Priestley contributes evidence to new 7th Carbon Budget report

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has recently published its new report examining the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) recommendations for the UK’s Seventh Carbon Budget (CB7), the legally binding limits on UK greenhouse gas emissions for 2038 to 2042, and a key milestone on the pathway to net zero by 2050. 

Evidence submitted by Professor John Barrett and the Priestley Centre’s Climate Evidence Unit (CEU) helped to shape the Committee’s conclusions, with the Priestley Centre receiving seven individual mentions throughout the report. 

The CEU’s independent review of the CCC’s proposed budget highlighted the technical credibility of the recommended emissions cap, while also emphasising the need for clear delivery plans, policy certainty, and coordinated action across Government, if the UK is to remain on a viable pathway to net zero. The review also underscored the importance of aligning climate action with economic resilience and national competitiveness. 

Professor Barrett said:

The EAC report clearly highlights the need for Government to show leadership to deliver the multiple benefits to both society and the economy associated with the deep decarbonisation needed to deliver the 7th carbon budget.

In their final report, the EAC echoed findings in the CEU’s evidence submission and agreed that the CCC’s proposed limit is feasible and consistent with the UK’s long‑term climate commitments, but warned that achieving it will require stronger cross‑Government coordination, accelerated policy development, and careful management of transition impacts. 

The Committee also reflected the CEU’s emphasis on fairness, stating that climate policies must support households, address cost‑of‑living pressures, and deliver tangible co‑benefits including cleaner air, improved health outcomes and lower long‑term energy costs. 

The Priestley Centre welcomes the Committee’s recognition of these priorities. The Centre’s submission stressed that to fully unlock the benefits of net zero, there is a need for greater consideration of the ‘social’ transformation that examines how we travel and what we buy, along with the enormous responsibility placed on some key technologies in the CCC’s report to achieve the goals of CB7. 

The EAC’s full report is available here, and the CEU’s full review of the CCC’s 7th Carbon Budget and advice for UK Government can be found here