The UK needs to make immediate greenhouse gas emissions reductions and plan and invest for the ‘final 25%’ emissions challenge in hard-to-abate sectors to ensure a smooth, just and socially inclusive transition to net zero, according to a new report for the Net Zero All Party Parliamentary Group.
The ‘Net Zero Roadmap’ report sets out the critical pathways that the UK government should follow to go further and faster on the road to Net Zero to reach its 2050 destination.
But it raises concerns about whether the government’s Net Zero Strategy is commensurate to the scale of the challenge.
The Net Zero Roadmap sets out new policy proposals and recommendations for consideration and looks at how to bridge the gaps.
Net Zero APPG chair Alex Sobel MP fears that many in government and wider society have yet to appreciate the scale of the Net Zero challenge.
He said: “There are huge opportunities for UK business in a well-designed transition and enormous potential for win-win solutions, most notably increased energy independence and food security and improved public health and air quality.
“But there is also a growing risk of a catastrophic backlash in public opinion against poorly designed or badly justified climate policies, as illustrated by the ongoing energy crisis and resurgence of fossil fuels around the world.”
The roadmap was produced by Atkins and the University of Oxford.