The House of Lords last night approved the government’s draft statutory instrument setting the level of the fifth carbon budget in line with the Committee on Climate Change’s recommendations.
With the draft SI now passed by both the Commons and Lords, the fifth carbon budget of 1725 MtCO2e for the period 2028-2032 will become law.
Under the Climate Change Act, the fifth carbon budget, which requires a 57% reduction in emissions on 1990 levels, should have been law by 30 June.
Speaking in the chamber, BEIS minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe it had been “held up by the extraordinary events of the last few weeks.”
She added: “I understand there is no question of the legality of the order being put into doubt by the process.”
Neville-Rolfe added the UK is committed to ratifying the Paris Agreement on Climate Change “as soon as possible.”
Image: Houses of Parliament (FreeImages)
