June 24 (Reuters) – Britain’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) urged the government on Wednesday to accelerate efforts to transition to clean energy and remove policy costs from electricity bills, as households reel from high energy prices.Here are some more details:
• Britain’s Labour government has said cleaner energy can help to insulate the country from fossil fuel price volatility, which has been exacerbated by the Iran war.
• While overall emissions have fallen and electric vehicle uptake has grown, progress in electrification has slowed in other areas such as heat pump installations, leaving people exposed to fossil fuel price shocks and putting carbon budgets at risk, the independent watchdog said in a report.
• “The transition to clean electricity is not happening fast enough. Government support to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles and heat pumps is critical, not only to keep our climate targets within reach but to unlock savings,” said CCC Chair Nigel Topping.
• The CCC recommended making electricity cheaper by removing remaining policy costs from electricity bills, expanding affordable charging infrastructure to boost the transition to EVs, reducing the cost of heat pumps, and speeding up grid connections.
• “At this moment of political uncertainty, any weakening of current positions risks slowing these transitions, undermining investment and the long-term consistency businesses need,” Topping added.
• Business group CBI agreed with CCC’s recommendations, saying that the UK must accelerate electrification and provide clarity on the role of hydrogen “to realise the benefits of a decarbonised power system and lower costs”.
(Reporting by Carlos Méndez in Mexico City; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
