Climate Change and the Low Carbon Economy

Climate change is one of the gravest threats to our security and prosperity.

Our domestic Climate Projections predict higher temperatures, reduced summer rainfall, rising sea levels and more frequent extreme weather events. Internationally, the Stern Review has shown that climate change is likely to impose substantial costs on the global economy, but that the cost of taking action now is relatively modest, and significantly lower than the costs of taking action later.

The UK accounts for less than 2% of global emissions. We aren’t the biggest polluters overall, but we need to show leadership if we are to persuade others to act too.  And it is in our economic interest to seize the new opportunities for growth and jobs presented by the transition to a low carbon economy.  

We have enshrined this low carbon transition in the world’s first Climate Change Act. This requires us to reduce our emissions by a third by 2020 and 80% by 2050. A system of carbon budgets, proposed by the independent Committee on Climate Change ensures we are on the right trajectory to meet those targets.

The UK firmly believes that the best way to reduce emissions is by pricing carbon through the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), combined with other policies to reduce emissions from parts of the economy not covered by the ETS.

Internationally, the UK is working with countries around the world to reach an ambitious global climate deal. The UK and many other countries are coming to the international table backed by decisive domestic action - a mandate that inspires global and domestic action from others, too.

The climate change pages of this website describe key UK policies, and provide links to UK and EU climate material.