Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Forty-Sixth Report - Achieving Net Zero
Public Accounts Committee
HC 935
Published 5 March 2021
Recommendations
4
Government does not have a clear way of determining whether its actions to reduce emissions...
Recommendation
Government does not have a clear way of determining whether its actions to reduce emissions in the UK are transferring emissions to other countries. The net zero target applies to emissions generated within the UK and does not include emissions …
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HM Treasury
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6
The Department has not sufficiently engaged with local authorities on their role in the achievement...
Recommendation
The Department has not sufficiently engaged with local authorities on their role in the achievement of net zero across the UK. Local authorities have significant scope to influence emissions in their area, both by leading decarbonisation of sectors (such as …
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HM Treasury
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Conclusions (21)
2
Conclusion
The Department is not yet reporting on the programmes across government that are crucial to the delivery of net zero in a way that enables Parliament or the public to scrutinise progress. In early 2019, government established new arrangements for coordinating the departments involved in achieving net zero. The Department …
3
Conclusion
HM Treasury has not yet clarified how it will ensure net zero is given adequate weight in the assessment of government policies and projects. Achieving net zero will be an all-encompassing challenge requiring all parts of government to contribute to reducing emissions. Therefore, government must build net zero into the …
5
Conclusion
Government has not adequately communicated to the general public the changes that individuals will need to make in the transition to net zero emissions. Achieving Net Zero 7 Achieving net zero will depend on individuals choosing to change their behaviour, from personal lifestyle choices, as well as decisions that rely …
1
Conclusion
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (the Department) and HM Treasury about achieving net zero.1
7
Conclusion
The government originally planned to publish many of its strategies during 2020. Publication was later than it previously intended, partly because of reprioritisation of Government activity in response to the coronavirus crisis.9 For example, the publication of the Heat and Buildings strategy was delayed from August 2020 and is yet …
8
Conclusion
In early 2019, government established new coordination arrangements for the departments involved in achieving net zero. The arrangements include: cabinet committees for climate action strategy (chaired by the Prime Minister) and implementation; a Climate Change National Strategy Implementation Group (NSIG) of senior officials from the main departments involved; a net …
9
Conclusion
We asked what the Department was doing to ensure that it would be able to track progress towards net zero when responsibility was shared across departments. The Department told us that the new coordination structures provided it with clarity on total emissions and the level of emissions for which each …
10
Conclusion
We asked the Department about the recent decision to allow deep coal mining in Whitehaven, Cumbria and how this aligned with the government’s intention to move away from depending on fossil fuels and towards cleaner energy sources. The Department told us that the mine in question was for coking coal …
11
Conclusion
Net zero is an all-encompassing challenge that will affect every part of government. It will not be achieved if it is not sufficiently prioritised when departments make decisions that could impact on greenhouse gas emissions.18 We asked whether other departmental priorities, such as building enough homes, could supersede net zero …
12
Conclusion
The Treasury’s Green Book guidance requires all policy, programme and project proposals to consider environment and climate impacts, including UK greenhouse gas emissions. The Department noted that this was another means by which the compatibility of departments’ decisions with net zero could be taken into account.20 HM Treasury has recently …
13
Conclusion
We asked what impact measures such as the Green Book guidance had on major infrastructure projects like High Speed 2. The Department told us that departments were each responsible for ensuring that the projects within their areas remained below their overall emissions envelope and that it did not micromanage individual …
14
Conclusion
We asked the Treasury why, in its updated Green Book, it had not introduced a specific requirement for policies to explain how they aligned with net zero. The Treasury told us that the guidance already required Departments to consider greenhouse gas emissions as part of their appraisal process.24 The NAO …
15
Conclusion
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 …
16
Conclusion
We asked how the Department would ensure that the impact of the UK’s progress towards net zero would not inadvertently result in higher emissions elsewhere. The 23 Q 45 24 Q 62 25 Q 54; C&AG’s Report, para 2.13 26 Qq 32 & 62 27 C&AG’s report, para 1.2; Climate …
17
Conclusion
We asked about the feasibility of a tax based on carbon embedded in imports (a carbon border adjustment tax) to reduce the risk of pushing emissions abroad. The Treasury told us that it was considering this as part of its net zero review. It explained that it needed to further …
18
Conclusion
Achieving net zero will depend on people changing their habits and lifestyles, adopting new technologies, and in some cases big personal investments. For example, buying zero- emission vehicles, such as electric vehicles, instead of cars that run on petrol or diesel; changing the way they heat their homes by replacing …
19
Conclusion
We asked the Department what it was doing to ensure the step change needed by members of the public to achieve net zero and how it was communicating to people about the decisions or changes they needed to make and when. The Department told us that so far, a lot …
20
Conclusion
Government investment in new technologies, such as carbon capture and storage, could benefit particular regions of the UK and support the government’s levelling up agenda, which aims to create opportunity for everyone in all regions and address disparities in economic and social outcomes.35 We asked the Department about ensuring the …
21
Conclusion
Local authorities have a key role to play in achieving net zero. They have significant scope to influence emissions in their area, for example, by leading decarbonisation of sectors such as housing and transport. These represent a substantial proportion of UK emissions, and where the emissions reduction challenge will vary …
22
Conclusion
In written evidence, the LGA told us that there was a long-term funding gap in government’s ambitions to decarbonise housing. In February 2020, the LGA’s Climate Change Survey 2020 found that nine out of 10 councils had declared a climate emergency and 80% had set a carbon neutral target.40 But …
23
Conclusion
The Department acknowledged that it needed to consider place-related aspects to achieving net zero and how local authorities could be involved in co-ordinating the changes needed in areas such as transport and energy.42 The Department told the National 36 Qq 52-53, 65-67 37 C&AG’s Report, para 2.19-2.21 38 Local Government …