New Committee on Climate Change report criticises the UK's climate change action

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has today released their annual progress report, Progress in Preparing for Climate Change - 2019 Progress Report to Parliament.

The report addresses the UK’s current progress on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the policies generating this reduction, and the UK’s adaption to climate change.

The CCC suggests that the UK is not on track for its recent net zero GHG emissions target by 2050. Indeed, more damningly, the CCC argue the UK is not on track to meet its past, less ambitious, target of an 80% reduction in GHGs by the same date.

Read the CCC’s full report here, and coverage from the BBC here.

Net zero greenhouse gas emissions target law begins passage through Parliament

Yesterday, the draft law to create a net zero emissions target for the UK by 2050 was put to Parliament by Chris Skidmore MP, who is currently a joint Minister of State for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department of Education.

The draft law proposes updating the existing greenhouse gas emissions reduction target set by the Climate Change Act 2008 of an 80% reduction by 2050 to 100% by the same year.

Such action follows Theresa May’s announcement of the net zero target earlier this month before her departure from office. This follows the Committee on Climate Change’s influential Net Zero report, arguing for the adoption of a legal net zero emissions goal by 2050 at the very latest - as Bright Blue has previously campaigned for.

Read more about the proposed law currently making its way through parliament here, the CCC’s Net Zero report here, and Bright Blue’s response to the CCC’s report here.

National grid and the energy sector react to Labour's plans to renationalise the energy network, saying it will hamper moves towards green energy

There have been widespread reactions today to the Labour Party’s plans for the energy sector if elected.

The reactions focus on two aspects of Labour’s announcements: to renationalise the energy network, and install one million solar panels on low-income households.

Here is an excerpt from National Grid’s reaction:

“Proposals for state ownership of the energy networks would only serve to delay the huge amount of progress and investment that is already helping to make this country a leader in the move to green energy”

Read more on the story as covered by Carbon Brief here.

Bright Blue polling influential in The Committee on Climate Change’s recent net zero report

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) recently published their much anticipated report, Net zero: The UK’s contribution to stopping climate change, on the feasibility of the UK adopting a legal, net zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) target to be met by 2050.

The report draws on Bright Blue polling conducted last year to make the case of there being public support for a legal, net zero GHG target. In particular, our polling shows that 75% of UK adults are fairly or very concerned about climate change, and 64% favour the UK aiming to reduce GHG emissions to net zero in the next few decades.

The CCC’s report similarly cited another piece of Bright Blue’s polling work, that found climate change was the top issue that 18 - 25 year olds wanted senior politicians to address.

Read the CCC’s report here, and Bright Blue’s polling work on net zero and concern about climate change here.

Bright Blue's submission of written evidence published in the International Development Committee's inquiry into UK aid and climate change

The International Development Committee launched an inquiry into UK aid and climate change in July of last year. The final report was published today.

Bright Blue contributed to the report through a written evidence submission. Our policy recommendations were based on our policy paper, Saving Global Nature: greening UK Official Development Assistance. Amongst the recommendations, we called for at least £1 billion of the Overseas Development Assistance budget to be spent on global nature conservation annually.

Read the International Development Committee’s report here, and Bright Blue’s written evidence submission here.

Theresa May should adopt a net zero target before she departs Number 10, says Bright Blue

Bright Blue was recently quoted in The Independent, commenting on Theresa May’s reluctance to adopt a net zero emissions target by 2050 following the publication of the Committee on Climate Change’s influential report on the feasibility of a net zero greenhouse has target.

“And Bright Blue, a liberal Conservative think tank, urged Ms May to “do something uncharacteristically bold” by making the legal commitment before she quits No 10”

Read the article in The Independent here.

Industry responds to the Government's consultations on packaging waste

Bright Blue’s Researcher, William Nicolle, was recently quoted in an article covering industry responses to the Government’s packaging consultations.

“Calling people citizens rather than consumers is an important point because you need to engage them. Com­municating this is important – not just changing the word but putting the word ‘citizen’ in front of people in a way where they have to be engaged – this is an area for further research.”

Read the article in MRW here.

Low carbon gas obligation featured in the Treasury's 2019 Spring Statement

Bright Blue’s latest report, Pressure in the pipeline, has had it’s policy recommendation of obligating suppliers to inject lower carbon gas into the grid adopted in the latest Spring Statement, as covered by Ends Report.

Ryan Shorthouse, Bright Blue’s Director and co-author of the report, was featured in the article as welcoming the new low-carbon gas obligation, which should be introduced by Ofgem from April 2021.

Read the article in Ends Report here.

Read Bright Blue’s report, Pressure in the pipeline here.

Green economy reacts to the latest Spring Statement

Bright Blue’s latest report on decarbonising the UK’s gas networks, entitled Pressure in the pipeline, has had one of it’s policy recommendations adopted in the recent Spring Statement, as covered by Edie.

Bright Blue’s Director and co-author of the report, Ryan Shorthouse, said:

“The Government has rightly adopted Bright Blue’s policy of introducing an obligation on gas suppliers to ensure a certain proportion of green gas is in the grid. The detail is to come, but a new low carbon gas obligation on gas suppliers should be introduced by Ofgem in the next price control framework from April 2021."

Read the article in Edie here.

Read Bright Blue’s report, Pressure in the pipeline here.

Gas grid decarbonisation needed, report argues

Bright Blue’s latest report on decarbonising the UK’s gas networks featured in an article by Network.

The report, entitled Pressure in the pipeline, argues that deeper decarbonisation of UK gas is essential if the country is to meet its current and likely future emissions reduction target. The report assesses how to decarbonise gas in the UK by increasing the supply of low carbon gases and by reducing demand for gas in the heat sector. It calls for new government investment and incentives for decarbonisation to be an urgent priority in Ofgem's next price control framework for gas from April 2021.

Read the coverage in Network here.

Read Bright Blue’s report, Pressure in the pipeline here.

Wilf Lytton: Approaching zero hour: Time for the UK to go carbon-neutral

Our Senior Researcher, Wilf Lytton, has written for BusinessGreen about the case for Britain to act now, with further, ambitious targets for climate action. In his article, Wilf states that previous climate change legislation, such as the Climate Change Act 2008, actually provided an impetus to the economy - creating new jobs, and saving consumers money.

Here’s an excerpt:

Ten years on, this law has proven to be hugely successful not only in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, but also in generating jobs and clean growth across the country which otherwise could not have occurred. The UK is now, for example, a global leader in wind turbine development, and manufactures and supplies Europe with the world's best-selling electric vehicle.

Read the full article here.

Reaction: Dieter Helm's 'least cost' ideas for meeting the UK's climate targets

Bright Blue's senior research fellow Sam Hall has been referenced in Carbon Brief, presenting his thoughts on the economy-wide carbon price, called for by Dieter Helm in the recently published Cost of Energy Review.  

Here's an excerpt:

Sam Hall ... argues an economy-wide carbon price is a volatile and uncertain price signal for investors, subject to short-term political and economic forces, that would struggle on its own to drive the required investment in the low carbon economy

Read the full article here.

Cost of Energy: What might the Helm review mean for UK clean growth?

Bright Blue's senior research fellow Sam Hall has been quoted in Business Green, giving his verdict on the recently published Cost of Energy Review from Dieter Helm.  

Here's an excerpt:

"An economy-wide carbon price would effectively internalise the social and environmental costs of carbon emissions, but is a volatile and uncertain price signal for investors, subject to short-term political and economic forces, that would struggle on its own to drive the required investment," said Hall.

Read the full article here.