The Climate Change Act 2008 (2050 Target Amendment) Order 2019

Draft Order laid before Parliament under sections 2(6) and 91(1) of the Climate Change Act 2008, for approval by resolution of each House of Parliament.

Draft Statutory Instruments

2019 No.

Climate Change

The Climate Change Act 2008 (2050 Target Amendment) Order 2019

Made

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Coming into force in accordance with article 1

A draft of this instrument was laid before and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament, in accordance with sections 2(6) and 91(1) of the Climate Change Act 2008 (“the Act”)(1).

Before the draft was laid, the Secretary of State—

(a) obtained and took into account the advice of the Committee on Climate Change, in accordance with section 3(1)(a) of the Act; and

(b) took into account representations made by the Scottish Ministers, the Welsh Ministers and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland in accordance with section 3(1)(b) of the Act(2),

The Secretary of State considers that since the Act was passed, there have been significant developments in scientific knowledge about climate change that make it appropriate to amend the percentage specified in section 1(1) of the Act.

Accordingly, the Secretary of State, in exercise of the power conferred by section 2(1)(a) of the Act, makes the following Order:

Citation and commencement

1.  This Order may be cited as the Climate Change Act 2008 (2050 Target Amendment) Order 2019 and comes into force on the day after the day on which it is made.

Amendment of the target for 2050

2.—(1) Section 1 of the Climate Change Act 2008 is amended as follows.

(2) In subsection (1), for “80%” substitute “100%”.

Name

Minister

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Date

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

Article 2 of this Order amends section 1 of the Climate Change Act 2008 (c. 27) by altering the percentage amount in subsection (1). Section 1(1) imposes a duty on the Secretary of State as to the level of the “net UK carbon account” (the amount of net UK emissions of targeted greenhouse gases for a period adjusted by the amount of carbon units credited or debited to the account) for the year 2050. The duty is to ensure that the net UK carbon account is lower than the “1990 baseline” (the baseline of net UK emissions of targeted greenhouse gases against which the percentage amount in subsection 1(1) is applied) by a minimum percentage amount.

The amendment in this Order has the effect that the minimum percentage by which the net UK carbon account for the year 2050 must be lower than the 1990 baseline is increased from 80% to 100%.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument.

(1)

2008 c.27

(2)

see sections 95 and 96 of the Act for definitions of “national authority” and “relevant Northern Ireland Department”.