Government has made progress reducing its greenhouse gas
emissions, but the way public bodies measure and report this
varies significantly, according to the National Audit Office
(NAO).
Since 2011, central government
bodies (government departments and their partner organisations)
have agreed targets with the Department for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to reduce their greenhouse gas
emissions through the Greening Government Commitments (GGCs). The
current GGC targets set by BEIS in negotiation with individual
departments specify the reductions departments are expected to
achieve by 2024-25, compared to a 2017-18 baseline.1
Government has committed to align these GGC targets with a
trajectory to achieve net zero by 2050.
There is no single department
at the centre of government that holds overall responsibility for
the framework for measuring and reporting of public sector
greenhouse gas emissions. The Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (Defra) has responsibility for GGCs. BEIS leads
on net zero, and the emissions-related aspects of the GGCs. HM
Treasury (HMT) sets sustainability reporting requirements for
annual reports and accounts.
By 2020, central government
reported that it had reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 50%
compared with 2009-10 - and had therefore achieved its combined
GGC target. Government attributes this to the improved management
of the government estate and the decarbonisation of the national
grid. However, the GGCs do not give a full picture of progress in
reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the public sector.
Emissions from the wider public sector, for example hospitals,
schools and local authorities, are outside the scope of
GGCs.
It is not clear that the GGC
2021-2025 targets are sufficiently ambitious. The Net Zero
Strategy stated an aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from
public buildings by 50% by 2032, and by 75% by the end of 2037,
compared with 2017 levels. The GGC emissions reduction targets
for individual departments range from 10% to 43%. BEIS does not
currently know whether together these will achieve the 25%
reduction in aggregate emissions by 2025, which is needed to stay
on course to meet the 2032 target.
Some public bodies have found
it challenging to navigate the range of guidance about how to
measure and report greenhouse gas emissions. HM
Treasury, BEIS, Defra and the Cabinet Office all publish
guidance, so organisations have to cross-check multiple documents
to ensure nothing is missed. There is no single location bringing
this information together.
Not all departments are fully
measuring their greenhouse gas emissions. The NAO found that for
2018-19 - before reporting was suspended during the COVID-19
pandemic - only nine of 21 government departments fully met HMT's
reporting requirements in their annual report and
accounts.
Some central government
organisations are using data to assess the cost implications of
reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. The NAO examined nine
organisations and found that Defence Equipment and Support and
the Department for Work and Pensions had estimated the cost of
decarbonising some of their operations. Some organisations had
made plans to reduce the financial cost of decarbonisation by
replacing assets (such as gas or oil-fired boilers) with lower
emitting alternatives as part of their routine asset renewal
cycle.
The NAO recommends that BEIS,
Defra and HM Treasury streamline greenhouse gas emissions
measurement and reporting guidance. BEIS should also ensure that
the 2021-2025 GGC targets are aligned to its long-term
decarbonisation goals.
, the head of the NAO,
said:
"The government has an ambition
for the public sector to lead by example during the transition to
net zero, but the measurement and reporting of greenhouse gas
emissions by public bodies is inconsistent.
"Public bodies face the
challenge of navigating various greenhouse gas emissions
reporting frameworks without a central source of government
guidance. Government now needs to strengthen its leadership and
establish a clear standard for the entire public sector to
meet."
- ENDS
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Notes for
Editors
-
These targets range from
achieving a 10% reduction to a 43% reduction in direct
emissions and a 27% to 69% reduction in overall
emissions.
