UK government announces net zero review

The UK government has announced a “rapid” independent review of how best to meet the UK’s legally-binding climate target of net zero by 2050 in a way that grows the economy and does not place undue burdens on businesses or consumers (see press release, call for evidence and terms of reference).  The review, which has been commissioned by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), will be led by Chris Skidmore MP, who is a former energy minister. 

The new climate minister, Graham Stuart, said at the Conservative Party conference this week that this is not a review into whether the government does net zero, but rather just “ensuring we do it in the right way…There is absolutely no question of reviewing whether we do net zero”. The government has said the focus is on ensuring the net zero transition boosts economic growth and is not at odds with energy security. 

The call for evidence includes questions such as: 

• what challenges and obstacles have you identified to decarbonisation; 
• what opportunities are there for new/amended measures to stimulate or facilitate the transition to net zero in a way that is pro-growth and/or pro-business; and 
• what more could the government do to support businesses and consumers to decarbonise?

The call for evidence closes on 27 October and the review team has been asked to report back to the government with recommendations by the end of 2022. 

Earlier this year, the government’s climate advisors, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), had warned the Boris Johnson administration that the government is at a serious risk of missing its net zero targets: “holes must be plugged in its strategy urgently…the window to deliver real progress is short” (see here).  

And in July, the High Court ordered the government to submit a revised analysis to the Parliament before the end of March 2023 explaining how the policies in the Net Zero Strategy will contribute to the UK’s climate targets (see here). 

For more information on the UK’s Net Zero Strategy, see here.