Major failures in government delivery programmes are jeopardising the UK’s climate goals, according to a damning new progress report.  

Renewable energy and electric vehicles are bright spots but the report has a number of recommendations on actions required to ensure further EV take-up

Published following last year’s launch of the Government’s Net Zero Strategy, the 600-page assessment by the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) finds policies are now in place for most sectors of the economy but warns of “scant evidence of delivery against these headline goals so far”. It also talks of some bright spots of progress but says in most areas “the likelihood of under-delivery is high and the current strategy will not deliver net zero”..   

The landmark assessment by the CCC uses a new framework to monitor the UK’s climate progress, focusing on the changes needed on the ground to achieve net zero and deploying detailed new progress indicators. It also makes over 300 recommendations for filling out policies over the next year.  

CCC chairman Lord Deben said: “I welcome the Government’s restated commitment to net zero, but holes must be plugged in its strategy urgently. The window to deliver real progress is short. We are eagle-eyed for the promised action.”  

Renewable energy and electric vehicles are cited as areas of strength – which the CCC notes are backed and led by well-designed government policy. Major failures however exist in areas such as energy efficiency in homes while agriculture and land use have the weakest policies in the assessment, despite being vital to delivering net zero and the Government’s other goals on food security and biodiversity.   

For electric cars, the report notes their rise is already ahead of CCC and government growth projections, “showing that consumers and households are willing to adopt low-carbon options when offered a cost-effective, good quality product”.

But to ensure continued uptake, the report says a confirmation of the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) Mandate in regulation is needed. As set out in the consultation, this should impose targets on manufacturers that are at least as ambitious as those in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan and should drive consistent growth in sales of EV cars and vans through the 2020s to meet the 2030 phase-out date.  The implementation of the mandate should also ensure that EVs are produced based on sustainable and ethical supply chains and that the emissions embedded within EV production are minimised. Action is needed on electric van sales too; the indicators also reveal eLCV take-up is lagging behind.   

It also notes that continued EV growth relies on further improvements to the public charging infrastructure – which is not making fast enough progress. There are now over 28,000 public charge points across the UK, with 7,600 of these having been added to the network in the past year. But this rate of deployment will need to rapidly ramp up to meet the Government’s commitment to at least 300,000 by 2030. Provision also needs to become more consistent across the country.  

Alongside the ZEV Mandate, the report says regulations are needed to ensure efficiencies of new conventional vehicles continue to improve and manufacturers reverse the trend towards larger vehicles. These need to be suitably ambitious to deliver the efficiency improvements and share of hybrid sales that are required to realise the necessary emissions reductions from these segments of the market.  

The report also calls for action on traffic levels, which have rebounded quickly following the pandemic. While the Government has acknowledged the need to limit traffic growth and is shifting travel to public transport and active travel, it’s not set a specific ambition.   

One other area of concern is the lack of government action on road pricing. The report echoes existing research on the need to plug the gap in fuel duty as electric vehicles become dominant and says preparations should begin now, otherwise, there are potential political dangers that could hinder introduction. These include that drivers could begin to assume that EV driving will always be tax-free and that there may be a perception that EVs were tax-free when richer consumers could afford them but will be taxed once they are available to the mass market.    

A CCC spokesperson said: “Electric vehicle sales grew substantially in 2021, ahead of the CCC’s required projections. As the move to EV’s gathers momentum, the Government is likely to have to introduce some form of road pricing to fill the gap created by lower fuel duty. Government should start scoping out policy options now, so that a scheme is ready for implementation later this decade.” 

To access the CCC’s report, click here.