The UK government is failing to lead by example on taking action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and meet a legally binding target of reaching net zero by 2050, a watchdog has said.
Across Whitehall departments the rules for reporting, gathering data and taking action are vague, there is a free-for-all on reporting emissions reductions or the lack of them, and oversight is fragmented and ineffective, the public accounts committee said on Wednesday.
The committee chair, Meg Hillier, said: “The targets set to maintain our world in a livable state are not ‘nice to have’. Government made a legally binding commitment to deliver net zero by 2050. Government promised to lead the way to national decarbonisation, but isn’t even putting its own house in order.
“Vague guidance and lack of follow-up make it hard for the public to hold the government to account. A free-for-all on reporting veils progress or lack of it. Government needs to be clearer and must publish consistent standards for measuring and reporting emissions across the public sector so that it can be properly held to account.”
The report said responsibility for emissions reporting was split across three departments and the guidance issued was too vague. It said this lack of focus contributed to low compliance on reporting standards across central government.
The committee said that despite the time and resources being committed by central government bodies, it was not convinced that they or the wider public sector were using emissions data to drive decision-making.
The committee criticised the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis), which has overall responsibility to deliver net zero, for not holding other departments to account.
Beis publishes annual estimates on direct public sector emissions from buildings, but the MPs said this data was not detailed enough to identify which parts of the public sector were doing well or lagging behind.
The department agrees emissions reduction targets with central government departments through “greening government commitments” (GGCs), and Defra publishes data showing progress against these annually. But Beis does not know whether the GGC targets for 2021 to 2025 are aligned with the longer-term decarbonisation targets for the public sector and does not hold departments to account if they fall behind.
The report recommended that Beis should regularly publish data setting out the progress the public sector is making on decarbonisation and how this compares with what is required to meet net zero.
The committee said any leadership and oversight of emissions measurement and reporting in central government was fragmented and ineffective. At least three departments were issuing guidance to central government bodies on how to measure and report emissions, but the guidance was not consistent or user-friendly and was scattered across several different publications.
