The UK is halfway to net zero, but the next stage will affect us all
We’re quietly becoming the first G20 nation to halve emissions. Now for the hard yards
Despite claims of emissions being halved there is still a long way to go as the challenges get grittier
ILLUSTRATION BY RICHARD WALKER
The Sunday Times
At some point in the next few months the UK will reach the halfway point on the road to net zero. It’s been a smooth ride so far — you may have barely noticed you were even making the journey. But the rest of the trip could be rather more bumpy.
Greenhouse gas emissions fell to 417 million tonnes last year 49 per cent lower than the official baseline in 1990, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. In the same period, the economy grew by 75 per cent. This year, or maybe next, the UK hit the halfway mark.
Some argue, using different metrics, that we have already passed this milestone. Last week headlines proclaimed that Britain had become the first
