Select Committee · Environmental Audit Committee

Carbon border adjustment mechanisms

Status: Closed Opened: 24 Sep 2021 Closed: 21 Jun 2023 8 recommendations 12 conclusions 1 report

The Environmental Audit Committee is launching an inquiry into carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs). The inquiry is looking at the role a CBAM could play in addressing potential carbon leakage and meeting the UK’s environmental objectives. The inquiry is also considering the wider impacts, risks and opportunities which might arise if the UK Government were … Show more

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Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Fifth Report - Greening imports: a UK carbon border approach HC 737 4 Apr 2022 20 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

10 items
3 Conclusion Fifth Report - Greening imports: a UK c… Deferred

While net zero policies address the UK’s territorial production emissions, 43% of the UK’s consumption...

While net zero policies address the UK’s territorial production emissions, 43% of the UK’s consumption emissions arise from imports. The UK’s principal carbon pricing mechanism, the ETS, applies to domestic production, but no carbon price is currently applied to imports of the same products. A CBAM could address this, enabling … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government is working internationally to promote carbon pricing and announced its intention to consult on carbon leakage mitigation options, including a UK CBAM, but does not commit to any course of action.
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4 Conclusion Fifth Report - Greening imports: a UK c… Deferred

Alongside CBAM, the UK’s carbon border approach needs to comprise a set of complementary policies,...

Alongside CBAM, the UK’s carbon border approach needs to comprise a set of complementary policies, including product standards, to tackle consumption emissions beyond those covered by explicit carbon pricing, and support decarbonisation across the economy. Careful design is needed to ensure the carbon border approach is successful in achieving its … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government is working internationally to promote carbon pricing and announced its intention to consult on carbon leakage mitigation options, including a UK CBAM, but does not commit to any course of action.
Read full response →
5 Recommendation Fifth Report - Greening imports: a UK c… Deferred

We recommend that the Government commence work immediately on developing a comprehensive UK carbon border...

We recommend that the Government commence work immediately on developing a comprehensive UK carbon border approach, in order that this might be implemented during the 2020s. We recommend that this include a CBAM as part of a co-ordinated set of policies including product standards, alongside work to build consensus with … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government is working internationally to promote carbon pricing and announced its intention to consult on carbon leakage mitigation options, including a UK CBAM, but does not commit to any course of action.
Read full response →
7 Conclusion Fifth Report - Greening imports: a UK c… Deferred

As the UK continues to negotiate its own trade agreements following exit from the European...

As the UK continues to negotiate its own trade agreements following exit from the European Union, there is an opportunity to align trade policy with the UK’s role as a leader in climate change action; further analysis is required to understand how the UK’s carbon border approach might interact with … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government is working internationally to promote carbon pricing and announced its intention to consult on carbon leakage mitigation options, including a UK CBAM, but does not commit to any course of action.
Read full response →
13 Recommendation Fifth Report - Greening imports: a UK c… Deferred

We recommend that the Government: a) Set out in its response to this report: b)...

We recommend that the Government: a) Set out in its response to this report: b) how it intends to work with stakeholders in the EU and UK to understand how the proposed EU CBAM, would affect the UK, including in Northern Ireland; and c) how it intends to ensure open … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government announced its intention to consult on a range of carbon leakage mitigation options, including a UK CBAM, later this year, but does not commit to any course of action.
Read full response →
15 Recommendation Fifth Report - Greening imports: a UK c… Deferred

To navigate the design options available and ensure a policy response that is effective in...

To navigate the design options available and ensure a policy response that is effective in achieving its objectives, it is important that the Government articulate from the outset the objectives of the UK’s carbon border approach, so that the design is led by these, and understand the potential impacts to … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government announced its intention to consult on a range of carbon leakage mitigation options, including on a UK CBAM, later this year.
Read full response →
16 Recommendation Fifth Report - Greening imports: a UK c… Deferred

We recommend that the Government: a) clearly define its objectives for any carbon border approach...

