The Environmental Audit Committee has launched a new workstream focused on the Government’s net zero strategy, following the Climate Change Committee’s warning that time is running out for realistic climate commitments.
Setting a new strategic work programme focused on the Government’s plans and pathway to meet net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the Committee is set to ‘carefully monitor whether the Government’s strategies are adequate to meet its policy ambitions, and what solutions – if any – can be suggested.’
The Environmental Audit Committee will be collaborating with the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, which just launched a new inquiry focusing on governance needed for UK to reach net zero.
Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Philip Dunne, commented on the launch: “The UK has made much headway in creating a cleaner electricity system over the last decade, but we have a long way to go to clean up transport, industry and our homes and buildings.
“The COVID-crisis has clearly diverted Government from this task. But now we must move beyond warm words: now is the time for policies that deliver strong incentives to cut carbon across the economy.
“The Climate Change Committee is doing an admirable job highlighting the shortcomings of the climate policy being developed in Whitehall, and suggesting fixes before it is too late.
“Parliament has a key role to play here. Our new work on Mapping the Path to Net Zero, and the work of the BEIS Committee chaired by Darren Jones MP on net zero governance, intends to delve deeply into those areas of Government policy that urgently need to be made fit for a low-carbon future.”
More information about the ‘Mapping the path to net zero’-inquiry can be found from the UK Parliament website.
