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Select committee: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee

Findings of the Report of Climate Assembly UK

Closed Opened 19 Apr 2021 Closed 27 Sep 2021 10 recommendations

Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
The BEIS Committee was one of six select committees of the House of Commons (joining Environmental Audit; Housing, Communities and Local Government; Science and Technology; Transport; and Treasury) to support Climate Assembly UK , a citizens’ assembly on combatting climate change and achieving the pathway to net zero carbon emissions. Darren Jones, BEIS Committee Chair, welcomed Climate Assembly UK ’s final report published in September , in the House of Commons . The Climate Assembly final report set out a clear, internally consistent and timely path for how the UK can reach its legally binding target of net zero emissions by 2050. Climate Assembly UK’s report showed how a representative sample of the population believe the UK should meet its net zero emissions commitment with detailed recommendations across ten areas including: how we travel; what we eat and how we use the land; what we buy; heat and energy use in the home; how we generate our electricity; and greenhouse gas removals. The Committee wishes to monitor and review, on a regular basis, the Government’s engagement and interaction with the findings of the assembly and progress in implementing its proposals. Read an interactive summary of our report .

Where it stands

The inquiry is closed, opened 19 April 2021.

The committee has published 1 report, most recently Second Report - Climate Assembly UK: where are we now? on 8 July 2021.

The government's response

Published 9 September 2021. The deadline was 8 September 2021.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government sets out its existing public engagement work and says it "plans to set out" its engagement approach in the Net Zero Strategy, without stating that it accepts the Committee's recommendations.

  • On engagement, it points to the 'Together for our Planet' campaign and says it will work with young people, schools, civil society groups and businesses, "including those who are harder to reach".
  • On Climate Assembly UK, it says the findings are "an important addition" to its evidence base and are informing the Net Zero Strategy; it says it responded to the major areas of the report, and further detail will come in the Net Zero Strategy "in due course".
  • On the Net Zero Review, it says the final report will be published "in due course, and in advance of COP26".
  • On timelines, it cites dates already set, such as ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, and says the Net Zero Strategy will be set out ahead of COP26 while "maintaining the flexibility to make strategic decisions".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

Recommendations and conclusions

All 10 recommendations and conclusions

Reports

All reports

Evidence

  • 1 oral evidence sessionLatest 15 June 2021
  • 7 witnesses
All evidence

Recent activity

Recommendations and conclusions 10 shown

Recommendation 1

Recommendation · Second Report - Climate Assembly UK: where are we now? · Addressed to Department for Business and Trade

Recommended (the committee's words)
Despite its commitment to engage the public on the key choices to be made on the path to Net Zero, the Government’s initiatives to date, though welcome, are insufficient. The lack of specific plans to engage with those who are no longer in formal education, or those who are disengaged are particularly stark and must be remedied.

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Recommendation 2

Recommendation · Second Report - Climate Assembly UK: where are we now? · Addressed to Department for Business and Trade

Recommended (the committee's words)
We agree with the Climate Change Committee and endorse its recommendation that the Government must publish a net zero Public Engagement Strategy, which includes detailed plans for education and engagement during the transition to net zero. We recommend that the Government base the content of the Public Engagement Strategy on the conclusions from the Climate Assembly UK report, and explicitly refer to the Assembly’s recommendations on a topic where relevant.

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Recommendation 3

Recommendation · Second Report - Climate Assembly UK: where are we now? · Addressed to Department for Business and Trade

Recommended (the committee's words)
The Public Engagement Strategy should include details of how the Government will work to engage all segments of the public, including those who are no longer in formal education, or those who are disengaged. This should be published as soon as possible, but, at the very latest alongside the long-awaited Net Zero Strategy.

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Recommendation 4

Recommendation · Second Report - Climate Assembly UK: where are we now? · Addressed to Department for Business and Trade

Recommended (the committee's words)
Climate Assembly UK has proved that deliberative engagement is important for both building consensus and maintaining public trust in the net zero transition and will facilitate the behavioural change required to underpin a successful transition to net zero. We recommend that the Government, in its Net Zero Strategy, sets out its plans for deliberative engagement on net zero policies through citizens assemblies, citizens juries and other methods.

