Claire Coutinho has said she wants people “to feel optimistic about net zero”, as the Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary defended the spate of recent green policy changes which experts have warned will make delivering the UK’s climate targets more challenging.
In a statement to Parliament yesterday, Coutinho insisted the government remained “resolutely committed” to the UK’s legally binding domestic net zero targets as well as its global climate obligations.
But she said that recent policy changes would be “fairer” for consumers while also putting the UK on “a more secure path” to meeting climate targets.
“We will not reach net zero over the next three decades unless our plans for the future are pragmatic and viable,” Coutinho said. “It is clear that if we do not bring people with us, we risk sacrificing the whole climate change agenda.
She added: “I want people to feel optimistic about net zero and connect that with jobs, investment and a sense of pride in playing our part in a global challenge. By taking a more measured approach, we will achieve our ambitious targets with the public’s consent.”
The government has faced widespread criticism from green businesses, opposition parties and international commentators over a recent spate of decisions that include delaying the phase out of new fossil fuel car sales to 2035, pushing back energy efficiency rules for landlords, and watering down plans for phasing out fossil gas boilers.
Last week the Climate Change Committee (CCC) explicitly told the government that, contrary to its claims, these changes would make delivering the UK’s net zero emissions target “harder”, and that they would in many cases result in higher costs for consumers.
The CCC is far from the only voice in warning the government’s spate of recent green announcements risk negatively affecting the UK’s ability to deliver on its national and international climate obligations.
On Friday, an official from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) echoed the CCC’s assessment last week that the recent policy changes announced by the UK government would make reaching net zero more difficult.
Laura Papi, deputy director of the IMF’s Europe department, told reporters that “some of the measures that were recently implemented… make it more difficult for the UK to reach its targets”, adding that it was “important” for UK to stay the course on its climate goals.
But yesterday Coutinho appeared to suggest the CCC had concluded last week that the government’s recent green policy rollbacks would make “no material difference” to the UK’s trajectory to net zero, as she insisted the new policy approach would “make a real difference to the finances of many households up and down the country”.
Coutinho also used her statement to confirm the government would set out more detail on its plans to reform the planning system and grid connections process later in the autumn in order to accelerate the development of renewable electricity capacity in the UK.
She promised the “comprehensive new reforms” would be unveiled “to help green energy expand faster”, as she noted that four times as much new transmission network infrastructure would be needed over the next seven years as has been built in the UK since 1990.
“The most important announcement made during my tenure has been about the grid,” she said. “We must make sure that the grid infrastructure is in place to bring new clean, secure and low-cost power to homes and businesses.”
Labour’s Shadow Climate Change and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband immediately hit back at Coutinho across the dispatch box, however, arguing there was “no evidence” the government was now on track to meet statutory climate targets.
Miliband also cited the CCC’s analysis that the recent rollback in green policies would lead to higher costs for households, and slammed the decision to delay targets for deepening uncertainty for businesses and investors.
“Perhaps worst of all, imagine being a business trying to make decisions and invest in our country when they literally do not know from one day to the next what the government policy is,” he said. “Since the Prime Minister’s announcements, businesses from around the world have said that, by backing off climate action, the Prime Minister is turning his back on the greatest economic opportunity of the 21st century.”
Carbon capture commitment
Today, meanwhile, Coutinho also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to delivering a pipeline of carbon capture and storage (CCS) clusters in the UK backed by £20bn investment over the next 20 years, including in the North East and North West of England, as well as in Wales and two clusters in Norther East Scotland and the Humber.
Speaking at the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) conference in London, she said that “without a doubt, carbon capture and storage stands among the most exciting and effective ways in which Britain can lead in tackling climate change”.
Ruth Herbert, the CCSA’s chief executive, welcomed Coutinho’s speech today, although stressed that policy clarity from government would be critical to driving forward the UK’s ambitions for the emerging sector.
“Our delivery plan makes it clear that further government policy certainty, and faster progress on decisions over the next 12 months is key to unlocking the tens of billions of pounds of planned CCUS investments in the UK, which could create 70,000 new jobs and retain 77,000 existing jobs nationwide,” said Herbert.
ZEV mandate
Among various government green announcements in recent weeks included confirmation of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, setting out minimum electric vehicle manufacturing quotas for carmakers over the coming decade to accelerate the market for EVs.
Legislation for the ZEV mandate was laid in Parliament yesterday, after which Transport Secretary Mark Harper delivered a statement argued the quotas would boasted the support of the automotive industry and would help to grow the EV market, support investment and cut emissions.
“It stands to be one of the largest carbon saving policies across government – and manufacturers are on board,” he said. “They will deliver a mandate which they helped shape. A product of partnership, between this government and industry – not months, but years in the making.”
In addition, Harper insisted the government was “pro-public transport, but we’ll not be anti-car”, as he slammed the expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) for placing additional costs on motorists, and reaffirmed recently announced plans to tackle traffic restrictions and “blanket” 20mph speed limits.
“This government recognises that cars aren’t a luxury, they’re a lifeline,” he said. “They’re how most people in rural constituencies like mine access work, education and essential services.”
Harper has faced significant flack over his recent decision to scrap the northern leg of the HS2 high speed rail project between Manchester and Birmingham, but yesterday he again insisted “every penny” of the £36bn savings from cancelling the line would be reinvested in new transport schemes.
That includes over 20 road schemes and a promised £20bn investment in the North, including for a variety of rail projects, which he together claimed amounted to a “new vision for transport”.
“So when the majority want a pragmatic route to net zero – we’ll back them,” he said. “When drivers feel unfairly targeted – we’ll back them. And when the public want us to focus on the journeys that matter most to them – we’ll back them.”
Cumbria coal mine hearing
The government is also under legal pressure this week with regards to its net zero plans, with an interim High Court hearing over its decision to give the green light to a new coal mine in Cumbria last year kicking off today, in a challenge brought by Friends of the Earth.
The environmental group argues the then-Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, who took the original decision with regards to the coal mine last year, did not sufficiently take into account the national and international climate and environmental implications of the decision.
Friends of the Earth’s senior lawyer Nial Toru said the group was now seeking advice that Gove received from his officials before taking the decision, which has yet to be disclosed by the government.
“The government has disclosed the advice it was given by the planning inspector before Michael Gove gave the go-ahead for a new coal mine in Cumbria – but key advice from his officials has not been disclosed,” said Toru.
“It would be very surprising if the ministerial submission failed to address key issues that are pertinent to our challenge, such as the developer’s claim that the mine would be ‘net zero’, the impact on UK carbon budgets and the adverse international impacts of granting permission,” he added. “The ministerial submission must be disclosed.”
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