Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom has announced in Parliament that the Government intends to enshrine a zero carbon emissions target in UK law.
This follows calls from former Labour leader Ed Miliband to make a zero emissions target legally binding.
The Climate Change Act 2008 already binds the UK to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050, however a target which asks for a 100% cut is seen as highly ambitious. It is widely believed that the final 20% of emissions will be the hardest to eliminate, this is because this will largely be emissions from industries such as farming which are a lot more difficult to de-carbonise compared to the energy sector.
Andrea Leadsom, Energy Minister announced: ''The Government believes that we will need to take the step of enshrining the Paris goal for net zero emissions in UK law. The question is not whether but how we do it.''
The announcement was welcomed by Ed Miliband who called for zero emissions to be enshrined in law prior to the Paris climate deal. He stated: ''It is the right thing to do because the science demands it, it makes economic sense and will build momentum in the fight against climate change,” said Miliband, who had tabled an amendment on zero emissions to the energy bill that won cross-party backing. "It is essential we build on the success of the Paris agreement and do not squander it, and I hope other countries will now follow the example of the UK.''
However this ambitious declaration by the Energy Minister comes just months after the Government received criticism for their cuts to subsidies for renewable energy, the axing of zero carbon homes regulations and their pro-fracking stance. As the Government's green record has been the focus of much scepticism by businesses and civil society, it will be interesting to see how the Government set about achieving a zero carbon society.
