At the end of June, the Climate Change Committee submitted its report to Parliament on progress in reducing emissions and in adapting to climate change. They note that “Government has made historic climate promises in the past year, for which it deserves credit. However, it has been too slow to follow these with delivery. This defining year for the UK’s climate credentials has been marred by uncertainty and delay to a host of new climate strategies. Those that have emerged have too often missed the mark. With every month of inaction, it is harder for the UK to get on track.”
Lockdown measures led to a record decrease in UK emissions in 2020 of 13% from the previous year but “sustained reductions in emissions require sustained Government leadership, underpinned by a strong Net Zero Strategy”. Reviewing progress on adaptation in England only 5 of 34 sectors assessed showed notable progress in the past two years, and no sector was scoring highly in lowering its level of risk as yet.