The Climate Change Committee has submitted its latest analysis to parliament, including recommendations on continued emissions reductions.
The UK should be proud of its place among a leading group of economies showing consistent and sustained decarbonisation, the Climate Change Committee’s 2025 progress report states.
The countries greenhouse gas emissions have been more than halved since 1990, and the pace has more than doubled since the landmark 2008 Climate Change Act. While many technologies were invested in at early stages, and therefore priced highly, there is now ample opportunity to build on that track record while taking advantage of rapidly falling costs for infrastructure.
The Committee goes on to outline how around half of Britain’s energy is still wasted due to inefficiencies linked to outdated fossil fuel technologies. Electrification would reduce this by around half, and switching to mainly home-grown energy supply systems would offer even more security.
‘The UK has an ambitious target to reduce emissions by 68% on 1990 levels by 2030, our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement and the first UK target consistent with achieving Net Zero in 2050,’ the CCC said in its report. ‘This target is within reach, provided the Government stays the course. Progress to date has been primarily driven by decarbonisation of the electricity system, with renewables replacing both coal and, increasingly, gas.
‘Future progress will require a broader change, especially using low-carbon electricity to replace oil and gas in surface transport, heat in buildings, and industry, alongside nature-based solutions such as tree planting, and engineered removals,’ it continued. ‘In surface transport, we are now seeing clear signs of that broader change occurring, with emissions reducing for the second year in a row. With the number of electric cars on the road doubling roughly every two years, we expect to see rapid further progress. Increasingly, manufacturers are bringing new, lower-cost electric vehicles (EVs) onto the market, such as the Renault 5, Vauxhall Frontera, and Fiat Grande Panda.’
This revolution in vehicles is aided by price parity with petrol models in some parts of the second-hand market. Coupled with a rapid energy switch now largely driven by heat pumps, alongside nature restoration schemes, and the 2030 goal is within reach. However, significant questions still hang over 39% of the required emissions reductions, which the CCC says are marred by insufficient and unquantified plans. The necessary scaling up of heat pumps for industrial applications is just one example, and should be addressed in the forthcoming Warm Homes Plan and Industrial Strategy – both due this year.
‘To take more action around homes, people need to be properly supported and incentivised to move away from polluting and expensive gas – an issue set to be heightened once again by recent international developments impacting the price of the gas we’re using in our homes today,’ said Stew Horne, Group Head of sector intelligence and external affairs at Energy Saving Trust.
‘The policies already in place to scale up the roll out of heat pumps, such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and the recent removal of planning barriers, are a good start. However, we need to see a significant uplift in the numbers of heat pumps being installed,’ he continued. ‘For this to happen, the CCC rightly highlights the need for the upcoming Warm Homes Plan to better incentivise people and the supply chain by providing confidence and certainty.’
You can watch the full video of the report summary above.
Image: Karsten Würth / Unsplash
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