UK climate change impacts, strategy and standards: from here to 2050

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) introduced a pioneering Climate Change Act in 2008, together with a subsequent amendment aimed at achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (i.e. carbon neutrality) by 2050. That Act also established an independent, statutory body – the Climate Change Committee (CCC) – with the role of advising the UK government on progress towards securing its emissions targets. The CCC recently noted that the UK is not on track to meet its commitments under the UN climate change process of a 68% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030. This contribution firstly describes the phenomenon of ‘carbon leakage’ and related issues, along with GHG accounting methods, carbon footprints and standards (based around life-cycle thinking). Examples are then outlined of potential UK climate change options. On mitigation, the challenges associated with low-carbon energy technologies and so-called ‘circular economy’ interventions are recounted. Various adaptation issues are discussed, alongside climate-respecting engineering design and associated challenges. Across the board, climate change standards – such as those approved by the International Standards Organisation and adopted in the UK via the British Standards Institution – play a pivotal role in accelerating climate action through the adoption of sustainable practices.