As everyone will be aware the political landscape suddenly changed overnight on the 4th of July! CCL UK welcomes the new attitude where getting to Net Zero is seen as a real opportunity. (Article updated 18/7/24).
There is a very useful analysis of exactly what the challenges and opportunities are on the Carbon Brief website. Carbon Brief has published a comprehensive study of the ‘Labour government’s in-tray for climate change, energy and nature’ and published a summary of expert opinion on the new Government’s top priorities for meeting UK climate targets. There is also an article about the webinar on the key climate priorities for the new UK government which links to the You Tube webinar recording. The webinar participants emphasised that the UK has historically punched above its weight as an exemplar to the world but now needs to deliver at home.
An article in DeSmog discusses the key players on climate change policy in the new government, which includes Chris Stark, formerly CEO of the Climate Change Committee.
On the 18th July the Climate Change Committee published the ‘Progress on reducing emissions: 2024 Report to Parliament’ which states that the new Government has to ‘make up lost ground’ to hit UK climate goals…….Our assessment is that only a third of the emissions reductions required to achieve the 2030 target are currently covered by credible plans. Action is needed across all sectors of the economy, with low-carbon technologies becoming the norm. See also Carbon Brief analysis.
Emma Pinchbeck, the CEO of Energy UK emphasised that the UK has a leading role to play, in part because it has the biggest off shore wind market in the world and phased out coal far faster than was expected but also because of our world leading governance (Climate Change Act 2008). These factors could enable us to show leadership going forward in areas like green finance and carbon pricing……“If you go early, you get the industrial benefits, the jobs, the growth and the industries in the country, and that’s the reason – apart from the altruism – that we should go faster. There’s loads of reasons the UK could still massively benefit from [decarbonising], even if we’re small and windy and rainy, cynical and tired, there’s still massive amounts of hope for us here. So don’t [let] anyone tell you otherwise.”
CCL UK believes that Climate Income is the best tool a government can use to price pollution without penalising the populace, indeed incentivising and helping householders and businesses to decarbonise. James Collis, Citizens’ Climate Europe Chair and CCL UK member, recently wrote about how Climate Income could be implemented in the UK, especially now that the relationship with the EU will be less combative.
CCL UK had been in dialogue with the Labour party for a while although it is fair to say that other pressures intervened recently! Our role now is to show how Climate Income could contribute to rebuilding the economy and household resilience, most likely through ETS reform. Some CCL UK members have also been involved in Liberal Democrat discussions on carbon pricing and as the new third party a Liberal Democrat MP will now have more power to influence the Government; they also support close alignment with the EU ETS.
We will continue to advise members on how to lobby their MP successfully so watch this space, the newsletters and the national meetings (every third Tuesday)!