Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the fact that the carbon dioxide emission levels for 2030 specified in the fifth carbon budget are 33 per cent below those specified in the nationally determined contributions for 2030; and what steps they will take to address this disparity.

The fifth carbon budget was set in 2016, when the UK’s legal target was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% on 1990 levels. The Climate Change Act 2008 was amended in 2019 to strengthen the 2050 target to net zero. The UK's 2030 nationally determined contribution to reduce emissions by at least 68% on 1990 levels was set in 2020 to align with the trajectory to achieve net zero by 2050.

The Government will publish a report setting out its plan to meet carbon budgets in due course. This will set out the policies and proposals needed to meet Carbon Budgets 4-6 and the 2030 and 2035 NDC targets.