New report calls for government to do more on climate change

The UK's advisors on climate change say not enough is being done to tackle the issue

The UK government has been criticised for not doing enough, quickly enough to tackle climate change.

It follows the release of a report from the Climate Change Committee (CCC), which advises UK governments on climate issues and monitors the progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The CCC described the action taken by the UK government so far to meet its climate goals as "worryingly slow".

While it said there were opportunities to do more, it pointed out that: "Time is now very short to achieve this change of pace".

Why is it a big deal?

The UK has said it wants to achieve net zero by 2050

The government has said it wants to achieve what's known as 'net-zero' by 2050.

This means the amount of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide being produced and released into the air would be the same as the amount being removed from the atmosphere, creating a balance.

Achieving net zero is important as greenhouse gases, which are produced when fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal are burned, have a big impact on climate change.

What has the Climate Change Committee said?

Lord Deben, who is the chairman of the CCC, said the UK government has been "too slow to embrace cleaner, cheaper alternatives and too keen to support new production of coal, oil and gas."

UK greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 46% from 1990 levels, mainly because of the removal of coal from electricity production.

The government has promised to reduce emissions by 68% by 2030, but Lord Debden said the progress made so far hasn't been enough and the committee has less confidence the UK will reach its climate targets by then.

The CCC's criticisms follow the government's approval of a new deep coal mine in Cumbria at the end of 2022.

It'll be used to provide fuel for steel-making and is the first new mine approved in 30 years.

The CCC has said the UK government is throwing away its position as a world leader in net zero by supporting the development of new oil, gas and coal projects like this at home while telling other countries around the world to stop using them.

What more needs to be done?

The CCC says more heat pumps need to be installed in homes to help reduce greenhouse emissions

The CCC has a number of recommendations on what should be done to tackle the climate issue.

These include boosting the use of heat pumps, which transfer heat from one place to another, in homes, cutting meat consumption, and encouraging people to fly less.

It also said the switch to renewable power needs to be increased, industries need more help to reduce gas emissions and there the numbers of trees being planted needs to be ramped up.

The report did highlight the positive impact of the increase in sales of electric cars and the growing renewable power sector.

However, it also warned the UK government continues to rely on more complex technology based solutions to address the climate problem rather than "more straightforward" encouragement of people to reduce activities which have an impact on climate change.

What has the government said?

The growth in the sale of electric cars has been noted as a positive change when it comes to tackling climate change

In response to the report, Graham Stuart, who is the minister of state for Energy Security and Net Zero, said the government had met all its carbon targets to date and was confident of doing so in the future.

He also said that while renewable energy sources have an important role, the UK will continue to depend on fossil fuels for its power for the foreseeable future.

"There is no button I can press tomorrow, and as we will be dependent on oil and gas for decades to come, even as we move to net zero, it makes sense that we should produce it here," he told journalists.