Briefing for Mps Climate Change and 'Net Zero'
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Simon Kirkland UK Parliamentary and Political Adviser [email protected] 020 7523 2164 Briefing for MPs Climate change and ‘net zero’ June 2018 How should the UK update its Climate Change Act? Actions for MPs to take • The Climate Change Act sets in law a commitment to • Please ask the Prime Minister and Secretary reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% of State for Business, Energy and Industrial on 1990 levels by 2050. However, if the Act is to be in Strategy to update the Climate Change Act line with the Paris Agreement, we should be aiming to include a target of ‘net zero’ before 2050, for a greenhouse gas emissions target of ‘net zero’ to bring the Act in line with the ambition of before 20501. This would allow for a small amount of the Paris Agreement. emissions and include negative emissions technology such as native tree planting. • There is a joint letter from cross-party MPs • The UK Government calling on the Prime Minister to introduce a net Other countries’ net should update the zero target in the Act before 2050. The letter zero commitments and a list of MPs who have signed it is here: Climate Change Act theclimatecoalition.org/joint-letter. 2008 to include a net 2030 – Norway zero target of before 2040 – Iceland • If you are happy to add your name to 2050. If this involves this letter, please email campaigns@ new primary legislation, 2045 – Sweden theclimatecoalition.org to do so. this should be done as 2050 – France and soon as is practicably New Zealand possible. Key messages Support for net zero • Climate change, which has been largely caused by • After the UK signed the Paris Agreement in 2016, developed countries, is wreaking havoc in many then Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom MP said, “we developing countries. It is the biggest factor setting will need to take the step of enshrining the Paris goal back development progress across the developing for net zero emissions in UK law. The question is not world. From droughts in East Africa, to a lack of whether but how we do it”. water availability in Bolivia and stronger typhoons in the Philippines, climate change’s impacts must • In April 2018, Climate Minister Claire Perry MP be slowed. committed to seeking advice on net zero from the Committee on Climate Change in the • The UK is a global leader on climate change. Our autumn. The committee has already said that Climate Change Act 2008 was one of the first UK Government Ministers should look this year comprehensive pieces of climate change legislation at setting a net zero target. in the world, and many other countries followed our lead. The Act calls for comprehensive action to limit • Recent polling shows that 64% of UK adults agree climate change to 2°C. that the UK should aim to cut its carbon emissions to zero in the next few decades2, and 75-80% • The UK played a major role in ensuring the Paris support renewable energy and measures that Agreement in 2015. This global agreement seeks to cut energy waste.3 limit climate change to 1.5°C. Therefore, if the UK Government wishes to remain a global leader on climate change, our Climate Change Act should be updated to reflect the Agreement and latest science. 1 This target should be met by action in the UK. 2 http://brightblue.org.uk/sam-hall-public-attitudes-to-uk-climate-leadership/ 3 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/energy-and-climate-change-public-attitudes-tracker-wave-25 Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines killed more than 6,000 people, and more than 4 million were displaced. Christian Aid worked with local partners to carry out housing repairs, build shelters and build new disaster-resilient houses for people in affected communities. We also worked with communities to help them to better anticipate and respond to future crises, including through using weather forecast data. What else could the UK Government do to help the What can businesses do to help in the fight against fight against global climate change? climate change? Last year, the Financial Stability Board of the G20 Private banks have a vital role to play in the shift to published recommendations on how companies might clean energy, as renewable energy companies are better disclose their climate-related risks, to provide typically more dependent than fossil fuel companies more accurate information for investors and others. on bank financing6. Banks, asset managers and others These recommendations are not mandatory, and few should adjust their investment plans in light of the companies have committed to implementing them. UK Paris Agreement. However, no major UK bank or asset Government Ministers should make them mandatory management company has yet adequately done so.7 by April 2019 to provide consistent information across Furthermore, major UK banks are still investing in coal UK companies about climate risk. projects around the world, eg: Christian Aid is running a campaign called the Big • Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and RBS have contributed to Shift, which is calling on governments, private sector lending syndicates which made an estimated $109 actors and others to invest more money in renewable billion in financing available to Anglo American, energy rather than fossil fuels. The UK Government BHP Billiton and Glencore. Each of these companies sits on the Board of the World Bank and other multi- owns a third of the Cerrejon coal mine in La Guajira, lateral development banks. Oil Change International Colombia. recently estimated that major development banks still provided over $9 billion in public finance for fossil fuel • HSBC provided $45 million of bank guarantees to projects in 20164. The UK Government should use its Adaro Energy, which is one of Indonesia’s largest roles on the boards of multilateral development banks coal producers. to influence the banks to provide more support for • Barclays was part of a syndicate of five banks that renewable energy and end investment for fossil fuels. provided $590 million in direct project funding to 8 DFID does a huge amount of very good work in the Maamba coal-fired power plant in Zambia. helping people to adapt to climate change and access Banks, asset managers and others should stop all renewable energy. However, recent figures from funding for coal projects anywhere in the world. CAFOD show that the UK Government as a whole is They should do much more to support the global still spending more on fossil fuels than renewable push towards renewable energy. energy in developing countries5. All UK Government departments should consider how they can promote renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. 4 http://priceofoil.org/2017/10/12/development-banks-still-funding-fossils/ 5 https://cafod.org.uk/About-us/Policy-and-research/Climate-change-and-energy/Sustainable-energy/Analysis-UK-support-for-energy 6 World Energy Investment Outlook, International Energy Agency, 2014. 7 www.christianaid.org.uk/sites/default/files/2016-11/our-future-in-their-plans-nov-2016_0.pdf 8 Each of these examples is from www.christianaid.org.uk/sites/default/files/2017-10/big-shift-moment-briefing.pdf Eng and Wales charity no. 1105851 Scot charity no. SC039150 Company no. 5171525 Christian Aid Ireland: NI charity no. NIC101631 Company no. NI059154 and ROI charity no. 20014162 Company no. 426928. The Christian Aid name and logo are trademarks of Christian Aid. © Christian Aid June 2018 Christian Aid is a key member of Act Alliance. Printed exclusively on material sourced from responsibly managed forests. J61677.