Climate Watchdog Warns UK to Not Slow Down Carbon Cutting Despite Surplus - Bloomberg
Climate Watchdog Warns UK to Not Slow Down Carbon Cutting Despite Surplus - Bloomberg
UK Can’t Roll Over CO2 Budget Surplus, Climate Watchdog Warns
- CCC says Britain needs to accelerate emissions reductions
- UK not on track to decarbonize beyond the electricity sector
Britain has a legally binding target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century. Photographer: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg
The UK can’t use its past success at curbing emissions as a reason to slow down its current climate plans, or its net zero goal risks being out of reach, according to an independent advisory panel to the government.
Britain cut more emissions than required from 2018 to 2022 because of the economy-shrinking effects of the pandemic. The government asked the Climate Change Committee if that surplus could be applied to the next review period, effectively allowing the UK to produce more emissions without technically going over the limit.
Related Knowledge Center: Carbon capture
The federal government is investing heavily in the development of carbon capture and storage (or sequestration), which offers the enticing prospect of preventing carbon dioxide emissions produced during combustion from entering the atmosphere and contributing to climate change. But the technologies involved, while proven, remain expensive, an obstacle to widespread adoption.