Report courtesy of The Committee on Climate Change

1. Outline

This report responds to a request from the Governments of the UK, Wales and Scotland, asking the Committee to reassess the UK’s long-term emissions targets. Our new emissions scenarios draw on ten new research projects, three expert advisory groups, and reviews of the work of the IPCC and others.

The conclusions are supported by detailed analysis published in the Net Zero Technical Report that has been carried out for each sector of the economy, plus consideration of F-gas emissions and greenhouse gas removals.

2. Key findings

The report’s key findings are that:

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• The Committee on Climate Change recommends a new emissions target for the UK: net-zero greenhouse gases by 2050.
• In Scotland, we recommend a net-zero date of 2045, reflecting Scotland’s greater relative capacity to remove emissions than the UK as a whole.
• In Wales, we recommend a 95% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050.

A net-zero GHG target for 2050 will deliver on the commitment that the UK made by signing the Paris Agreement. It is achievable with known technologies, alongside improvements in people’s lives, and within the expected economic cost that Parliament accepted when it legislated the existing 2050 target for an 80% reduction from 1990.

However, this is only possible if clear, stable and well-designed policies to reduce emissions further are introduced across the economy without delay. Current policy is insufficient for even the existing targets.

3. More information

• Net Zero – Technical Report
• Presentation slides setting out the report’s key findings by Chris Stark, Chief Executive of the Committee on Climate Change

4. Supporting research, charts and data

• Net-Zero Exhibits – Chapter 1
• Net-Zero Exhibits – Chapter 2
• Net-Zero Exhibits – Chapter 3
• Net-Zero Exhibits – Chapter 5
• Net-Zero Exhibits – Chapter 6
• Net-Zero Exhibits – Chapter 7
• Net-Zero Exhibits – Chapter 8
• Net-Zero assumptions log
• Net-Zero costs dataset
• Net Zero – Technical Annex – Climate Science
• UK Net-Zero Advisory Group – Chair’s report
• International Net-Zero Advisory Group – Chair’s report
• Costs and Benefits of Net-Zero Advisory Group – Chair’s report
• The UK’s contribution to a Paris-consistent global emissions reduction pathway (Grantham Institute, Imperial College London)
• Modelling ‘leadership-driven’ scenarios of the global mitigation effort (UCL Energy Institute)
• Living Carbon Free – Exploring what a net-zero target means for households (Energy Systems Catapult)
• Behaviour change, public engagement and Net Zero (Imperial College London)
• Summary of responses received to the Net Zero Call for Evidence

5. Selected external work informing our assessment

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C
• European Commission: 2050 long-term strategy
• Energy Transitions Commission: Mission Possible
• Royal Society & Royal Academy of Engineering: Greenhouse gas removal
• UN Environment: Emissions Gap Report 2018

6. Infographic