A stark report from the Climate Change Committee and reprioritisation of key climate policies has dented the UK’s position as a climate leader.
In the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) recent progress report to parliament, it was concluded that the UK is no longer a world leader on climate. The report has criticised the UK government for having “a lack of urgency” when it comes to climate policy, and condemned the UK’s fossil fuel expansion which is “not in line with net zero.”
Approving new coal mines, pulling climate funding, and slowing the progress of onshore wind have all contributed to a decline in UK climate policy as the government signals that its commitment to environmental goals is not of paramount importance.
While the USA and EU are making giant leaps towards climate commitments with the development of the Inflation Reduction Act and the EU Green Industrial Deal, the UK is failing to compete with such progressive policies and is instead taking a step away from green economic growth.
A leaked internal government document has recently unveiled the UK government’s intention to break its flagship £11.6bn climate and nature funding pledge, a claim which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak denies. The commitment was first made by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson back in 2019 in a bid to improve financial aid offered to vulnerable nations who suffer the consequences of climate change – something many argue is primarily driven by developed and industrialised nations and should therefore be mitigated by them.
Unprecedented economic conditions and shocks which could not have been anticipated have been cited as key drivers of the decision to retreat; however, the UK government has since refuted backpedalling claims and denied that it plans to drop the climate funding pledge.
Despite this, the initial commitment was made when inflation was lower, economic conditions were more stable, and the UK’s international aid commitment was 0.7 per cent of GDP. With greater economic pressures mounting and a need to boost domestic investment in innovation, R&D and green technology, the government is unlikely to justify maintaining historic international aid targets.
Government officials have estimated that 83 per cent of the total aid budget would need to be spent on climate funding to meet the £11.6bn target by 2023, leaving little room for the funding of other international aid projects.
The UK has long been heralded as an offshore wind power leader, with an abundance of onshore wind projects to solidify their position as global renewable energy pioneers. Recently, Rishi Sunak’s U-turn on new onshore wind projects has received significant backlash.
The decision not to end an effective ban on new onshore wind projects has been heavily criticised, with climate groups signalling a need for more renewable energy projects to support the UK’s clean energy transition.
Another indicator of Sunak’s critiqued approach to climate policy is the recent resignation of Zac Goldsmith, Tory peer and green enthusiast, who believes Sunak is “simply uninterested” in the environment and the pressing climate emergency.”
With the next general election primed for 2024, and Labour strongly ahead in the polls, there was much interest in their redrafted green policy announcing plans for net zero. This includes a publicly owned energy body, GB Energy, to be based in Scotland and provide millions of pounds in funding to councils for renewable schemes.
Labour have also pledged a nationwide home retrofitting scheme to improve energy efficiency significantly by 2030, as well as plans to rescind new oil and gas exploration, highlighting a commitment to end all new gas and oil projects in the North Sea.
While the UK has lost its climate leader status, the importance of committing to and achieving net zero remains clear. The Energy Security and Net Zero strategy focuses on long-term investments into carbon capture and storage and nuclear but falls short of offering meaningful short-term solutions to achieving our net zero targets. This could prove to be a missed opportunity in improving the UKs growth potential, as well as at the ballot box.
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