Challenges of a legally binding net zero target

In a week where there has been plenty of talk of a 'green industrial revolution' to stimulate a UK economy hit by the COVID-19 crisis, we need to be mindful of the scale of the task and what this means for UK law and lawyers. This article really brings home that net zero should not just be a matter of interest limited to a few isolated industries or specialist environmental lawyers.

To meet the huge challenge presented by the changing of a few words in the 2008 Climate Change Act will require action across the whole economy, with implications for lawyers working in pretty much every practice area.

This was an imposing task before the arrival of COVID-19.  It will be interesting to see whether the current government has the will and the skill to begin economic recovery while heeding the increasing number of calls to double-down on the UK's commitment to achieving net zero.

It should be clear that this one, small legislative change in the 2008 Act in the middle of 2019 will have repercussions across the whole of the UK for decades to come and most – if not all – sectors of the economy will be impacted in some way.

https://iclg.com/practice-areas/environment-and-climate-change-laws-and-regulations/3-the-impact-of-a-uk-legislative-commitment-to-net-zero-by-2050