Aldersgate Group comment: IPCC Working Group III report

Responding to the findings of today’s IPCC Working Group III report on climate mitigation, Nick Molho, Executive Director of the Aldersgate Group said: “Today’s IPCC report is a reminder that despite the ongoing geopolitical crisis, the risks relating to climate change have not gone away and require an urgent response, including a rapid reduction in fossil fuel use. The IPCC’s companion report on adaptation [1] and the UK’s own climate change risk assessment [2] made clear the dangers we face now and in the future through further inaction. In response to today’s report, the UK Government should press ahead with its Net Zero Strategy and should use its Energy Security Strategy expected later this week to significantly scale up renewable energy, support more electrification across key sectors and drive energy efficiency across the economy. Reducing reliance on volatile and expensive fossil fuels and accelerating the net zero transition not only makes sense to lower emissions, it also presents an opportunity to boost energy security, drive down energy bills and level up the economy [3].

Nick Molho added: It is positive to see the report highlight the importance of action in this decade to mitigate the built environment’s carbon emissions. The UK must increase its ambition in this area and take action to drive investment in energy efficiency, and deliver the skills programmes required to make the most of this opportunity in line with the recommendations of the Green Jobs Taskforce. The decarbonisation of heavy industry also features as a priority in the IPCC report. The UK is off to a good start on industrial decarbonisation but must push ahead with policies that make low carbon fuels more widely available to heavy industries, whilst also growing the demand for low carbon industrial products through initiatives such as product standards and a carbon border adjustment mechanism [4].

Nick Molho concluded: “Despite a challenging context, the international community must present a united front on delivering the ambitious action needed to address the climate crisis. As COP President, the UK Government has a crucial role to play in this process. The UK must ensure that by the start of COP27, nations deliver on promises made in Glasgow to increase emission reduction pledges (INDCs) at COP27, make stronger commitments to phase out fossil fuels, put forward tangible emission reduction plans and actually deliver on the climate finance promised to developing economies. With a world leading climate policy framework and one of the first net zero strategies of any major economy, the UK also has a huge role to play in sharing its policy development and institutional expertise with other nations, and in particular developing economies.”