Policy & Socio-Economics

The cost of delivered H2 using the liquid-distribution pathway will approach $4.3–8.0/kg in the USA and 26–52 RMB/kg in China by around 2030 assuming large-scale adoption. Historically hydrogen as an industrial gas and a chemical feedstock has enjoyed a long and successful history. However it has been slow to take off as an energy carrier for transportation despite its benefits in energy diversity security and environmental stewardship. A key reason for Read More

This report responds to a request from the Governments of the UK Wales and Scotland asking the Committee to reassess the UK’s long-term emissions targets. Our new emissions scenarios draw on ten new research projects three expert advisory groups and reviews of the work of the IPCC and others.The conclusions are supported by detailed analysis published in the Net Zero Technical Report that has been carried out for each sector of the econom Read More

In late 2019 the Committee launched a Call for Evidence to inform its advice to the UK Government on the Sixth Carbon Budget due to be published in December 2020. In addition the Committee sought input on Wales’ third carbon budget and interim emissions targets. These summary documents – one for the Sixth Carbon Budget and a second covering Wales’ carbon budget and emissions targets – provide an overview of the 170+ responses receive Read More

This is the second document of a two-part review of the Fourth Carbon Budget which covers 2023 to 2027. The Fourth Carbon Budget agreed by the Government in June 2011 was scheduled to be reviewed in 2014. The first part of the review is available here: The Fourth Carbon Budget Review – part 1: assessment of climate risk and the international response (November 2013).According to the Climate Change Act 2008 carbon budgets can only b Read More

This is the eighth annual Progress Report to the Scottish Parliament required by Scottish Ministers under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. It assesses Scotland’s progress in achieving its legislated targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Overall greenhouse gas emissions reduced by 3% in 2017 compared to a 10% fall in 2016. The fall was again led by the power sector due in large part to Scotland’s first full year of coal-free electricity gen Read More

The article presents a review of the research on green hydrogen from the social sciences identifying its main lines of research its problems and the relevant challenges due to the benefits and impacts that this energy vector has on energy transitions and climate change. The review analyzes a corpus of 78 articles indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) and SCOPUS published between 1997 and 2022. The review identified three research areas related to green Read More

The Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) explored the role of households in a net-zero emissions society to accompany the CCC’s Net Zero report looking at opportunities and challenges for households to reduce emissions from today’s levels and to support the stretch from an 80% emissions reduction to a net-zero greenhouse gas target. As well as describing a net-zero emissions world for households of different types the ESC looked at average househo Read More

The CCC has established a variety of viable scenarios in which UK decarbonisation targets can be met. Each has consequences for the way in which the UK’s gas network infrastructure is utilised. This report considers the implications of decarbonisation for the future regulation of the gas grid.The CCC’s 5th Carbon Budget envisaged different scenarios that would enable the UK to meet its emissions targets for 2050. These scenarios represent holistic analyses Read More

In this report Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Emissions the Committee on Climate Change assesses how the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions are quantified where uncertainties lie and the implications for setting carbon budgets and measuring progress against climate change targets. The report finds that:The methodology for constructing the UK’s greenhouse gas inventory is rigorous but the process for identifying improvements could be strengthened. Read More

This is our sixth statutory report to Parliament on progress towards meeting carbon budgets. In it we consider the latest data on emissions and their drivers. This year the report also includes a full assessment of how the first carbon budget (2008-2012) was met drawing out policy lessons and setting out what is required for the future to stay on track for the legislated carbon budgets and the 2050 target. The report includes assessment at the level of the e Read More