The CCC’s progress report is a welcome and wide-ranging paper that should drive faster action to net-zero. Many of the challenges set out can begin to be met by technologies already on the market and a large number of the proposals are consistent with existing BEAMA policy recommendations. BEAMA hopes that the combination of product-based and enabling measures suggested are taken forward urgently by Government.
BEAMA CEO Dr Howard Porter said: “This report is very timely as many of us are planning the recovery from the economic impacts of Covid-19. We all need to consider the lessons from the lockdown, and a recovery based in investment to mitigate climate change is essential as the CCC states. BEAMA members, vital for the decarbonisation and electrification plans outlined, are committed to be central to the delivery of these objectives. BEAMA and members will be urging and assisting Government to deliver real policies to deliver.”
The evidence-based report should help to unlock today’s decarbonisation potential if key measures are implemented, such as adjusting targets and levies, accurately reflecting the impact of emissions in policy and investment decisions, making net-zero high profile in all Government departments, and ensuring that economic recovery does not push us further behind on the path to net-zero by 2050.
Public funds are not limitless but there are many key measures that would improve markets, such as a fairer price for electricity that will help consumers reap the benefits of low-carbon heat and transport using products widely available today. Implementing remaining proposals from the Smart Systems plan will be one way to develop the market for flexibility, supported by improvements to electricity networks. Committing to ambitious policies on new and existing buildings will reflect the scale of the progress still needed.
The report makes many proposals that would directly benefit householders, such as better indoor air quality and a role for health in climate policies, wider availability of home improvement finance and better enforcement on building performance. Our industry will play its part fully but some key enablers, like wide consumer engagement and re-training, will require help from Government.
We urge Government to build on the progress that it has made, to follow through with policies already promised, and to work with industry to deliver low-carbon measures to consumers now.
Notes to editors
On 25th June, the Committee on Climate Change published a progress report on the UK Government’s 2050 net-zero emissions target.
In September 2019, BEAMA produced a report titled ‘Net-Zero by Design’, setting out our membership’s vision for reaching the 2050 target and many individual businesses’ commitment to net-zero. We have published numerous other papers in our ‘Electrification by Design’ series setting out sectoral recommendations in more detail.
