Comment on CCC Recommendation on Fifth Carbon Budget

Commenting on advice released today by the Committee on Climate Change over whether to change their recommendation on the UK’s fifth carbon budget after the adoption in December of the Paris climate agreement.

Richard Black, Director of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said “The climate agreement that all countries struck in Paris last month is likely to accelerate progress towards a global low-carbon economy, and so it’s entirely right that the Committee looked again at its advice to ensure that the UK wouldn’t be left behind.

“It’s concluded that if the UK meets the existing carbon budgets, we’ll be cutting emissions as far and as fast as comparable countries, which is clearly sensible.

“But the Committee also pointed out that we currently have little idea how this government intends to reduce emissions, let alone ensure energy security; having spent its first six months emptying the energy policy cupboard, it has yet to re-stock and thereby give investors the confidence they need to get us back on track.”