December 9, 2020

expert reaction to the 6th carbon budget, as published by the Climate Change Committee (CCC)

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) have published their advice to Government for decarbonising the UK with the 6th Carbon Budget.

Prof Rowan Sutton, National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Reading, said:

“The Climate Change Committee’s Sixth Carbon budget is an impressive piece of work. It lays out a very clear path for what the UK must do next to meet its legal commitment to achieving net zero by 2050. Crucially it highlights the many opportunities that this transition presents – for new jobs, for economic recovery and for renewed UK leadership internationally – as well as the wider benefits for health and an improved natural environment.  It is a highly ambitious plan, but also realistic and necessary. The 2020s are the decisive decade for action on climate change and 2021, with COP26, will be a decisive year.”

Dr Joeri Rogelj, Director of Research and Lecturer in Climate Change and the Environment, Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, said:

“The CCC’s advice sets the UK on a convincing path towards net zero. It focusses on early action and deep emissions reductions over the next two decade – faster than the global average.

“It also emphasises that the UK’s contribution to meeting the Paris Agreement should go beyond rapid domestic emissions reductions. Instead it should include assisting countries overseas reducing their emissions and adapting to climate change through cooperation and international climate finance.

“This required broad international involvement makes sense given the UK’s historical contribution to climate change and its excellent position today to tackle it. The UK Government should follow the CCC’s advice to confirm its position as a global climate leader. It will need this ‘climate cred’ to have any chance of bringing the COP26 negotiations to a good end. Under the UK’s presidency, countries need to come forward with new, strengthened climate pledges in the next year. The UK government has an opportunity to lead the way, not only by setting ambitious targets itself, but, by assisting others to do so as well.”

Prof Mark Maslin, Professor of Climatology at UCL, said:

“The sixth carbon budget provides a detailed assessment of how the UK will achieve an 80% cut in greenhouse gases emissions by 2035, compared to 1990 levels. This extends the Prime Minister’s pledge to reduce UK emissions by 68% by 2030 and together will ensure the UK gets to our legally binding ‘net carbon zero’ before 2050.  This makes the UK climate change ambition one of the most dynamic and aggressive of any leading world economy.  Central to the sixth carbon budget is the economic modelling that suggests getting to net zero will cost the UK only 0.5-0.9% of GDP – due to the rapid drop in the price of renewable energy and green technology.  But greening the UK economy will provide a 3% boost to GDP and a 1% extra increase in employment by 2050.

“But this exciting UK climate change agenda can only happen if the Government deliver the policies, regulations, and incentives to ensure that these significant greenhouse gas cuts are made.  We must hold this Government to their pledges – top ensure it is not a load of hot air. We need 100% clean electricity, we need all vehicles to be electric, we need to switch away from gas central heating, we need sustainable agriculture, we need to reforest and rewild the UK and we need Mark Carney’s taskforce to produce a global transparent system of carbon offsetting to help companies get to net zero as soon as possible.  

“The sixth carbon budget shows UK Government wants to be the world leaders in tackling climate change.  They will also need to employ all their geopolitical diplomacy over the next 12 months to encourage other major nations of the world to be equally ambitious at the Glasgow COP26 – ultimately what we want is a competition between nations – who can get to net zero emissions first.

“The UK sixth carbon budget shows everyone is that saving the planet will not cost the Earth – in fact, it will provide a significant boost to the economy and employment.”

Prof Myles Allen, Professor of Geosystem Science at the University of Oxford and Director of Oxford Net Zero, said:

“Great to see the CCC acknowledging that there are alternatives to taxing and spending our way to net zero: just require fossil fuel suppliers to safely and permanently dispose of a fraction of the carbon dioxide generated by the products they sell, rising to 100% by 2050. This is the only way to stop fossil fuels from causing global warming short of banning them altogether – so let’s just get on with it and put a progressive carbon takeback obligation on the table for COP26.”

Prof Dave Reay, Chair in Carbon Management, University of Edinburgh, said:

“You can argue all you like about whether the UK has truly ‘world-leading’ targets on climate change, but you can’t deny it has world-leading climate change advice. This weighty report maps out the path to net zero for the whole country; every sector of the economy is scrutinised, every lever for action is unearthed. Crucially, it articulates the rapid transition to net zero as the (electric) engine room of a green recovery, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and helping to address the deep inequalities in our society that Covid has deepened still further. As a dark year draws to a close this is enlightenment at the end of the tunnel.”

Prof Daniela Schmidt, Professor in Palaeobiology and Research Director, Faculty of Science, University of Bristol, said:

“The government made a promising announcement this week about the UK’s carbon future. The CCC now provides the detail needed to move from a the governmental ambition to a plan which is economically feasible. These actions need to be taken to reduce the risk of impacts of climate change in the UK such as drought, crop failures and floods. The CCC outlines a plan of reduced demands, improved efficiency and changes to technologies. Importantly, it calls us to take responsibility for the CO2 impact of producing goods outside the UK and transporting them to the UK. The advice shows a path to new jobs and for a fairer distribution of new industries. Such a transition will make the UK a better place to live, with cleaner air, healthier ways of living, greener cities, and a more diverse landscape.”

Prof Euan Nisbet, Professor of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway, said:

“This is a massively important report that maps out a whole new economy for Britain, to create a better country. To persuade others, the best way is to lead. Theresa May’s commitment to Net Zero was an extraordinary promise. Although the UK has already accomplished remarkable change, it is going to be an enormous challenge. But this shows it can be done. It can be afforded. This is world-leading, and it’ll persuade other countries also to follow the Net Zero path. Success will bring us a more prosperous country with a more resilient economy, much cleaner air and far better living for us all.”

Declared interests

Prof Reay: “No interests declared.”

Prof Schmidt: “no conflicting interests.”

Prof Maslin: “No conflicts to declare.”

No others received.