28th February 2024
The UK’s Third Carbon Budget
Hot of the press comes an update for yesterday’s item. The Climate Change Committee published today their letter to Graham Stuart MP Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero:
“We are pleased to review your final figures showing that the UK’s Third Carbon Budget, covering the period 2018 to 2022, was successfully met with emissions 391 MtCO2e and 15% below the level of the budget (2,544 MtCO2e). ”
The letter goes on to emphasise the importance of increasing – not decreasing – the urgency and energy with which the net zero target is pursued: “Future carbon budgets will require an increase in the pace and breadth of decarbonisation. It is essential that an ambitious path of emissions reduction is maintained towards Net Zero.”
The letter also notes that “There has been good progress in the decarbonisation of electricity supply, driven by a faster than expected phase-out of coal. Industrial emissions also fell due to reduced output. However, most of the surplus in the Third Carbon Budget was due to predominantly external factors. In most other sectors, such as transport and buildings, the UK is not on track and progress will need to accelerate rapidly.”
To read the full letter – https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Advice-on-the-Third-Carbon-Budget-carry-over.pdf
The Green Tau 