We recommend that the Government: a) clearly define its objectives for any carbon border approach at the outset, and ensure the choice of policy options and design consideration at each stage is led by these objectives. These should encompass the need to drive decarbonisation across Greening imports: a UK carbon … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government announced its intention to consult on a range of carbon leakage mitigation options, including on a UK CBAM, later this year to seek a wide range of views from stakeholders on the UK’s future carbon leakage mitigation policy.
Read full response →
17 Conclusion Fifth Report - Greening imports: a UK c… Deferred

Pricing the carbon element, so low-carbon products become less expensive than high-carbon ones, is a...

Pricing the carbon element, so low-carbon products become less expensive than high-carbon ones, is a powerful lever to reduce consumption emissions, to support the development of low-carbon products and increase access to such products. Currently, high energy prices and rises in inflation are contributing to stark rises in living costs; … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government announced its intention to consult on a range of carbon leakage mitigation options, including on a UK CBAM, later this year.
Read full response →
18 Recommendation Fifth Report - Greening imports: a UK c… Deferred

We recommend that the Government, at the design stage: a) Include a strategy to engage...

We recommend that the Government, at the design stage: a) Include a strategy to engage with the public in the design of the carbon border approach to develop and maintain public support and keep the public informed of the changes that would occur, the rationale and methodology supporting the changes, … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government announced its intention to consult on a range of carbon leakage mitigation options, including a UK CBAM, later this year, and is committed to communicating in an open and transparent way as it develops its carbon leakage mitigation policy options but does not …
Read full response →
20 Recommendation Fifth Report - Greening imports: a UK c… Deferred

We recommend that the Government: a) Ensure, through the oversight of both Cabinet Committees on...

We recommend that the Government: a) Ensure, through the oversight of both Cabinet Committees on Climate Action, that the UK’s carbon border approach is aligned with existing environmental, trade, development and fiscal policy, through both its design and implementation stages. This should include setting out how the carbon border approach … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the importance of aligning its approach to carbon leakage with wider policy and will continue to engage with Cabinet Committees and work across Government and announced its intention to consult on a range of carbon leakage mitigation options, including on a …
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Oral evidence sessions

3 sessions
Date Witnesses
23 Feb 2022 Mike Williams · HM Treasury, Rt Hon Lucy Frazer QC · HM Treasury View ↗
8 Dec 2021 Dr Richard Leese · Energy Intensive Users Group, Dr Scott Steedman · British Standards Institution, Fergus McReynolds · Make UK, Mr Pawel Kisielewski · CCm Technologies, Paul Dawson · RWE Supply & Trading GmbH, Richard Warren · UK Steel, Rich Woolley · Chemical Industries Association View ↗
24 Nov 2021 Domien Vangenechten · Third Generation Environmentalism (E3G), Dr Sanna Markkanen · Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Hannah Dillon · Zero Carbon Campaign, Michael Mehling · University of Strathclyde School of Law, Mike Thompson · Committee on Climate Change, Misato Sato · Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics, Sir Dieter Helm · University of Oxford View ↗

Who gave evidence

16 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Domien Vangenechten · Policy Advisor - Industrial Decarbonisation Third Generation Environmentalism (E3G) 1
Dr Richard Leese · Chair Energy Intensive Users Group 1
Dr Sanna Markkanen · Research Programme Lead and Senior Analyst Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership 1
Dr Scott Steedman · Director-General, Standards British Standards Institution 1
Fergus McReynolds · Director of EU Affairs Make UK 1
Hannah Dillon · Head of Campaign Zero Carbon Campaign 1
Michael Mehling · Professor of Practice University of Strathclyde School of Law 1
Mike Thompson · Director of Analysis Committee on Climate Change 1
Mike Williams · Director, Business and International Tax HM Treasury 1
Misato Sato · Assistant Professorial Research Fellow Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics 1
Mr Pawel Kisielewski · Chief Executive Officer CCm Technologies 1
Paul Dawson · Head of Regulatory Affairs RWE Supply & Trading GmbH 1
Rich Woolley · Head of Energy and Climate Change Chemical Industries Association 1
Richard Warren · Head of Policy and External Affairs UK Steel 1
Rt Hon Lucy Frazer QC · Financial Secretary HM Treasury 1
Sir Dieter Helm · Professor of Economic Policy University of Oxford 1