The UK government has agreed a strong carbon budget for the period 2023-2027 of 50 per cent emissions reductions based on 1990 levels.
This was a key test of the effectiveness of the Climate Change Act which was passed in 2008, and while not perfect, it is certainly progress, according to Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Under the Climate Change Act, the government had to set the next carbon budget, which will now happen every five years, to map out the UK’s CO2-cutting path.
Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland was horrified to learn the government was likely to agree a plan leading to CO2 being cut more slowly than experts say is needed to avoid dangerous climate change. It prepared a letter urging the Environment Minister to resign if the rest of government forced him into this position.
Working with many other organisations – from 38 Degrees to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Christian Aid – Friends of the Earth encouraged supporters to lobby members of Parliament and the government. The Prime Minster, David Cameron, ended up receiving over 30,000 emails on the issue.
Progressive businesses in the Aldersgate Group also got on board to say that budgets helped create certainty for investors, seriously weakening the Business Department’s contention that carbon budgets were bad for UK business.
The wrangling over the carbon budget was a perfect example of the Climate Change Act in action – and working. The Act has largely proved itself in this first major test. The result was a solid target that will give the UK world-leading intermediate targets.
The Act now requires government to set out how to meet these carbon budgets before the end of the year – and start cutting emissions soon.
