Next steps for UK climate change policy

Next steps for UK climate change policy - the future of net-zero ambitions, decarbonisation and transition, COP27 and the legacy of COP26.

This conference assessed the future of climate change policy in the UK.

It brought together stakeholders with policymakers to look ahead to COP27, and assessed progress and next steps for government net-zero strategy with the UK’s COP presidency drawing to a close.

Delegates assessed what is needed from policy, key stakeholders, research and other enablers if net-zero emissions is to be met by 2050, as well as potential environmental, economic and social implications if ambitions are changed with a new administration in place.

It follows the recent report from the Climate Change Committee’s 2022 Progress Report to Parliament, which concluded that “current programmes will not deliver Net Zero”, and with the High Court ruling that the Government’s net-zero strategy breaches its obligations under the Climate Change Act 2008.

Sessions in the agenda included:
climate change - assessing targets, current progress and thinking - next steps for the UK
climate patterns - latest thinking on trends and the impact of anthropogenic activities
protecting nature and the environment - priorities for policy and stakeholders to reduce potential impacts going forward
legislative options - developing the necessary legal and regulatory frameworks - priorities for the planning needed to meet environmental obligations
decarbonising key sectors - looking at agriculture, transport and energy - ways forward for reducing emissions at the scale and pace required
funding a net -zero transition - long-term strategic options - key issues for businesses, investors, consumers and policy
policy and governance - priorities for reducing emissions and developing long-term strategies for climate action - assessing the legacy of COP26, outcomes from COP27 and beyond

We are pleased to have been able to include a keynote session with Chris Stark, Chief Executive, Climate Change Committee; and further keynote contributions from Professor Liz Bentley, Chief Executive, Royal Meteorological Society; Duncan Burt, Chief Sustainability Officer, National Grid; Mike Childs, Head of Science, Policy and Research, Friends of the Earth; and Alan Law, Deputy Chief Executive, Natural England.