UK Government Commits To Net Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Target

Following a Special Report produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ("IPCC") on October 8, 2018, the UK Climate Change Committee ("CCC") was asked to advise the UK government on the implications of the Paris Agreement 2016 and the Special Report for the United Kingdom's long-term emissions. The CCC was, in particular, asked whether further UK action was needed to meet goals of the Paris Agreement. The CCC's advice on May 2, 2019, was to legislate as soon as possible to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions. This view came just a day after Parliament had declared a climate change emergency following a series of protests by the environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion.