The UK's Committee on Climate Change has announced that the publication of the Sixth Carbon Budget (2033-2037) has been delayed to December this year, rather than September as originally planned. The Carbon Budgets are an integral and essential part of the net zero mechanism within the Climate Change Act 2008 to ensure that UK Government makes sufficient progress towards net zero by 2050, and the postponement of the publication of the Sixth Carbon Budget has been seen a source of concern for some. However, given World circumstances, it is right that the CCC looks again at its priorities. The delay in the Sixth Carbon Budget by only a small number of months provides much needed space for the CCC to concentrate on how climate priorities could be hard-wired into the economic recovery and rebuilding exercise that will be required as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Given the momentous impact of the past few weeks, that sounds like the right priorities for the CCC right now, and we look forward to hearing the CCC's advice to Government on how it can make the economic recovery a low-carbon and resilient recovery.
The CCC will refocus its annual Progress Report to Parliament in June to include advice on supporting a resilient recovery following the pandemic
https://www.theccc.org.uk/2020/04/14/ccc-to-amend-2020-work-programme/