Public backing for net zero cannot be “taken for granted”, a committee of MPs has warned.
They say that support for net zero – the UK’s policy to decarbonise its energy – could be at risk unless even benefits were delivered for all.
The MPs warn that the “low hanging fruit” has already been picked and more difficult choices lie ahead.
“The measures still to come will impact our daily lives more than ever,” Toby Perkins MP, the chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), said.
“How we travel, heat our homes and power our technology will all be affected.
“Public backing for net zero cannot be taken for granted.”
The EAC, which scrutinises Government policy and performance in relation to carbon budgets, the limits on emissions over five year periods, singles out sky-high electricity costs as a pinch point.
Many policy costs connected with the transformation to net zero appear on energy bills, but the MPs suggest these should instead be funded through general taxation.
They warn: “Fairness is ‘fundamental’ to the legitimacy of the Seventh Carbon Budget (CB7) and failure to deliver even benefits to all could put public consent at risk.
‘The measures still to come will impact our daily lives more than ever,’ Toby Perkins admitted
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“Where the costs of cutting emissions are experienced early and unevenly, while benefits arrive later or are less visible, public consent for net zero cannot be assumed.”
Proposing to charge electric vehicles by the mile at the same time as approving airport expansion risked sending “mixed policy signals”, the MPs said.
It gives the impression that net zero is a “conditional ambition rather than a binding national obligation”, they say.
The effect could be a slower uptake of low-carbon technologies and an undermining of confidence in net zero.
The EAC was asked to assess the Climate Change Committee’s advice for the UK’s Seventh Carbon Budget proposals.
The CB7 covers the years 2038 to 2042 and cap the total greenhouse gases that the UK can emit over the five-year period.
The Carbon Budget must be set in law by June this year.
The Committee warned the path to net zero “could be at risk without long-term certainty and coordinated Government delivery, as well as behaviour change from the public”.
Moving policy costs from electricity bills to general taxation would strengthen incentives to electrify heat and transport and lower the risk of households being unable to switch from gas because of “disproportionate costs”, they say.
The Government should also publish an assessment of which groups are at risk of disproportionate costs and of workers whose jobs are displaced by the changes, detailing what measures are in place to support them.
The PM and Chancellor have both been urged to back Ed Miliband’s department
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Its success will depend on policies “that tangibly improve everyday lives”, the committee says.
Benefits such as warmer homes, lower running costs and cleaner air should not be viewed as “ancillary benefits” but “essential delivery mechanisms”.
Ed Miliband’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero should demonstrate cross-Government support for the policies, and these need to be explicitly backed by the Prime Minister and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, they advise.
In producing its response, the EAC held roundtable discussions with representatives from sectors across the UK economy.
It warned against confusing “decarbonisation” with “de-industrialisation”, and said that merely allowing production to move abroad would “weaken the UK’s industrial base while doing little to reduce global emissions”.
Ministers should set out clearly how the carbon budget will prevent this offshoring of emissions and support domestic decarbonisation in energy-intensive and trade-exposed sectors.
The EAC concludes that the CB7 target for carbon emissions is “ambitious, but deliverable”.
But it will require tough political decisions as the ‘low hanging fruit’ of decarbonisation have largely been achieved.
Mr Perkins said: “Carbon Budget Seven is a pivotal moment in the path to cutting emissions to net zero.
“With the easy pickings of decarbonisation largely delivered, the measures still to come will impact our daily lives more than ever. How we travel, heat our homes and power our technology will all be affected.
“Public backing for net zero cannot be taken for granted. If CB7 is to succeed, it will be because it was affordable, convenient and attractive for the public, as well as environmentally necessary.
“To sustain confidence, the Government must renew its own commitment to affordability by addressing the structural imbalances that currently push up the cost of electricity.
“At the same time, cross-party consensus on net zero has fractured, and different government departments appear to pull in different directions. As ordinary people increasingly feel the pinch, and decisions become more difficult, ensuring the transition is fair and just has never been more important.
“Ministers must also defend the net zero agenda explicitly and proactively, making clear how the Government as a whole is pushing towards a common goal.
“Cutting emissions to net zero is essential to preventing further climate change. The Prime Minister and Chancellor must make the case from the very heart of government.
“Get the Seventh Carbon Budget right, and there will be serious rewards: warmer homes, lower running costs, cleaner air and better local environments. Bringing the public with us, by prioritising fairness and making clear the positives, is essential, not an optional add-on.”