Ministers showing 'worrying hesitancy’ in moving to next stage of net zero

A new report by the Climate Change Committee highlights shortcomings within the transport sector that must be urgently addressed if the Government is to stand any chance of achieving its own zero emission aims

30 June 2023

Changes in per-mile cost of driving, for a typical fossil-fuelled and electric car: Sharply rising electricity prices have increased the per-mile cost of driving an electric car. But costs remain lower than driving a petrol or diesel car.

Transport demand since the COVID-19 pandemic: While road transport demand appears to have recovered to a new steady state, public transport recovery has been slower and usage remains around 10-20% lower than before the pandemic.

Lord Deben: Our confidence in the achievement of the UK’s 2030 target and the Fifth and Sixth Carbon Budgets has markedly declined from last year

The Government is showing a “lack of urgency” in achieving net zero and has failed to endorse measures such as road pricing to push down car demand, according to a new report by the Climate Change Commission (CCC).

There remains little urgency over the net zero target legislated in 2019, says the CCC. “The net zero transition is scheduled to take around three decades, but to do so requires a sustained high intensity of action. This is required all the more, due to the...