UK climate efforts ‘not enough’ says CCC in new report

THE UK is set to miss its 2030 net zero targets despite meeting all previous ones, according to the most recent progress report by the Climate Change Committee (CCC).

Although emissions are at half the level they were in 1990, the climate watchdog said the pace of reduction efforts has slowed down since last year due to a rollback on “key policies”.

Piers Forster, interim chair of the CCC, said: “The new government has an opportunity to course-correct, but it will need to be done as a matter of urgency to make up for lost time.”

Investment into wind

The CCC has listed several recommendations for the new government to help reduce emissions by 68% in the next six years. This includes reversing recent policy decisions and taking advantage of the falling cost of low carbon technologies.  

More investment into renewables was a focal point, with the CCC suggesting that installation of offshore wind needs to increase by three times its current rate and onshore wind by double to meet net zero targets.  

Currently there are 47 operational offshore windfarms in the UK, with seven under construction. In parallel, there are 764 operational onshore wind projects, with 34 under construction. The UK’s total wind capacity was 28 GW 2023, and half of that was generated by offshore wind.  

The government has set the goal to reach 50 GW in wind capacity by 2030 to stay in line with net zero targets. To do this, the CCC said that planning for contracts for difference (CfD) auctions needed to be improved and that the government must ensure funding is available to incentivise investors.   

It said: “The failure of AR5 [the latest CfD allocation round] to procure any additional offshore wind capacity has set back progress in an area that had previously been scaling up quickly. It is crucial that the next two allocation rounds get deployment rates back on track.” 

Policy rollbacks

One major change the CCC has suggested is for electricity prices to be brought down to help  consumers and businesses switch to low-carbon technologies.  

The independent advisor said that this could be done by removing policy and social costs that add to electricity bills, including social and environmental costs large suppliers have to pay to comply with government policy.  

Net zero policy took a hit last year due to the government’s decision to delay the phase-out of new fossil fuel vehicles and boilers, and remove the obligation for landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their rental properties.  

The CCC say these policies should be reinstated, with the government implementing more policies for electrifying heating and retrofitting homes with heat pumps.  

According to a recent parliamentary briefing, the public interest in heat pumps is low and there are not enough qualified heat pump installers to speed up installation rollout.  

The government has a goal to install 600,000 heat pumps each year by 2028. Last year 72,000 were installed.  

To grow competitiveness in the market, the CCC has advised the government to increase funding through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and remove planning barriers for heat pump installations.

New government shake-up

Climate policies have changed rapidly since the change of government earlier this month.

Recently, the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has lifted the ban on onshore wind, which has been in place since 2015, saying “we are revising planning policy to place onshore wind on the same footing as other energy development in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).”

The government also announced through the King’s Speech last week that it plans to launch Great British Energy, a publicly-owned clean power company to facilitate investment into renewables, including offshore wind.

Reacting to the CCC report, energy secretary Ed Miliband, said: “This report lays bare the failures of the previous government. On a vast range of policy areas, it says we are off track to meet our targets - and our country is paying the price with higher bills and energy insecurity.”

He added: “The government is wasting no time in delivering our mission. In just one week we have scrapped the nine-year onshore wind ban, established a National Wealth Fund, and consented more solar power than has been installed over the past year.”