The Government should follow the principles set out by Climate Assembly UK and ensure fairness underpins the transition to net zero, says the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee in a report published today.
The BEIS Committee’s report Climate Assembly UK: where are we now? makes a series of recommendations to Government on public engagement and education, on deliberative democracy, and on the net zero transition, in order to capitalise on the work of Climate Assembly UK (CAUK).
CAUK was the first UK-wide citizens’ assembly on climate change and examined potential pathways to achieve the Government’s net zero target to reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The report urges the Government to come forward with the Net Zero Review as a matter of priority, and to do so along with the Net Zero Strategy, to ensure there is genuine consultation and engagement with the public, businesses and industry to drive forward efforts to decarbonise.
Chair's comment
Darren Jones, Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, said: “Climate Assembly UK brought together 108 citizens over multiple weekends to agree a series of recommendations to Government, as Ministers start to set out how our net zero target will be implemented. At the heart of the CAUK proposals were the principles of public engagement and fairness, but Ministers have so far failed to engage the public on any of the big changes we expect to see in the years ahead. Whether it’s decarbonising heating in our homes, reducing our emissions from transport or dealing with changes in the workplace, we know the net zero transition will soon become a lived experience in every home across the country. There is a great opportunity to make the net-zero transition a positive experience. But the Government’s failure to engage the public means we risk people viewing the net-zero transition in a negative light and perceiving policy measures as being imposed. I hope the Government will take heed of our report, formally accept the CAUK proposals as a basis to engage the wider public, and not miss the opportunity of hosting COP26 to energise and motivate the British people about the net zero opportunities ahead of us.”
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Posted On: 08/07/2021