Can the UK become a global climate leader?

A rare event occurred in the UK this week: positive news about the fight against climate change.

As around 45,000 people descended on the capital for London Climate Action Week, it emerged that the country has passed a considerable milestone in its bid to decarbonise.

The UK is now the first major economy to halve emissions of planet-heating gases since 1990, according to the Climate Change Committee (CCC), the independent body that rates the UK’s progress on meeting its climate goals. It comes after the country completed its phase-out of coal power in September with the closure of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar plant in Nottinghamshire.

The CCC said the UK had made encouraging progress under Labour in renewable energy generation, as well as in the takeup of electric vehicles and heat pumps. As a result, it was now “more optimistic” that the country could meet its mid- and long-term climate targets.

It also noted that the pace of change could still be improved – and that we can do better to reduce our energy waste and reliance on expensive gas. But overall, the CCC said that the UK can “be proud of its place among a leading group of economies demonstrating consistent and sustained decarbonisation”. It suggests the government is serious about its aim to lead by example on the climate.