The petition of residents of Macclesfield,
Declares that the United Kingdom should maintain its lead in investment and job creation in clean industries, cut waste, improving air quality, and inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists; further that the United Kingdom should work to restore natural habitats; and finally that Her Majesty's Government should take steps to mitigate the impact of climate change in the developing world, where more extreme weather is already having an impact.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Prime Minister to give priority to set a UK net zero emissions target, enshrined in law, ahead of the year 2050.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by David Rutley , Official Report, 24 July 2018; Vol. 645, c. 18P .]
[P002260]
Observations from the Minister for Energy and Clean Growth (Claire Perry):
The Government recognise that climate change is one of the most urgent and pressing challenges we face today, and the UK is committed to tackling it. Our Climate Change Act was the first of its kind in the world to set legally binding long-term targets, and the UK played a lead role in securing the historic climate deal agreed in Paris in 2015. We are already making strong progress. Between 1990 and 2016, the UK reduced its emissions by over 40 per cent while growing the economy by more than two thirds—the best performance in the G7 on a per person basis.
The Clean Growth Strategy, published last October, made clear that the Government believe the UK will need to legislate for a net zero emissions target at an appropriate point in the future, to provide legal certainty on where the UK is heading.
In addition, the Government have made clear that they intend to seek the advice of their independent advisers, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK’s long-term emissions reductions targets, once the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change publish their special report on 1.5°C later this year. We will consider the CCC’s advice carefully when it is received.