An Article written by Liam Stroker on 25 June 2020 outlines the latest Government progress report to assess the yearly progress against Climate change. 

"There’s no escaping the toll the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had on the world and will have for years to come. But the Committee on Climate Change is today steadfast in its appeal that from the pandemic can arise opportunity, and all that’s required is for government to grasp it.

Today’s progress report – meant to assess the government’s annual progress against climate targets – is unlike any other that precedes it. A substantial document for unprecedented times. It’s 196 pages of detailed assessment and evidence-based advice, including the significant addition of department-specific policy wants. It could easily be interpreted as a near step-by-step guide to rebuilding a greener, more resilient economy.

The context to it, however, is stark. The Committee’s chief executive Chris Stark is honest in his appraisal that the year since 2019’s progress update was “not quite the year we ordered”. Indeed, included within this year’s update is a list of 31 high-priority tasks that were issued in 2019. Of those, only two have been met in full. A further 15 have been partially met, indicating the size of the job still at hand.

The report is clear in its praise for the power sector, which has undergone a “remarkable” transformation. But for too long has the government relied on the proliferation of renewables and wider power sector decarbonisation to have met interim targets. There has been “marginal progress at best” in emissions reductions from other sectors of the economy, Stark said, and now housing retrofits have shot up the priority list to be the top ‘want’ for the government’s watchdog."

Read the full article here: 

https://www.current-news.co.uk/blogs/just-go-for-it-government-urged-as-ccc-warns-of-rapidly-closing-net-zero-window