The United Kingdom has been accused of being less ambitious on climate change than it once was, by the head of an independent government watchdog. Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Chris Stark, who leads the Climate Change Committee (CCC), said that Downing Street had sent a message to the rest of the world that the country was failing to prioritise the issue as much as before. The CCC assesses progress on climate targets and provides independent advice to ministers.
Stark stated that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had “clearly not” made the matter a focus of his government in the same way that previous administrations had. While Johnson has made headline-grabbing promises to address climate change and invested in green energy, many campaigners have accused the UK government of failing to implement necessary policies to reduce carbon emissions and achieve net-zero targets. Stark’s comments follow a report published earlier in the week, which found that half of the UK’s major low-carbon infrastructure projects are behind schedule.
A government spokesperson responded to the allegations, stating that “Our record on net zero speaks for itself.” The UK has set a legally binding target of being carbon neutral by 2050. However, according to Stark, the country is set to miss its legally binding goal of reducing emissions by 68% of 1990 levels by 2030, and is “banking on” unproven measures to reach net-zero by 2050. Although the UK has made progress, the government has endured criticism for allowing new oil and gas fields to be developed, and in particular for giving the go-ahead to a new coal mine.
Stark stated that government inaction on climate change would make it difficult for the UK to achieve its goals and set an example for the rest of the world. The comments come ahead of the UK’s hosting of the COP26 climate summit in November, where the government will seek to lead international efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions and limit global temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels
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