Climate Change Committee

📅 Some dates for your diaries 📅 We’ve had lots of questions about our timetable of publications, so we’re delighted to share these with you. For much of 2024, we’ve been heads down in our models at the Climate Change Committee. We’ve been working on the analysis for the Seventh Carbon Budget (CB7) – due to be published in February 2025. CB7 will cover the whole of the UK. On top of that, we’ll be producing separate advice for Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales later in 2025. Dates of publication for each of these will be announced shortly. We’ve also got our Adaptation Progress Report and Mitigation Progress Report scheduled. In these, we look at how the Government is delivering against current targets. We’re still working on all of this (and a few other pieces!) so bear with us. We’re really looking forward to sharing our analysis with you.

The Committee is delighted to announce Emma Pinchbeck will be joining the Climate Change Committee as Chief Executive from 11 November. Emma will be supporting Professor Piers Forster in his current role as interim Chair and Baroness Brown as Chair of the Adaptation Committee. This is a period where the Committee will deliver important advice – in the next two years we will deliver both the Seventh Carbon Budget and the Climate Change Risk Assessment. Emma’s knowledge and expertise will help us in the development of this work. Climate action needs to speed up across both emissions’ reduction and climate adaptation policy. Secretary of State for the Department for Net Zero and Energy Security, Ed Miliband, said: "We are almost halfway through the decisive decade to halt climate change. Emma is joining the Climate Change Committee at a pivotal point, and following her leadership at Energy UK, is well placed to advise and challenge government on our net zero goals – ensuring we meet our climate commitments with ambition and urgency. “Emma’s extensive experience brings a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by industry, underscoring how the economics of clean energy are now aligned with climate policy, driving both environmental protection and economic growth. "I look forward to working closely with Emma and the Climate Change Committee to ensure the UK remains at the forefront of tackling climate change.” More: https://lnkd.in/erDW6jBh

We are recruiting a policy intern to provide analytical support to better understand cross-sectoral cascading risk arising from electrical disruption. The analysis will be used to inform the UK’s Fourth Independent Assessment of Climate Risk (CCRA4-IA). For more information and to apply - https://lnkd.in/eE3-kqB

Our latest progress report has been published today and sets out the Committee’s assessment of how well we are delivering against our legal targets. We are off track for our 2030 target. Only one third of emissions reductions required to meet this target are assessed as credible. This will need to change quickly. Ambitious action is needed beyond electricity, in buildings, industry and transport. Technologies such as electric vehicles, heat pumps and renewables must become the norm for the UK to get back on track. The report today sets out 10 priority recommendations. - Make electricity cheaper. - Reverse recent policy rollbacks. - Remove planning barriers for heat pumps and electric vehicle charge points. - Introduce a comprehensive programme for decarbonisation of public sector buildings. - Effectively design and implement the upcoming renewable energy CfD auctions. - Accelerate electrification of industrial heat. - Ramp up tree planting and peatland restoration. - Finalise business models for large-scale deployment of engineered removals. - Publish a strategy to support skills. - Strengthen NAP3. Watch our explainer video - https://lnkd.in/eBF5SAMd

We’ve delayed our Progress Report due to the dissolution of Parliament. A new date will be announced after the election.

The CCC has now started the Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk that will underpin the UK’s Fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA4). Understanding the risks from climate change and the potential for adaptation to address them is vital. We are leading the next independent assessment of this to be published in 2026. Read and watch an explanation of our plans on the CCRA4-IA here: https://lnkd.in/eYCFjzhN To inform the Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk that will underpin the UK’s Fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA4) we are also seeking your evidence and information on climate risk. We are keen to understand where the risks have changed or where new evidence is now available in order to build on previous assessments to inform the production of CCRA4-IA. The call for evidence can be found within the engagement section of the methodology.

The Committee is starting to prepare its work on the Fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment. As part of this work, we have launched a new research tender which will aim to assess the resilience of cold supply chains in the UK. This analysis will inform the Committee's report for the CCRA4. It will ensure there is a better understanding of how climate change could disrupt the UK's supply of essential goods that rely on a temperature-controlled supply chain. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/ed_F36zC

The Committee is starting to prepare its work on the Fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment. As part of this work, we have launched three research tenders covering water scarcity, heat in the built environment and the health impacts of extreme heat. This analysis will inform a Committee's report for the CCRA4. They will build the UK's understanding of how climate and weather changes interact with critical aspects of society alongside how these growing risks can be effectively managed. Find out more: 1. https://lnkd.in/e5niBZeZ 2. https://lnkd.in/eJp4tkZB 3. https://lnkd.in/erG7sTNU

The Scottish Government has ambitious targets and a welcome focus on the importance of public engagement and a just transition. However, the Committee no longer believes the Scottish Government will meet its statutory 2030 goal to reduce emissions by 75%. Annual targets have been repeatedly missed and the Scottish Government’s draft Climate Change Plan means there is no comprehensive strategy for reaching Net Zero in Scotland. The current policies and plans fall far short of what is needed. Risks remain in all areas with significant policy powers devolved to the Scottish Government (transport, buildings, agriculture, land use and waste). While many of the key indicators of delivery progress such as tree planting, peatland restoration rates and heat pump installations are off track. Ambitious targets require delivery and only three of the 14 key recommendations from the CCC’s 2022 Scottish Progress Report scored ‘good progress’. The Committee’s report makes updated recommendations to turn Scotland’s ambitious targets into effective delivery. More: https://lnkd.in/egx3u7Wd

Today, we have published our initial assessment of the Third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3). Published in July 2023, NAP3 is the UK Government’s statutory plan to ensure the country is prepared for the effects of climate change. It falls far short of what is required. NAP3 lacks the pace and ambition to address growing climate risks, which we are already experiencing in the UK, and fails to set a vision for what a well-adapted UK looks like. This prevents effective delivery. Only 40% of the short-term actions to address urgent risks identified in the last Climate Change Risk Assessment have been taken forward in NAP3. That slow progress shows the current approach is not working. An urgent strengthening of NAP3 is needed. It must improve the delivery of adaptation policy and ensure that adaptation is a fundamental aspect of policy making across all departments that is integrated with other key priorities. The UK Government must ensure the country is prepared for the effects of climate change. We cannot wait another five years for only incremental improvement. https://lnkd.in/eNzFXHX4