Two weeks ago, outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May introduced legislation to enshrine into law a net zero emissions by 2050 target. On Thursday, June 27, Britain made the legislation a legally binding commitment to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050, when Energy and Clean Growth Minister Chris Skidmore signed the legislation.
And while the Prime Minister may be remembered for her failure in handling the country’s much-ballyhooed “Brexit,” she has cemented her legacy when it comes to mitigating the impact of climate change, according to Clean Technica.
May introduced what is called a statutory instrument (SI) in Parliament to amend the country’s Climate Change Act of 2008 that called for “eradicating” the UK’s “contribution to climate change by 2050.” The net-zero target was recommended by the Committee on Climate Change, Britain’s independent climate advisory body.
“The UK kick-started the Industrial Revolution, which was responsible for economic growth across the globe but also for increasing emissions,” said Skidmore at the signing of the new law, reports Reuters. “Today we’re leading the world yet again in becoming the first major economy to pass new laws to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050,” he said.
The United Kingdom has already reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 42 percent and the nation’s economy has grown by 72 percent – All-in-all, not a bad outlook – considering that the continued that emission levels and economic growth have always been thought to be tied together.
The UK has tied its emission reduction goals into its modern Industrial Strategy, with the goal of growing the number of “green collar” jobs to 2 million by 2030.
“I am delighted that the 2050 net zero target has passed into UK law,” said Lord Deben, the Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change. “Delivering net zero will require major commitment over the coming decades, but will bring significant benefits too.
