Three environmental organisations have filed a request for a judicial review of the UK government's revised net zero strategy, which was released at the end of March.
Friends of the Earth, ClientEarth and Good Law Project have requested the UK's High Court review the government's carbon budget delivery plan, calling it "unlawful" and an "inadequate strategy for tackling climate change".
The government was legally required to update the plan, after the same organisations won a High Court ruling in July 2022. The original strategy lacked sufficient detail on how climate policies will contribute to meeting the UK's carbon budgets, the court ruled. The country has a legally-binding target of net zero emissions by 2050.
"We strongly reject these claims and will be robustly defending these legal challenges. We have met all our carbon budgets to date and are on track to do so in future", the government told Argus.
The government said in its March 2023 revision that quantified emissions savings only deliver 92pc of its climate target for 2030. It expects the gap to be closed by "unquantified policies" such as the UK green taxonomy and its carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) programme.
The environmental organisations said the revised plan breaches the Climate Change Act and relies on nascent technologies such as hydrogen and CCUS. Advisory body the Climate Change Committee found last month that the UK must almost quadruple the rate of its non-power sector greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions if it is to meet its 2030 targets, or almost double it if the power sector is taken into account.
The UK has so far reduced its GHG emissions by 46pc against 1990 levels, including shipping and aviation, compared with legally binding targets of a 68pc cut by 2030 and a 78pc cut by 2035.
