The Committee received unqualified sign-off from the National Audit Office on its first Annual Report and Accounts for 2008/09, which was laid before Parliament on 16 July.

The report sets out the main achievements of the CCC since its launch and outlines the analysis the Committee will produce this year, which will inform the Government’s work on climate change.

 So far, the Government has accepted all of the Committee’s recommendations. This year, the CCC  will assess the progress that Government has made towards cutting emissions, in a progress report to be published and submitted to Parliament on 12 October 2009.

The report will also assess the impact of the recession on efforts and cost of tackling climate change and set out in detail further policy recommendations on how emissions can be reduced in power sector, in transport, buildings and heat in order to meet the Carbon Budgets. On 8 December, the CCC will publish a review into Aviation emissions, looking both at the domestic and international contexts, and assessing how emissions can be reduced through the use of technology and better planning and infrastructure.

Reflecting on the past year, CCC Chair Lord Adair Turner said:
“Despite the backdrop of global economic recession, significant progress has been made this year towards tackling climate change. We are pleased to see that the Government remains committed to that task. I am confident that we can achieve even more in 2009-10”.

The report sets out how the CCC will reduce its own carbon footprint as an organisation. This includes commitments to monitor and reduce its carbon footprint, to reduce emissions from business travel, in particular by air, and to offset any emissions created, to engage in sustainable procurement and to recycle more.

An Adaptation Sub-Committee also started work within the CCC this year. Chaired by Lord John Krebs, the ASC will assess the impact that climate change will have on the UK and how the Government can put policies in place to enable people to adapt to this. The ASC’s work plan will be published in the Autumn on the CCC website.

CCC’s Annual Report & Accounts 2008/09 in Numbers

£1,067,193 – CCC’s total expenditure for the year.

100% - the CCC’s Annual Report was produced on 100% recycled paper from FSC certified timbers and printed using vegetable inks.  Around 100 copies were printed.

97% - in a recent office refurbishment to make the CCC’s office space more energy efficient, 97% of waste produced was recycled.

23 – the CCC employed 23 full-time equivalent staff during the year.

0.4 – average number of days off sick per full-time staff member.

Download and read the report in full