Recommendation 15

Limiting global temperature rises to reduce the climate change impacts will require a global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The net zero target applies to emissions generated in the UK and does not include emissions generated in the production of goods imported into the UK. This is consistent with internationally-agreed rules around climate change targets to prevent double counting of emissions.27 We asked about the potential risk that if Government policies reduce emissions in the UK but at the expense of higher emissions abroad then the UK’s progress towards net zero could mask the fact that global emissions are not reducing.28 The CCC found that the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions were 69% higher in 2016 if emissions generated in imports were included and that imported emissions have risen as a fraction of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions. This, it reported, reflected the UK’s progress in reducing emissions domestically and that the UK imports energy-intensive industrial products like steel. The CCC also emphasised the importance of government prioritising actions that reduce both UK-generated emissions and imported emissions, such as increasing energy efficiency and reducing waste.29