Committee on Climate Change

Part of the Committee’s role, as specified by the Climate Change Act (2008), is to take into account the differences in circumstances between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland when preparing advice on carbon budgets, and also to provide independent analysis where required to the devolved administrations to aid in the development of their national climate change strategies.

The Committee is responsible to the Ministers for the Environment in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

While we do not produce separate carbon budgets for devolved administrations, each of the  Committee’s reports on setting UK carbon budgets (the first three budgets were recommended in the Committee’s first report in December 2008; while the fourth budget report was published on 7 December), considered the projected emission trends in devolved administrations and analysed the potential for emission reductions. 

The Committee’s reports to the UK Parliament (in June each year) on the UK’s progress towards meeting carbon budgets also review progress reducing emissions in the devolved administrations. The latest report, in June 2011, presented the most recent GHG inventory data available for devolved administrations (which as the time was for 2008), showing a fall in Scotland (-2.9%) and Northern Ireland (-0.4%) but a rise in Wales (4.7%) over that year.

The report also discussed energy and EU ETS data for 2009, which suggest that emissions were likely to have fallen significantly across the devolved administrations, mainly due to the recession. This was confirmed by the publication of the 2009 inventory in September 2011 which shows falls of  7%, 14% and 8% in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.  However, EU ETS, economic and temperature data indicate rising emissions in 2010.

The CCC continues to work closely with the devolved administrations in providing advice and information on climate change generally and in relation to their own targets and policies.

In particular, the Committee delivered a report to the Scottish Government in February 2010 on the highest achievable emission reduction target for Scotland in 2020, and suitable annual emission targets for 2010-2022. In January 2011 the Committee provided advice on a cumulative emission budget for 2010-2050

The Committee has advised the Scottish Government on the second batch of annual targets, for 2023-2027, and on the use of credits in 2013 – 2017. In a letter to Stewart Stevenson, Scotland’s Minster for Environment and Climate Change, the Committee recommended a level of annual targets that reflect a halving on Scotland’s emissions by 2025, and a 60% reduction by 2030, relative to 1990 levels. This was followed by additional advice on the impacts of targets, and further details of the target setting methodology. Most recently (January 2012) the Committee published a report on progress made by the Scottish Government in reducing emissions since 2009.

The Committee also advised the Welsh Government during the development of its Climate Change Strategy, which was published in October 2010. In October 2011, the Committee provided a progress report to the Welsh Government, reviewing the mitigation and adaptation actions set out in the Strategy.

At the end of 2011 the Committee provided advice to the Northern Ireland Executive on the appropriateness of a Northern Ireland Climate Change Act or other legislation to provide for legally binding GHG emission targets. The report recommended that the introduction of legislation could be useful in providing certainty to businesses and policy makers and in driving emission reductions in Northern Ireland. Whether or not legislation is passed, it is crucial that the Northern Ireland Executive now puts in place a set of policies and incentives to unlock potential from agriculture, road transport, homes, the public sector and power.