The 27th June marks one year since the UK enshrined its net zero policy into law, a target that requires the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
This built on a previous commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from 1990 levels and the UK last year became the world’s first major economy to make its commitment legal.
Reaching this target is not only important in the fight against climate change, but also to tackle health issues associated with pollution, improve efficiencies in the economy and create a greener, cleaner economy looking forward.
Climate change has rightly been recognised as one of the most pressing issues facing the planet, and the UK has already cut carbon emissions by more than any other G7 country. The UK will also this year host the COP26 UN climate summit in Glasgow for the first time, helping to drive global action to turn the tide on environmental degradation.
Local MP, Caroline Dinenage, commented:
“It is fantastic that we can celebrate this milestone, a year on from our landmark commitment to cut our carbon emissions.
“I know this is something that myself, and my constituents, are rightly passionate about. The fight for our planet is not just for us, but for our children and grandchildren. I want them to see the same diverse, fantastic environment that we are privileged to enjoy now.
“The Government has continued to show its commitment to tackling climate change, and this is something that I will continue to push for.”
The road to Net Zero is backed by a £2 billion investment for new policies. The recent Budget also reinforced the UK’s strong track record as it committed £640 million for tree planting and peatland restoration, over £1 billion for the transition to electric vehicles, doubling the funding for energy innovation and tax measures to reduce plastic waste, among other measures.
As the country recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma, announced this month a new Green Recovery working group, one of five new ‘recovery roundtables’ bringing together businesses, business representative groups and leading academics, to unleash Britain’s growth potential and help the economy recover from the pandemic. This group will explore how to capture the economic growth opportunities from the shift to net zero emissions.