Recent Shifts In UK Government's Climate Change Policy

Net-Zero Review

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ("BEIS") has commissioned an independent review of the UK government's approach to delivering its net- zero target, in a way that is deemed to be pro-business and pro-growth. A consultation commenced on September 26, 2022, raising 30 questions on how the path to net zero can help meet the government's growth target of 2.5% per year. The consultation reveals something of a shift in the motivation for achieving net zero by 2050?from being primarily environmentally driven, to being seen as a possible economic opportunity.?

The consultation is cast against the backdrop of events in Ukraine and the global economic crisis. It also happens to follow a landmark judgment of the High Court handed down in July 2022, which held that the government's existing net-zero strategy was unlawful because it failed to show how the UK's legally binding climate targets will be achieved. The government