UK Government releases full Net Zero Strategy for 2050

The Net Zero Strategy for 2050, published today (19 October), contains newly fleshed-out climate policies from the UK Government

Today, the UK Government reveal multiple climate change policies, including the Net Zero Strategy for 2050.

The report contains a wide spectrum of ideas, from investment requirements in Net Zero technology to the ever elusive “levelling-up” rhetoric. The report promises a set of policies on levelling up soon, which will also be green.

In one section, the UK is described as a climate leader among other countries: “We are proud to lead the world in ending our own contribution to climate change, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because we are determined to seize the unprecedented economic opportunity it brings.”

What are some policy promises?

• An aim to fully decarbonise the power system by 2035
• Path towards all heating appliances in homes and workplaces from 2035 being low carbon
• £450m three-year Boiler Upgrade Scheme to offer households grants for low-carbon heating systems
• To secure a decision on a large-scale nuclear plant by 2024
• 40GW of offshore wind by 2030

The report also highlights four key ideas behind any future policy:

1. To work with the grain of consumer choice: no one will be required to rip out their
   existing boiler or scrap their current car
2. To ensure the biggest polluters pay the most for the transition through fair carbon pricing
3. To ensure that the most vulnerable are protected through Government support in the form of energy bill discounts, energy efficiency upgrades, and more
4. To work with businesses to continue delivering deep cost reductions in low carbon tech through support for the latest state of the art kit to bring down costs for consumers and deliver benefits for businesses.

Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said: “We need a whole systems approach for reducing our carbon emissions. The Net Zero Strategy establishes what is needed to decarbonise our economy over the next 30 years. In particular, it highlights the intensive activity needed in the next decade – from early-stage research to deployment of mature technologies, through to better understanding on how to help people make greener choices.”

The full 368-page report is available to read here.

Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “There is a global race to develop new green technology, kick-start new industries and attract private investment. The countries that capture the benefits of this global green industrial revolution will enjoy unrivalled growth and prosperity for decades to come – and it’s our job to ensure the UK is fighting fit.”

With COP26 imminent, will these proposals be enough to create a collective step to implementation?