The UK government’s climate change advisory body, the Climate Change Committee, wants the island nation’s population to change their diets and start eating significantly less meat and dairy products.
In addition, flying will have to become much more expensive than it is today – in order to meet climate targets.
Or, under current legislation, the UK government must regularly put forward legally binding measures to reach its net-zero greenhouse gas emissions targets by 2050.
The CCC is tasked with making the proposals, and its latest report calls for UK emissions to be reduced to 87% below 1990 levels – to 535 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent for the period 2038-2042.
“This would be an ambitious target, reflecting the importance of the task. But it is deliverable, provided action is taken rapidly”, the report argues.
Explosive electrification expected
According to the CCC, electrification and low-carbon electricity supply should account for the largest share of emission reductions. It wants to expand offshore wind power from today’s 15 GW capacity to 88 GW by 2040, but also double onshore wind power to 32 GW.
It estimates that three quarters of all cars and vans, and almost two thirds of all heavy trucks on the road, will be electric in 15 years – compared to only 2.8% of cars and 1.4% of vans in 2023. This shift will be “propelled by the falling cost of batteries”, it speculates.
It also believes that the electrification of domestic heating will be very rapid and estimates that half of UK homes will be heated by heat pumps by 2040 propelled by the falling cost of batteries compared to around one percent today.
Two fewer meat dishes a week
Better infrastructure should also encourage more people to choose alternatives to driving – while wanting to see “relatively large changes in price” on air travel to ensure citizens stay away from flying.
If airlines pass on the costs to customers, a return ticket from London to Spain could increase by around £150 by 2050, according to the report, which is touted as a positive and necessary measure.
In addition, Britons need to eat less meat. The authors of the report want to see a 25% reduction in meat consumption by 2040 – which means people eating two fewer meat dishes a week.
Meat production in particular is often singled out by those in power as a “climate villain”, and the CCC wants the country’s farmers to be financially compensated by the state for partially opting out of livestock farming to focus more on growing cereals and vegetables.
The government and MPs will now consider the report before voting on what the legally binding carbon budget should look like.
