This is a busy time for decisions about how to address climate change. By the end of 2015, after leaders meet in Paris in December, we’ll know what the world proposes to do in the face of the risks posed by rising average global temperatures.
This period is no less busy domestically. In all, there are four critical milestones for Parliament and the Government, and a number of key decisions to be made, over the next 12 months.
First, on 30 June, the Committee on Climate Change (that’s us), will publish our 2015 ‘progress report’ as required by the Climate Change Act. The Progress Report will set out how well the UK is meeting its commitments to reduce emissions and assess the UK’s progress in adapting to ongoing climate change. The Government must respond to the report by 15 October.
Second, hard on the heels of that report, we’ll set out our advice on how to keep UK emissions on a cost-effective path to the 2050 goal to reduce UK emissions by 80%. Our advice on the ‘fifth carbon budget’ (covering the period from 2028 to 2032) will be provided before the end of the year. The Government has until June 2016 to table legislation taking account of that advice.
We will also deliver specific advice to the Government in Scotland on the Scottish carbon budget, and are working with the Governments in Wales and Northern Ireland on related issues.
Third, in March 2016, we will provide our advice to the Secretary of State about whether the exploitation of onshore petroleum resources (including shale gas) is compatible with meeting carbon budgets. That is a new duty for us created under the Infrastructure Act 2015, which was passed towards the end of the previous Parliament.
Finally, in the summer of 2016, we will deliver our assessment of climate risks. This major piece of work – known as the ‘climate change risk assessment’ – provides the basis for the next National Adaptation Programme. The Programme is designed to ensure we are putting in place measures to adapt to the climate change that is already happening.
So, how does the Committee ensure that Parliament has the information it needs to respond to our recommendations and, ultimately, to make these critical and complex decisions on behalf of the UK?
The provision of independent advice (and, in some cases, independent decisions) is a crucial element in our democracy. It has underpinned the operation of the judiciary for a very long time. However, more recently, it underpins the operation of the Bank of England, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), as well as other institutions like the Office for Budget Responsibility.
The Committee on Climate Change is also an independent body set up by primary legislation. The complexity and long-term nature of climate change makes it even more important that we’re clear about how we ensure our independence. There are four key pillars which underpin our advice:
- Expert and independent Committee: the Committee is composed of expert scientists and economists, alongside its Chairman. Their five year, fixed terms mean they can operate without fear or favour.
- Collection of evidence: every effort is taken to ensure the evidence we collect is comprehensive. To this end, we use open calls for evidence, a systematic approach to meetings and engagement and documenting where evidence comes from. We put a lot of effort into ensuring an open process to gather evidence that informs our major decisions and publications.
- Analysis and presentation of evidence: the analysis to support Committee decisions aims to employ best practice techniques and accepted approaches. It is done by people with suitable qualifications. We make the analysis available for anyone to see. We are open to scrutiny of that analysis, alongside having our own quality assurance framework to ensure its robustness.
- Challenge to analysis and decisions: the Committee is open to challenges to our analysis and recommendations. We offer a wide range of ways to provide that challenge. For example, we will publish work on climate science and on the power sector ahead of the fifth carbon budget advice at the end of the year to allow for comments. We also participate in discussions and debates that offer opportunities for challenge, and welcome feedback through our website. Finally, the Climate Change Act allows Parliament’s final decisions to be reviewed in light of significant new evidence or developments.
By formulating our advice in this way, we’re able to provide reassurance that our recommendations are based on the best available evidence about climate change.
Above all, we’re confident that Parliamentarians will have the independent analysis they need to support the many difficult decisions ahead.
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