The Climate Change Committee (CCC) today presents the first ever detailed route map for a fully decarbonised nation with the publication of the Sixth Carbon Budget (2033-2037) for the UK.

Last year, the UK became the first major economy to make Net Zero emissions law. In its new landmark 1,000-page report, the CCC sets out the path to that goal over the next three decades, including the first ever detailed assessment of the changes that will result – and the key milestones that must be met.

The CCC says that polluting emissions must fall by almost 80% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels – its recommended pathway requires a 78% reduction in UK territorial emissions.

This represents a big step-up in ambition - in effect, bringing forward the UK’s previous 80% target by nearly 15 years.

Major investment programme to be delivered in large part by the private sector

The CCC says this will require a major investment programme across the country - to be delivered in large measure by the private sector.

According to the Committee, in many areas, this will also deliver real savings, as the nation uses fewer resources and adopts cleaner, more-efficient technologies, like electric cars, to replace fossil-fuelled predecessors.

T he CCC finds that these savings substantially reduce the cost of Net Zero compared with previous assessments: now down to less than 1% of GDP throughout the next 30 years

The savings are attributed to the falling cost of offshore wind and a range of new low cost, low-carbon solutions in every sector.

The CCC’s message to Government is clear: the 2020s must be a decisive decade of progress and action on climate change. By the early 2030s, every new car and van, and every replacement boiler must be zero-carbon; by 2035, all UK electricity production will be zero carbon.

Modern low-carbon industries will grow; producing hydrogen; capturing carbon; creating new woodlands; renovating and decarbonising the UK’s 28 million homes. The measures will create hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the UK.

The CCC concludes that the changes are feasible and affordable - but only if they are led by decisive action from Government now.

The Committee says the Sixth Carbon Budget can be met through four key steps:

Take up of low-carbon solutions: People and businesses will choose to adopt low-carbon solutions, as high carbon options are progressively phased out. By the early 2030s all new cars and vans and all boiler replacements in homes and other buildings are low-carbon – largely electric. By 2040 all new trucks are low-carbon. UK industry shifts to using renewable electricity or hydrogen instead of fossil fuels, or captures its carbon emissions, storing them safely under the sea.

Expansion of low-carbon energy supplies: UK electricity production is zero carbon by 2035. Offshore wind becomes the backbone of the whole UK energy system, growing from the Prime Minister’s promised 40GW in 2030 to 100GW or more by 2050. New uses for this clean electricity are found in transport, heating and industry, pushing up electricity demand by a half over the next 15 years, and doubling or even trebling demand by 2050. Low-carbon hydrogen scales-up to be almost as large, in 2050, as electricity production is today. Hydrogen is used as a shipping and transport fuel and in industry, and potentially in some buildings, as a replacement for natural gas for heating.

Reducing demand for carbon-intensive activities: The UK wastes fewer resources and reduces its reliance on high-carbon goods. Buildings lose less energy through a national programme to improve insulation across the UK. Diets change, reducing our consumption of high-carbon meat and dairy products by 20% by 2030, with further reductions in later years. There are fewer car miles travelled and demand for flights grows more slowly. These changes bring striking positive benefits for health and well-being.

Land and greenhouse gas removals: There is a transformation in agriculture and the use of farmland while maintaining the same levels of food per head produced today. By 2035, 460,000 hectares of new mixed woodland are planted to remove CO2 and deliver wider environmental benefits. 260,000 hectares of farmland shifts to producing energy crops. Woodland rises from 13% of UK land today to 15% by 2035 and 18% by 2050. Peatlands are widely restored and managed sustainably.

Under the UK Climate Change Act, the UK must reach Net Zero Greenhouse Gas emissions by 2050. The Act also requires the Government to set a new Carbon Budget every five years, following the advice of the Climate Change Committee. The Sixth Carbon Budget must be legislated by June 2021.

Together, the devolved nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland cover a fifth of UK emissions. They have an integral role in delivering the UK’s Sixth Carbon Budget on the path to Net Zero. The Committee is shortly due to advise Welsh ministers on Welsh emissions targets in the 2030s and has written to the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to provide further advice on setting and meeting climate targets.

The CCC’s recommended Sixth Carbon Budget includes emissions from international aviation and shipping (IAS).

Climate Change Committee Chairman, Lord Deben, said:

“The Sixth Carbon Budget is a clear message to the world that the UK is open for low-carbon business. It’s ambitious, realistic and affordable. This is the right carbon budget for the UK at the right time. We deliver our recommendations to Government with genuine enthusiasm, knowing that Britain’s decisive zero-carbon transition brings real benefits to our people and our businesses while making the fundamental changes necessary to protect our planet.”

“As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sixth Carbon Budget is a chance to jump-start the UK’s economic recovery. Anything less would shut us out of new economic opportunities. It would also undermine our role as President of the next UN climate talks.”

The sixth Carbon Budget report is published in three separate sections, accompanied by a wealth of supporting documents.

Click here to download The Sixth Carbon Budget-The UKs path to Net Zero

Click here to download The Sixth Carbon Budget- Methodology

Click here to download Policies for the Sixth Carbon Budget and Net Zero

Click here to access the supporting documents, including sector summaries