Legal & Regulatory News

UK High Court rules that UK Government's Net Zero Strategy breached Climate Change Act obligations

18 July 2022

On 18 July 2022, the UK High Court ruled that the UK Government's Net Zero Strategy (NZS) was in breach of its obligations under sections 13 and 14 of the Climate Change Act 2008.

In particular, the Court found that the Secretary of State for Business Energy and Industrial Energy had been legally obliged to take into account of the following under section 13 of the Climate Chance Act 2008:

  1. the quantitative effects of individual policies; and
  1. in the qualitative analysis, which policies were relied upon to make up the 5% shortfall and in what ways.

Due to the fact that this information had not been included in the relevant ministerial briefing, the Court found that the Secretary of State for Business Energy and Industrial Energy had been unable to take into account and to decide for himself how much weight to give to various matters.

The Court further held that the NZS did not contain sufficient information to enable Parliament and the public to understand properly how the UK Government intended to meet the statutory targets as required by section 14 of the Climate Change Act 2008.

Click here to read the judgment.