Climate Change Act 2008
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
Climate Change Act 2008
2008 Chapter 27
An Act to set a target for the year 2050 for the reduction of targeted greenhouse gas emissions; to provide for a system of carbon budgeting; to establish a Committee on Climate Change; to confer powers to establish trading schemes for the purpose of limiting greenhouse gas emissions or encouraging activities that reduce such emissions or remove greenhouse gas from the atmosphere; to make provision about adaptation to climate change; to confer powers to make schemes for providing financial incentives to produce less domestic waste and to recycle more of what is produced; to make provision about the collection of household waste; to confer powers to make provision about charging for single use carrier bags; to amend the provisions of the Energy Act 2004 about renewable transport fuel obligations; to make provision about carbon emissions reduction targets; to make other provision about climate change; and for connected purposes. 9
[26th November 2008]
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
Part 1
Carbon target and budgeting
The target for 2050
1 The target for 2050
(1) It is the duty of the Secretary of State to ensure that the net UK carbon account for the year 2050 is at least 80% lower than the 1990 baseline.
(2) "The 1990 baseline" means the aggregate amount of—
(a) net UK emissions of carbon dioxide for that year, and
(b) net UK emissions of each of the other targeted greenhouse gases for the year that is the base year for that gas.
2 Amendment of 2050 target or baseline year
(1) The Secretary of State may by order—
(a) amend the percentage specified in section 1(1);
(b) amend section 1 to provide for a different year to be the baseline year.
(2) The power in subsection (1)(a) may only be exercised—
(a) if it appears to the Secretary of State that there have been significant developments in—
(i) scientific knowledge about climate change, or
(ii) European or international law or policy,
that make it appropriate to do so, or
(b) in connection with the making of—
(i) an order under section 24 (designation of further greenhouse gases as targeted greenhouse gases), or
(ii) regulations under section 30 (emissions from international aviation or international shipping).
(3) The developments in scientific knowledge referred to in subsection (2) are—
(a) in relation to the first exercise of the power in subsection (1)(a), developments since the passing of this Act;
(b) in relation to a subsequent exercise of that power, developments since the evidential basis for the previous exercise was established.
(4) The power in subsection (1)(b) may only be exercised if it appears to the Secretary of State that there have been significant developments in European or international law or policy that make it appropriate to do so.
(5) An order under subsection (1)(b) may make consequential amendments of other references in this Act to the baseline year.
(6) An order under this section is subject to affirmative resolution procedure.
3 Consultation on order amending 2050 target or baseline year
(1) Before laying before Parliament a draft of a statutory instrument containing an order under section 2 (order amending the 2050 target or the baseline year), the Secretary of State must—
(a) obtain, and take into account, the advice of the Committee on Climate Change, and
(b) take into account any representations made by the other national authorities.
(2) The Committee must, at the time it gives its advice to the Secretary of State, send a copy to the other national authorities.
(3) As soon as is reasonably practicable after giving its advice to the Secretary of State, the Committee must publish that advice in such manner as it considers appropriate.
(4) The Secretary of State may proceed to lay such a draft statutory instrument before Parliament without having received a national authority's representations if the authority does not provide them before the end of the period of three months beginning with the date the Committee's advice was sent to the authority.
(5) At the same time as laying such a draft statutory instrument before Parliament, the Secretary of State must publish a statement setting out whether and how the order takes account of any representations made by the other national authorities.
(6) If the order makes provision different from that recommended by the Committee, the Secretary of State must also publish a statement setting out the reasons for that decision.
(7) A statement under this section may be published in such manner as the Secretary of State thinks fit.
Carbon budgeting
4 Carbon budgets
(1) It is the duty of the Secretary of State—
(a) to set for each succeeding period of five years beginning with the period 2008-2012 ("budgetary periods") an amount for the net UK carbon account (the "carbon budget"), and
(b) to ensure that the net UK carbon account for a budgetary period does not exceed the carbon budget.
(2) The carbon budget for a budgetary period may be set at any time after this Part comes into force, and must be set—
(a) for the periods 2008-2012, 2013-2017 and 2018-2022, before 1st June 2009;
(b) for any later period, not later than 30th June in the 12th year before the beginning of the period in question.
5 Level of carbon budgets
(1) The carbon budget—
(a) for the budgetary period including the year 2020, must be such that the annual equivalent of the carbon budget for the period is at least 26% lower than the 1990 baseline;
(b) for the budgetary period including the year 2050, must be such that the annual equivalent of the carbon budget for the period is lower than the 1990 baseline by at least the percentage specified in section 1 (the target for 2050);
(c) for the budgetary period including any later year specified by order of the Secretary of State, must be such that the annual equivalent of the carbon budget for the period is—
(i) lower than the 1990 baseline by at least the percentage so specified, or
(ii) at least the minimum percentage so specified, and not more than the maximum percentage so specified, lower than the 1990 baseline.
(2) The "annual equivalent", in relation to the carbon budget for a period, means the amount of the carbon budget for the period divided by the number of years in the period.
(3) An order under this section is subject to affirmative resolution procedure.
(4) For the purposes of subsection (1)(a) there shall be left out of account—
(a) so much of the carbon budget for the budgetary period including the year 2020 as the Secretary of State may determine relates to targeted greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide, and
(b) so much of the 1990 baseline as is attributable to targeted greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide.
6 Amendment of target percentages
(1) The Secretary of State may by order amend—
(a) the percentage specified in section 5(1)(a);
(b) any percentage specified under section 5(1)(c).
(2) That power may only be exercised—
(a) if it appears to the Secretary of State that there have been significant developments in—
(i) scientific knowledge about climate change, or
(ii) European or international law or policy,
that make it appropriate to do so, or
(b) in connection with the making of—
(i) an order under section 24 (designation of further greenhouse gases as targeted greenhouse gases), or
(ii) regulations under section 30 (emissions from international aviation or international shipping).
(3) The developments in scientific knowledge referred to in subsection (2)(a) are—
(a) in relation to the first exercise of the power conferred by this section in relation to the percentage specified in section 5(1)(a), developments since June 2000 (the date of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's 22nd Report, ‘Energy – the Changing Climate’);
(b) in relation to the first exercise of the power conferred by this section in relation to any percentage specified under section 5(1)(c), developments since the evidential basis for the order setting that percentage was established;
(c) in relation to a subsequent exercise of any of those powers, developments since the evidential basis for the previous exercise was established.
(4) The power conferred by this section to amend the percentage in section 5(1)(a) includes power to amend or repeal section 5(4) (which directs that targeted greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide are to be left out of account for the purposes of that provision).
(5) An order under this section is subject to affirmative resolution procedure.
7 Consultation on order setting or amending target percentages
(1) Before laying before Parliament a draft of a statutory instrument containing an order under section 5(1)(c) (order...
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