Britain is expected to fall short of the progress needed to meet its climate targets over the next decade because it is not growing its supply of clean electricity quickly enough, according to the government\u2019s energy system operator.<\/p>\n
The latest 10-year forecast of Britain\u2019s carbon emissions by the government-owned body has revealed that by 2035 the UK will be producing almost a third more carbon emissions than in scenarios where it is on track to meet its legally binding climate targets by 2050.<\/p>\n
It is the second official warning in the last month that the government\u2019s climate targets are at risk of being derailed<\/a>, after the Committee on Climate Change reported that two-fifths of the emissions reductions needed to meet the UK\u2019s interim climate target by the end of the decade still have significant risks or insufficient plans to deliver them.<\/p>\n The latest forecast report, published by the National Energy<\/a> System Operator (Neso), represents the operator\u2019s current view of the next 10 years based on the UK\u2019s existing project pipelines and policies to highlight \u201cthe difference between where we are heading compared [with] where we need to get to\u201d.<\/p>\n It suggests that the UK will produce 274m tonnes of carbon (MtCO2) by 2035, well above the 185\u2013204MtCO2 range shown in the same year for the Neso scenarios in which the UK meets the government\u2019s net zero target by 2050.<\/p>\n Graphic<\/a><\/p>\n Fintan Slye, the chief executive of Neso, said the energy system\u2019s climate progress \u201cisn\u2019t enough\u201d and the UK would \u201cneed to go further and faster, accelerating the rollout of clean energy technologies\u201d to bring about a clean and affordable energy system in the long-term.<\/p>\n \u201cThe choices made today will shape the success of each wave of Britain\u2019s transition. That means speeding up the adoption of energy efficiency measures, empowering households and businesses to make informed choices on things like demand flexibility, buying an electric car and switching to low-carbon heating,\u201d Slye said.<\/p>\n The system operator, which was acquired by the government from the energy company National Grid last year, said halving the UK\u2019s emissions to about 200MtCO2 would \u201conly be possible by accelerating the mainstream use of low-carbon technologies\u201d, from the UK\u2019s industrial bases through to homes and transport.<\/p>\n However, the Neso\u2019s own data shows that the UK\u2019s growing clean electricity supplies are on track to fall short of the progress needed to reach net zero. The UK is expected to reach 148GW of renewable electricity by 2035, according to the 10-year forecast, but it would need between 170GW and 190GW by this time in scenarios where the UK meets its 2050 climate goals.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n The planet’s most important stories. Get all the week’s environment news – the good, the bad and the essential<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n The findings are likely to pile pressure on the government\u2019s plans to boost investment in renewables and more energy-efficient homes.<\/p>\n