The High Court of the United Kingdom recently ruled that the government’s plan to reach net zero by 2050 did not provide enough detail to comply with the UK Climate Change Act. This is the second time the Court has rejected the government’s Net Zero strategy, with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero now having 12 months to amend the plan to meet the court order. The legal action was brought by Friends of the Earth and ClientEarth, challenging the carbon budget delivery plan adopted in March 2023 on five grounds.
In a 49-page decision, Justice Clive Sheldon upheld four of the five grounds for the legal challenge, dismissing the fifth. The Court found that the GHG reduction goals set in the plan were not achievable based on the details and strategy provided, and the proposal was deemed irrational. The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero now has 12 months to draft an updated plan to meet the Court’s standards, as the decision stated that the Secretary of State’s decision was not justified by the evidence.
The Court’s decision was praised by climate activist organizations such as Friends of the Earth and ClientEarth, with Sam Hunter Jones, a lawyer from ClientEarth, stating that the government must take real, credible action to address the climate crisis with a plan that can be trusted to deliver results. The government, however, dismissed the ruling as a procedural victory, stating that the claims in the case were largely about process and that the judgment contained no criticism of the detailed plans already in place. The government believes that a court case about process is not the best way to drive progress towards the shared goal of reaching net zero.
This ruling has significant implications for the UK’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reach net zero by 2050. It highlights the importance of having a detailed and credible plan in place to achieve these ambitious goals, as the Court found that the government’s current strategy was lacking in sufficient detail and evidence to support its effectiveness. The ruling also underscores the role of the judiciary in holding governments accountable for their climate action plans, ensuring that they are in line with legal requirements and can deliver on their commitments.
Moving forward, Secretary of State Clair Coutinho must work to draft an updated plan that meets the Court’s standards and addresses the concerns raised in the legal challenge. This will require a thorough review of the current strategy, with a focus on providing more detail and evidence to support the effectiveness of the proposed GHG reduction measures. The government must take this opportunity to develop a plan that can be trusted to deliver real, credible action on climate change, in line with the UK’s commitment to reach net zero by 2050.
