“We need unwavering political leadership” – Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group, responds to UKCCC Report | Climate Group Skip to main content

“We need unwavering political leadership” – Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group, responds to UKCCC Report

2 May 2019, 8:47 UTC 2 min read

London, 02 May 2019: Today the UK Committee on Climate Change (UKCCC) has released its statutory advice recommending a net-zero greenhouse gases target by 2050 for the UK to end its contribution to climate change within 30 years. 

Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group, the international non-profit with a mission of accelerating climate action, said:

“The UK Government must follow the advice of the UK Committee on Climate Change with urgency. Their message is clear – we have the solutions to tackle climate change, what’s needed now is political will.

“The UK’s track record of climate leadership is strong. Today’s report from the UKCCC presents an opportunity for the continuation of this leadership, in the hope that it will inspire others to act, protect our planet and ensure greater prosperity for all.

“We know that business as usual is not enough. Member companies of our global campaigns on renewables, electric vehicles and energy productivity are demonstrating excellent leadership with their commitments, acting in line with or ahead of the UK’s ambitions. For other businesses in the UK and globally to follow suit, we need unwavering political leadership from the UK government, clear policy measures, and above all, certainty.

“The recommendations from the UKCCC articulate the huge scale of the action required to reach net-zero by 2050 – as well as the urgency. There is truly no time to lose if we are to succeed.”

On the UKCCC’s recommendation to ensure that electric vehicles are the sole option by 2035 or earlier, Helen Clarkson added:

“There has never been a better time for consumers and businesses to switch to electric vehicles. They are only getting cheaper – battery costs have fallen by 80% since 2010, and savings on fuel and maintenance increasingly outweigh the up-front costs.

“The leading companies committed to our electric vehicle initiative EV100, including Ingka Group (formerly IKEA Group), Unilever and BT Group, are demonstrating that it’s possible to make electric the new normal. Already through this campaign our members will make 2 million vehicles zero emission by 2030.”

 

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About The Climate Group

The Climate Group’s mission is to accelerate climate action to achieve a world of no more than 1.5°C of global warming and greater prosperity for all. We do this by bringing together powerful networks of business and governments that shift global markets and policies. We focus on the greatest global opportunities for change, take innovation and solutions to scale, and build ambition and pace. We are an international non-profit organization, founded in 2004, with offices in London, New Delhi and New York. Our business initiatives EV100, EP100 and RE100 are brought to you as part of the We Mean Business coalition.

Visit TheClimateGroup.org and follow us on Twitter @ClimateGroup.