The BEIS committee are looking into Net zero and UN climate
summits. On January 12th, they took evidence on the Energy White
Paper.
Witnesses:
Committee on Climate Change, Energy UK, The Association for
Renewable Energy and Clean Technology, Decarbonised Gas Alliance,
Mineral Products Association, UK Steel, Chemical Industries
Association, and Oil and Gas UK
The BEIS Committee has launched a standing inquiry on the UK’s
‘Net Zero’ target and the UN Climate Summits. The Committee
expects this inquiry to run for the duration of this Parliament.
It will consider issues including:
- Progress in delivering the UK’s 2050 net zero target;
- Progress in cutting emissions to meet the UK’s five-yearly
Carbon Budgets;
- The role of BEIS in leading climate change mitigation policy
across Government;
- The potential role of business and industry in the net zero
agenda;
- Preparations for the 2021 Climate Summit in Glasgow, and the
UK’s performance as Summit host;
- The ongoing role of the UK in international climate talks and
initiatives to tackle climate change.
Background
On 27 June 2019 the UK’s ‘Net Zero’ target came into force,
setting a new goal to reduce the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions by
at least 100% (compared to 1990 levels) by 2050. The Net Zero
target replaces the UK’s previous goal to reduce UK emissions by
80% by 2050, established by the Climate Change Act 2008.
The net zero target aligns UK legislation with the ambitions of
the Paris Agreement, as agreed by the world’s nations at the 2015
UN Climate Summit (COP21). The Paris Agreement sets an aim to
limit global temperature rise to "well below 2°C" above
pre-industrial levels and to "pursue efforts to limit the
increase to 1.5°C".
In September 2019 the UK was awarded the Presidency of the next
UN Climate Summit (COP26), in partnership with Italy. The Summit
will now take place in Glasgow in November 2021.
