The UK government has declined for a third time to release the expected emissions savings for measures in its landmark plan to meet the UK’s carbon targets, in a decision that critics have called deeply unhelpful and concerning.
When the Net Zero Strategy was published last October, officials said its policies on everything from electric cars to nuclear power were collectively enough to put the UK back on track for its legally binding carbon targets in coming years. But the savings from individual policies weren’t released, making it impossible to scrutinise the claims and drawing criticism over a lack of transparency.
The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) refused a 51¶ŻÂţ freedom of information request for a spreadsheet of the savings in December. Weeks later, it rejected an appeal on the grounds that releasing the information risked “damaging the internal decision-making process”.
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Now BEIS has declined to publish its figures for a third time, after Labour MP Darren Jones called on the department to reconsider withholding the document. In response, energy minister Greg Hands said the figures will be published in emissions projections in “due course”, without giving any date.
“This will set out emissions reductions from those specific Net Zero Strategy measures where decisions on the design of the associated individual policy intervention are sufficiently advanced to meet Energy and Emissions projections publication standards,” .
“The government’s refusal to set out how much individual policies of their flagship Net Zero Strategy will reduce emissions is concerning,” says Jones, who is chair of the BEIS select committee. “The lack of transparency does little to advance public understanding and is deeply unhelpful when it is vital we engage the public to help ensure a fair and just transition to net zero.”
The costs of measures to hit net zero, such as support for new renewable energy schemes and installing heat pumps in UK homes, are the subject of frequent debate and have been criticised by . Some green groups , arguing it is too costly.
“Ministers claim their Net Zero Strategy is the answer to how to get to net zero, but their refusal to show their calculations is very suspicious,” says Green MP Caroline Lucas. “MPs, and the public, have the right to know whether the numbers add up.” Releasing the detail in “due course” is not good enough and reinforces the idea the Net Zero Strategy “just doesn’t deliver”, she says.Ěý
The UK’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office, is considering a 51¶ŻÂţ complaint on BEIS’s decision not to release the savings. The UK government is also facing legal challenges over its Net Zero Strategy from two green groups, Friends of the Earth and ClientEarth.
“It’s deeply concerning that the government is refusing to release information on the impact that its policies will have on reducing carbon emissions,” says Katie de Kauwe, a lawyer at Friends of the Earth. “If the government has done the calculations, then what has it got to hide?”
BEIS didn’t comment specifically on withholding the data on emissions savings, but a spokesperson says: “The Net Zero Strategy sets out specific, detailed measures we will take to transition to a low carbon economy.”
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