COVID-19 and carbon neutrality
An overwhelming majority of members of the Climate Assembly UK are calling on government, employers and other stakeholders to support changes that would make the UK carbon neutral.
The interim report "Covid-19, Recovery and the Path to Net Zero" of the randomly selected Citizens' Assembly, published on 23 June 2020, offers an insight into how more than 100 assembly members are trying to get Parliament and government to understand what people think about the country's carbon neutrality. It also looks at the impact of the Corona crisis on achieving the goal of carbon neutrality.
Economic stimulus programme for carbon neutrality
The members of the Climate Assembly UK are a reflection of the population in terms of age, gender, education, place of residence and migration background. They have spent several weekends looking at climate change and possible measures against it. The result:
- 79 per cent of assembly members "strongly agreed" or "agreed" that "steps taken by government to help the economy recover from the effects of Corona should be designed to help achieve carbon neutrality".
- 93 per cent of the participants "strongly agreed" or "agreed" that "government, employers and/or others should take action in easing COVID-19 restrictions to encourage lifestyle change in ways that are more compatible with achieving the goal of carbon neutrality".
"No further harm to the planet"
"The COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown have had a huge impact on the economy and people's lives. It is now important for the government, parliament and business organisations to make a strong case for a stimulus package that does no further damage to the planet. We discussed the COVID-19 outbreak at the Citizens' Assembly and it was quite clear that many of the assembly members believe that the current moment should be used as an opportunity to promote a green recovery of the economy, with a focus on promoting cleaner, greener lifestyles and an economy that prioritises sustainability over short-term benefits that would cause harm to the planet. We wanted to make sure our views were felt now so that the government could include them in their economic stimulus package."
Citizens' Assembly member Ibrahim, Surrey doctor
The 108 members who founded the UK Climate Assembly in January 2020 were selected to represent the people of the UK in terms of demographics and levels of concern about climate change. The assembly met face-to-face over three weekends in Birmingham before the final weekend (scheduled for 20-22 March) was postponed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and re-organised online to three weekends in April/May.
Two recommendations implemented
The two recommendations from the Climate Assembly UK’s interim report on economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic have been implemented, at least in part.
79 per cent of participants had called for government measures for economic recovery to be designed in such a way that they also contribute to achieving climate neutrality. The UK government subsequently linked parts of its ‘Plan for Jobs’ to investments worth billions in energy-efficient building refurbishment and, in November 2020, presented a ten-point plan for a ‘green industrial revolution’, which explicitly linked economic recovery to climate protection, climate-friendly jobs and the goal of climate neutrality. The recommendation can therefore be regarded as largely implemented, even though not all COVID-19 economic support measures were tied to climate targets.
No direct causal link can be established
The second recommendation, to promote more climate-friendly lifestyles at the end of the lockdown, was partially taken up, including through investment in public transport, cycling and walking, zero-emission vehicles and building refurbishment.
Both recommendations from the interim report can thus be regarded as having been implemented, at least in part. However, a direct causal link with all the measures cannot be demonstrated, as other stakeholders also called for a climate-friendly economic recovery.