The UK target of reaching 16.5 percent tree and woodland cover by 2050 is looking ambitious. /CFP
The UK has lost its position as a global leader on climate action and is not doing enough to meet its mid-century net zero target.
This is the scathing analysis by the British government's own climate advisers, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), who described the country's activities to battle climate change as "worryingly slow."
The government insists it remains committed to its climate targets. The CCC said it was was "markedly" less confident than a year ago that the UK would reach its ambitions for reducing carbon emissions.
"The UK has lost its clear global leadership position on climate action," it said. "We have backtracked on fossil fuel commitments, with the consenting of a new coal mine and support for new UK oil and gas production."
In 2019 Britain became the first member of the Group of Seven wealthy nations to set a target to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, requiring major changes in the way Britons travel and use electricity.
But strategies in place are unlikely to deliver the required emission cuts and last year's announcements on new fossil fuel projects have tarnished Britain's reputation as a climate leader, according to the annual progress report by the CCC released on Wednesday.
The impact of climate change is already evident in the UK, which experienced record temperatures over 40C (104F) last year and looks set for its hottest June since records began in 1884.
"There is a worrying hesitancy by ministers to lead the country to the next stage of net zero commitments," CCC chairman John Gummer said.
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The CCC, set up as an independent adviser on climate action to the government, found Britain had fallen behind in areas such as energy efficiency in buildings, heat pumps, curbing emissions from industry and increasing the rate of tree planting, which must double by 2025.
Last year's CCC progress report also flagged Britain's lack of action.
Since then, the government has launched its first oil and gas exploration licensing round since 2019 and approved a new coal mine.
Greenhouse gas emissions for the UK plotted./ Reuters
A spokesperson said the government was proud of its record in cutting emissions, had attracted billions of pounds in investment in renewable projects and backed new industries, including carbon capture and floating offshore wind.
"With a new department dedicated to delivering net zero and energy security, we are driving economic growth, creating jobs, bringing down energy bills, and reducing our dependence on imported fossil fuels," the government spokesperson said.
The Labour opposition, however, was highly critical.
"This is by some distance the most damning indictment of a government since the climate change committee was established in 2008," Labour's Shadow Climate and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband said.
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