Comment on UK’s Sixth Carbon Budget

Commenting on the UK Government acceptance of the Sixth Carbon Budget, Jess Ralston, Analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: “Setting the legally binding Carbon Budget at this aspirational level does place the UK at the forefront of international ambition, which is a needed boost for the Government’s international reputation ahead of COP26 after some questionable decisions taken this year.

“Pulling off a successful COP is by no means assured, and the PM and other senior UK Ministers now urgently need to step up and capitalise on that leadership to leverage other countries to pull their weight on carbon emissions.

“Actually realising our goals is another question entirely. While targets make clear that the UK’s future is green, they need to be backed by equally as ambitious policy and sectoral plans to be credible.

“With the pressure now on internationally as well as at home, there's a real opportunity for Treasury and the rest of government to move from setting targets to actually cutting carbon. For this, no doubt that a rapid step-up in discussions on how to achieve plans will be a top priority.”