The Committee on Climate Change is warning that the UK’s transition to a resilient, low-carbon economy is in danger of being derailed by a lack of Government action on climate change and that new plans for a new Parliament are urgently needed.

The independent advisor to the UK Government on climate change says that inaction is making it difficult for businesses and the UK public to grasp the opportunities of the transition.

According to the CCC, good progress has been made to date but continued progress will depend on significant new measures. Greenhouse gas emissions are about 42% lower than in 1990, around half way to the 2050 commitment to reduce emissions by at least 80% on 1990 levels.

As emissions have fallen since 1990, GDP has increased by more than 65% over the same period and total household energy bills have fallen compared to 2008 when the Climate Change Act was passed.

The Committee says that action has also been taken to address the risks from climate change - including important steps to fund and improve river and coastal flood defences and to improve the resilience of energy, transport and water infrastructure to severe weather.

However, the CCC is warning that progress is stalling. Since 2012, emissions reductions have been largely confined to the power sector, whilst emissions from transport and the UK’s building stock are rising.

Risks of surface water flooding in towns and cities have still not been tackled

The overall state of the UK’s natural environment is worsening, reducing its resilience to climate change. Recent storms show that national infrastructure remains vulnerable to severe weather. Ten years after the 2007 floods important lessons remain, and the risks of surface water flooding in towns and cities have still not been tackled.

Effective new strategies and new policies are urgently needed to ensure emissions continue to fall in line with the commitments agreed by Parliament (by at least 50% by 2025 and 57% by 2030 on 1990 levels), and that key risks to homes, businesses, and the natural environment are addressed.

The findings are part of the Committee’s statutory 2017 Report to Parliament. The report sets out the CCC’s latest independent assessment of UK action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to prepare for the impacts of climate change.

In particular, the CCC recommends that the Government:

• Urgently delivers a plan to continue reducing emissions across the economy. It is no longer justified or wise to delay the publication of the emissions reduction plan required by law.The plan must address the gap between Parliament’s agreed targets and the impact of existing policies, including: plans to bring forward additional low-carbon electricity generation through the 2020s; accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles; provide a path for the uptake of low-carbon heat and set out a strategy for deploying carbon capture and storage technology.

• Strengthens the UK’s National Adaptation Programme (NAP) in the first half of 2018. The new programme, which drives action to prepare for climate change impacts, must address priority areas: flood risks to homes and businesses, risks to the natural environment, including to soils and biodiversity, and risks to human health and wellbeing from higher temperatures. The next NAP must be more ambitious, with policies that make a measurable difference and with clearer mechanisms to track progress.

The CCC says that international events will also influence UK actions and that new climate change plans need to consider the risks and opportunities that may arise from the decision to leave the EU. Commenting on the decision, the CCC said this does not change the need to cut emissions:

“Programmes to improve the resilience of the natural environment to climate change have also been driven by EU legislation. These measures will need to be replaced with UK legislation that is at least as effective and as strictly enforced. “

CCC Chairman, Lord Deben, said:

“The impact of climate change on our lives and those of our children is clearer than ever. The UK has shown global leadership on climate change, but progress will stall at home without urgent further action. New plans, for a new Parliament, are needed as a matter of urgency to meet our legal commitments, grasp the opportunities offered by the global low-carbon transition, and protect people, businesses and the environment from the impacts of a changing climate.”

The UK's fifth carbon budget was legislated by Parliament in July 2016. The Government committed to publishing an ‘emissions reduction plan’ by December 2016 and then revised the timetable to early 2017. However, as of June 2017, that plan has not been published.

In addition, the Committee is warning that many of the current policies responsible for delivering long-term climate action come to an end around 2020, including capital funding for flood defences.

The Government published its second UK Climate Change Risk Assessment in January 2017, highlighting six key risks facing the UK from climate change impacts.

Click here to download Reducing emissions and preparing for climate change: 2017 Report to Parliament Summary and recommendations

Click here to download Progress in preparing for climate change 2017 Report to Parliament

Click here to download Meeting Carbon Budgets: Closing the policy gap - 2017 Report to Parliament