Parliament passes the Seventh Carbon Budget into law
Parliament has agreed the level for the Seventh Carbon Budget, setting a legally binding target of ~87% emissions reduction in the period 2038-42, in line with the Climate Change Committee’s advice.
The UK’s Climate Change Act (2008) sets the framework for domestic action to address climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Act requires the Government to propose regular, legally binding milestones on the way to achieving Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions, known as carbon budgets. The Committee is required to advise the Government on the level of these. Parliament must then agree each carbon budget for it to be set into law. Investors, businesses, households, and government can then act with a shared understanding of the path as well as the end goal.
The recommended level for the Seventh Carbon Budget, a limit on the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions over the five-year period 2038 to 2042, is 535 MtCO2e, including emissions from international aviation and shipping.
The Committee believes that in many key areas the best way forward is now clear. Electrification and low-carbon electricity supply make up the largest share of emissions reductions in its pathway, 60% by 2040. Once the market has locked into a decarbonisation solution, it needs to be delivered. The rollout rates required for the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs), heat pumps, and renewables are similar to those previously achieved for mass-market rollouts of mobile phones, refrigerators, and internet connections.
Fan coil units and air curtains are viable options in comfort cooling and heating as we transition away from fossil fuels and can assist as the UK transitions to Net Zero.
