Accounting, offsetting and sequestering: UK urged to set up carbon regulator on road to net-zero
To ensure that emissions reductions are delivered in line with the Paris Agreement and forthcoming carbon budgets, and that the carbon offsetting and removal markets do not greenwash as they scale, the UK could set up a dedicated regulator.
The new body could be supported by organisations like the Environment Agency and CCC, the report states
That is according to a new report today (29 April) from the Energy Systems Catapult.
The report sets out the case for a body that would be responsible for ensuring that the Government’s methods for measuring and estimating emissions are accurate; that sectors deliver emissions reductions in line with national and international targets; and that fast-growing sectors such as international offsetting and carbon capture and storage (CCS) are not used to greenwash.
Taking action on the Ten Point Plan for the Green Industrial Revolution
Boris Johnson pledged to plant 30,000 hectares of trees a year in the UK by 2025, as part of his Ten Point Plan for the Green Industrial Revolution. However, this commitment was already promised in the Conservative Manifesto and the last time the UK planted 30,000 hectares in one year was 1989.
Next year, we believe that the UK will be unlikely to meet its tree planting targets unless it’s enshrined in law. A legally binding target for tree planting is the only way of catalysing real action. It will also bring many benefits: an increase in biodiversity, reconnect people with nature and help deliver on our net zero target. There’s an increasing recognition from business about the importance of nature, with the Biodiversity COP taking place in May 2021.