Britons told they will have to 'cycle more and eat less meat' to hit Net Zero targets

Britons will have to cycle more and eat less meat to hit the Government’s new Net Zero targets, the Climate Change Committee predicts.

Flying will fall, it forecasts, and the installation of heat pumps will have to increase massively, with MPs saying Net Zero will “become more visible in everyday life”.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband announced that the Government has signed up to a legal target to cut the UK’s planet-heating emissions by 87 per cent by 2040.

The reduction in greenhouse gases on 1990 levels – on the way to hitting Net Zero by 2050 – is in line with official advice from the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) on deliverable and cost-effective cuts.

The seventh ‘Carbon Budget’ sets out how many emissions the country is legally allowed between 2038 and 2042.

But MPs have warned that the “low-hanging fruit” of decarbonisation, such as ensuring electricity is generated through clean power, has already been reaped.

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) - a parliamentary body - delivered a report in March about the impact of CB7.

It found the target was “technically credible”. But it warned: “The 'low-hanging fruit' of decarbonisation has largely been exhausted, and delivery will now depend far more on complex system change across homes, transport, industry and everyday behaviour.”

In its Carbon Budget paper, the CCC outlined some of the expected changes.

“The transition involves less meat and dairy in the average UK diet, with the aim to reduce UK livestock numbers and free up land for measures such as woodland creation, while not increasing imports of meat and dairy,” it states.

It adds: “By 2040, our Balanced Pathway sees people make some shifts towards lower-carbon choices.

“Better infrastructure enables more people to choose public transport, cycling, or walking, instead of driving, bringing the UK closer in line with countries such as Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

“A continuation of existing trends, together with greater choice and availability of plant-based foods, sees a reduction in meat (especially beef and lamb) and dairy consumption, within overall healthier diets.”

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• Andy Burnham bottles snap general election after polling guru makes Reform prediction
• Labour warned unemployment could hit highest level in 14 years as 400,000 jobs vanish
• The data that proves Reform voters aren't afraid of fighting Andy Burnham if he takes over as PM

It anticipates flying will decrease as costs rise. It says: “With the aviation sector bearing the costs of meeting Net Zero for flying, demand growth is lower than in the baseline of no further decarbonisation action.”

The Government’s commitment to the emissions target comes amid increasing political division over climate action, with Reform UK and the Tories promising to ditch net zero policies and back oil and gas drilling.

Mr Miliband said the drive for clean homegrown power was the “only way” to protect family and business finances, as he accused opponents of sticking their heads in the sand about climate breakdown and its impact on future generations.

The CCC claims families could save hundreds of pounds a year by mid-century in the shift away from fossil fuels.

The Government said moving at pace to clean energy and Net Zero emissions will reduce the UK’s exposure to more fossil fuel shocks, which pushed up prices in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Iran war.

And it will cut bills, reduce air pollution to boost health, deliver thousands of green jobs and ensure action by the UK to tackle the climate crisis in the wake of record heatwaves, officials said.

Mr Miliband said: “As Britain faces the second fossil fuel shock of the decade, the only way to protect family and business finances is to drive for clean homegrown power that we control.

“What has been achieved so far by businesses and communities across the country is a great British success story – cutting costs by upgrading homes, backing British businesses, supporting one million good jobs according to new analysis from CBI Economics, and protecting our beautiful countryside.

“Some people want to stick their heads in the sand and let our children face the consequences of climate breakdown – but this Government believes in the timeless British value of protecting our country for generations to come.”

But his Tory counterpart, Claire Coutinho, said: “The fact that in the dying days of this Labour government they will attempt to force through a new Net Zero target that will make us weaker, poorer and sent everyone’s energy bills even higher shows that they are not putting the national interest first.

“We have had a former Prime Minister and current leadership contender say we need to look again at what our Net Zero targets are doing to the economy and we need to drill in the North Sea.

“The best thing for our economy, for growth, and for cutting emissions is to make electricity cheap.”

Officials said a delivery plan setting out how the cuts would be delivered will be published as soon as practicable after Parliament has approved the budget.

But the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) pointed to clean energy and climate plans already in train, including its £15billion warm homes plan to upgrade properties, investment in renewables and nuclear energy, and backing for clean energy jobs.

The new budget was welcomed by environmental campaigners but they warned it needed to be backed by ambitious policies.

Helen Meech, executive director of the Climate Coalition of environmental and civil society groups, said: “Setting an ambitious seventh carbon budget is exactly what the country needs right now, when energy security, food resilience and the cost of living all depend on accelerating our transition away from fossil fuels.”