London – A High Court judge ruled on Friday that the UK government acted unlawfully by approving plans to meet climate change targets without evidence that they could be met.
It is the second time in two years that a major government climate plan has been found to be illegal and insufficient to meet legally binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. .
Judge Clive Sheldon on Friday sided with the three environmental groups who brought the case, ruling that the government's decision to approve last year's carbon budget plan was “simply not justified by the evidence”.
The plan sets out how the UK will meet its climate change targets, including a commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions by around two-thirds below 1990 levels by 2030 and to net zero by 2050. An outline of what to aim for is provided.
The judge said the details of the draft plan were “vague and unquantified” and did not provide authorities with sufficient information about whether the plan should be approved.
Lawyers representing environmental groups said in court that the government had failed to share a “risk table” – information about whether policies could be implemented – with parliament and others, meaning plans could not be properly scrutinized. Then he said.
“The courts have told the UK government not once, but twice, that its climate change strategy is not fit for purpose,” said Sam Hunter-Jones, a lawyer at ClientEarth. “This judgment means governments must take credible action to tackle the climate crisis, with a plan they can believe can actually be delivered, and figures they can trust.”
The government said it had set out “more detail than any other G20 country on how it will achieve its ambitious carbon budget”, referring to the developed and industrialized nations of the Group of 20 countries and regions, which He defended his record.
“The claims in this case are primarily about process, and the judgment does not include any criticism of the detailed plan we have developed. “We do not believe this is the best way to move forward,” he said in a statement.
Officials said they would release a new report within 12 months of the judge's ruling.
The UK government's climate adviser, who oversees Britain's decarbonization efforts, said last year that she was losing confidence in the government's ability to meet its emissions targets and accused authorities of rolling back its commitment to fossil fuels. .
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