(https://showyourstripes.info/l/europe/unitedkingdom/all)
(Largely a summary of BBC new article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/58160547)
UK climate target progress (as of November 2023)
Net zero: to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission to net zero (not emitting more GHGs than the country removes from the atmosphere) by 2050. Not on track.
Power generation: Pledged all UK electricity would come from low carbon sources (wind, solar, nuclear, hydroelectric, etc.) by 2035. Not on track. Needs clearer planning and faster action to meet goals.
Heating and Buildings: Aim to instal 600,000 electric heat pumps by 2028 replacing gas boilers. Off track. 70,000 were installed in 2022. About 17% of UK GHG emissions come from buildings, largely due to heating. UK houses are (on average) among the least energy-efficient in Europe. Insulation is one of the easiest ways to reduce the need for heating.
Transportation (not including aviation and shipping): Largest emitting sector with just under 25% of UK emissions in 2022. Delayed ban on sale of new petrol and diesel cars (from 2030 to 2035). New target of 80% of car manufacturer sales to be zero emissions by 2030. Nearly 17% of new car sales in 2022 were battery powered. Public charging points may not keep up with demand without significant investment. By 2040, the government aims to remove all diesel-only trains. There is no clear plan of how this will happen. There has not been significant progress to switching to lower emission travel modes (public transport, cycling, etc.).
Flights: Aims from net zero by 2050 but the technology relied on is currently not as advanced as needed. Currently makes up about 7% of emissions in the UK. Not on track.
Shipping: About 3% of UK emissions. Not clear plan for decarbonisation announced yet.
Food: About 11% of emissions come from agriculture and land use. The strategy released in 2022 was criticised for not being large scale enough or fast enough. Farmers can apply for grants to support environmentally friendly endeavours. UK meat consumption fell 17% from 2009 to 2019 but more could be done to encourage more sustainable options.
Trees: Trees (and other plants) remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Only 13% of the UK is forest (lowest in Europe). Aim to plant 30,000 hectares (300 km square) of trees a year by 2025. Since 2001, there have not been more than 15,000 hectares planted per year. Not on target (and very hard or impossible to manage it now).
Peatlands: These store CO2 very efficiently. About 20% of UK peatlands hare in a 'near-natural' state. 5% of emission are from damaged peatlands. If they are restored, they could absorb CO2. Government aims for 29,000 hectares to be restored a year by 2025 but currently are managing less than half this. Not on track.
Hydrogen: Has low carbon emissions and could be extremely important for energy security in the future. By 2030, government wants 10GW capacity from hydrogen. Delays in decisions on the role of hydrogen means investment is not happening. Hydrogen is not currently a large industry and needs this investment to grow.
Carbon capture and storage: Emerging and expensive technology. Aiming to capture 20 to 30 million tonnes of CO2 a year by 2030. Still needs significant investment and development to be viable but vital to reach net zero.
Industry: Around 14% of emissions. Aim to cut by 2/3rds by 2035. Maybe result in companies moving abroad rather than emitting less.
