Progress towards net zero and implications for the Covid recovery examined

• Watch Parliament TV: Net zero and UN climate summits
• Inquiry: Net zero and UN climate summits
• Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee

Witnesses

Thursday 2nd July, virtual session

At 10.30am

Panel 1: Climate Assembly UK – interim results

• Jim Watson, Expert Lead, Climate Assembly UK & Professor of Energy Policy, University College London
• Sarah Allen, Head of Engagement, Involve

At 10.50am

Panel 2: CCC 2020 Progress Report

• Baroness Brown, Deputy Chair, Committee on Climate Change
• Mike Thompson, Director of Analysis, Committee on Climate Change

Panel 3: Implications for business and levelling up

At 11.35am

• James Diggle, Head of Energy and Climate Change, CBI
• Eliot Whittington, Director, The Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders Group
• Andrew Large, Chair, Energy Intensive Users Group
• Professor Jim Skea, Chair of the Just Transition Commission

The BEIS Committee hears from three witness panels, including from the Climate Assembly (CA), the CCC, and a panel of business groups, which includes representatives from the CBI and the Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders Group.

The session explores the Climate Assembly process and the CA's interim results (published 23 June), on lifestyle changes and economic recovery.

The Committee hears about the process for the Assembly, including how Assembly members arrived at these results.

The hearing also examines the CCC's annual stocktake of emission reductions and its recommendations for the year ahead - the CCC having made its recommendations in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and the CCC having set out principles for delivering a resilient recovery that is in line with the net zero target.

The session also explores the views of businesses on the actions required and the implications for business and look at how to develop a net-zero economy in an inclusive way, hearing from Jim Skea, Chair of the Just Transition Commission.

The Just Transition Commission was set up by the Scottish Government in 2018 to advise on how the country might ‘advance to a net-zero economy that is fair to all'.

BEIS and EAC Committee Chairs set out opportunities of green economic recovery to Chancellor and stress recovery must accelerate move to net zero to avert climate crisis

Ahead of the BEIS Committee on Thursday, Darren Jones, Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee and Philip Dunne, Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), wrote to the Chancellor [on Friday 26th June, letter here] warning that time is running out to ‘avert an even greater future global crisis caused by climate change'. They stress that the UK's post-COVID economic recovery package should be used as an opportunity to accelerate investment on climate adaptation and cutting emissions to net zero.

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees

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