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Recommendation 5

Recommendation · Second Report - Climate Assembly UK: where are we now? · Addressed to Department for Business and Trade

Recommended (the committee's words)
We are disappointed that the Minister has rowed back on the commitment given to us in oral evidence that the Government would provide a comprehensive and point-by-point response to the recommendations in CAUK’s ambitious report. We do not consider the Government’s submission and the Minister’s oral evidence to this Committee as being sufficient in this regard and ask the Minister to honour her commitment to provide a full response.

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Recommendation 6

Recommendation · Second Report - Climate Assembly UK: where are we now? · Addressed to Department for Business and Trade

Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that the Government publish a comprehensive, point-by-point response to the CAUKs report. This would provide clarity on how the Government has engaged with the report.

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Recommendation 7

Recommendation · Second Report - Climate Assembly UK: where are we now? · Addressed to Department for Business and Trade

Recommended (the committee's words)
This point-by-point response to Climate Assembly UK’s recommendations should provide a full assessment of which recommendations will be accepted in full or in part and which will be rejected, along with an explanation for why the recommendation is being rejected. We expect this response to be published before the Assembly’s one-year anniversary in September and as part of the Government’s response to this report.

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Recommendation 8

Recommendation · Second Report - Climate Assembly UK: where are we now? · Addressed to Department for Business and Trade

Recommended (the committee's words)
The upcoming Net Zero Review is critical in ensuring fairness across society in the transition to net zero. This should be published as a matter of priority to maximise the time available, both, to consult and engage the public and businesses. We recommend that BEIS work closely with HM Treasury to ensure that the Net Zero Review be published as soon as possible, and at the very latest, alongside the Net Zero Strategy, expected in September.

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Recommendation 9

Recommendation · Second Report - Climate Assembly UK: where are we now? · Addressed to Department for Business and Trade

Recommended (the committee's words)
The Government must ensure that the rationale behind the route to net zero is made clear and is transparent. This is key to earning the trust of both business and citizens, which would, in turn incite positive action across the population. We recommend that the Net Zero Strategy include specific timelines for the implementation of specific policies through to 2050 in order to prepare business, supply chains, and citizens for the changes that will come with achieving net zero. Where there is uncertainty in relation to the implementation of future policies, the Government should provide the dates by which decisions must be made.

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Recommendation 10

Recommendation · Second Report - Climate Assembly UK: where are we now? · Addressed to Department for Business and Trade

Recommended (the committee's words)
The Government must also re-double its efforts to lead a joined-up approach to net zero with local authorities, business and citizens. Central to this is improved, co- ordinated policymaking across Whitehall. The inadequacy of cross departmental coordination across Whitehall in delivering net zero has been brought into sharp focus in the context of the UK’s Presidency of COP26, and increased focus on and scrutiny of Government policy and activity in the run up to the conference itself in November 2021. Cross-departmental co-ordination will be the focus of our new inquiry into Net Zero Governance.

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Reports

1 report

Oral evidence sessions

1 session

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Date Session and witnesses Source
15 Jun 2021
Panel 1; Panel 2; Panel 3
Chris Thompson · Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, David Joffe · Climate Change Committee, Ibrahim Wali · Climate Assembly UK, Rebecca Willis · Climate Assembly UK, Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan · Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Signe Norberg · Aldersgate Group, Sue Peachey · Climate Assembly UK 		View ↗

Who gave evidence

7 witnesses

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WitnessOrganisationSessions
Chris Thompson · Director of Clean Growth Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy 1
David Joffe · Head of Carbon Budgets Climate Change Committee 1
Ibrahim Wali · Assembly Member Climate Assembly UK 1
Rebecca Willis · Expert Lead Climate Assembly UK 1
Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan · Minister for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 1
Signe Norberg · Head of Public Affairs and Communications Aldersgate Group 1
Sue Peachey · Assembly Member Climate Assembly UK 1