risk of climate change there can be no more delays to putting these reforms in place. The UK is currently not on track to meet even its carbon budgets for the late-2020s and early-2030s, and if this is not addressed sooner rather than later, taking the necessary steps will be more expensive for UK taxpayers. This must include more funding for energy efficiency upgrades in existing homes, such as for insulation and better boilers.

“Developing renewable sources of electricity generation, carbon capture and storage technology and methods to reduce emissions in farming all offer valuable opportunities for the UK economy to benefit from the process of moving to a low-carbon economy, by selling our innovations around the world.

“Meeting these emission reduction targets must now be a priority for each government department. A key test will be whether the CCC’s recommendations are reflected in the results of the government’s spending review later this year.”

The Grantham Research Institute has this week published a commentary on “What is net zero?

 

For more information about this media release please contact Kieran Lowe on +44 (0) 20 7107 5442 or k.lowe@lse.ac.uk or Bob Ward on +44 (0) 7811 320346 or r.e.ward@lse.ac.uk.

 

NOTES FOR EDITORS

  1. The ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (https://www.cccep.ac.uk/) is hosted by the University of Leeds and the London School of Economics and Political Science. It is funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (https://www.esrc.ac.uk/). The Centre’s mission is to advance public and private action on climate change through rigorous, innovative research.
  2. The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (https://www.lse.ac.uk/grantham) was launched at the London School of Economics and Political Science in October 2008. It is funded by The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment (https://www.granthamfoundation.org/).
  3. The Grantham Research Institute has spokespeople available for interview.

 

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