FOCUS ON – NET-ZERO
HOW CLOSE IS THE UK
TO ITS CLIMATE GOALS?
The first instalment in our "Road to Net-Zero": analysing how on-track nations are to achieving their climate goals and those laid out by the Paris Climate Agreement. by Ash Jones
M
any nations across the globe have set goals to reduce active greenhouse gas emissions by 100% over the coming decades and strides towards sustainability have seen greater investment and support since the start of the millennium. The UK likes to style itself as a "global leader" in decarbonising industry, passing legislation to reduce pollution and accelerate tech advancements that will enable a greener future. But how accurate are these labels? Back in 2019, Theresa May's administration enshrined into law a target of net-zero by 2050 "at the latest" under the Build Back Greener scheme, unveiling its strategy for achieving these goals in October 2021. It has also set an interim target of reducing emissions by 78% of 1990 levels by 2035, which was raised in the face of the COP26 summit. The UK is also targeting a 68% reduction in emissions by 2030, which is the target it presented to the UN, and the one it is currently bound to. Before this, the country had pledged to reduce emissions by 57% by 2030. However, according to government projections from 2020 (available here), the UK was not on target to reach its 57% goal, let alone the revised figures. That said, recent 14 Industry Europe
policies (detailed below) could put it further on track. Annual reports are expected on how the UK plans to fund and reach these climate goals. The 2050 target has been enshrined into UK law, being one of 13 nations - plus the EU - to do so. However, it will not be targeting historical emissions, meaning carbon-negative industry is not currently a goal. As a signatory of the Paris Climate Agreement, its goals should ideally align with preventing a global rise in temperature by 1.5°C, or 2°C at the very most. However, in March 2021, a UN report suggested current goals by most nations may not be enough to reach the 1.5°C targets. The International Energy Agency (IEA), has a detailed rundown on the UK's goals. Britain is planning to decarbonise its energy grid by 2035, install 5GW of hydrogen capacity by 2030, power UK homes with offshore wind - of which the UK's has the world's largest installed capacity, and make great strides in carbon capture and storage (CCS) tech over the next decade hoping to target 6 million tonnes of industrial emissions per year by 2030. More specific details about the hydrogen economy and carbon capture tech - primar-
ily costs and why these goals are sufficient - have yet to be given. However, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has revealed the hydrogen economy "could be worth" around £900 million. Carbon emissions from electricity generation dropped by approximately two-thirds between 2012 and 2020, according to a BEIS report, and the sector looks to be on track to achieve its targets. The UK's most recent carbon budget is at 965 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over the 5 years 2033 to 2037, referring to the maximum amount of emissions that can be pumped into the atmosphere within this time frame. For reference, in 2037 alone, the budget is 207 million tonnes. The UK government has also called for netzero shipping by 2050. In early 2020, aviation executives also pledged to try and target netzero emissions within the same timeframe. Perhaps more radically, the UK has vowed to ban the sale of all fully-petrol or diesel-powered cars by 2030 and trucks by 2040, which has seen some support from major automotive players. Oil giant Shell acquired Ubitricity in January 2021 and later pledged to install 50,000 EV charging stations across the UK while a more recent scheme backed by
