We are not on track to meet international emissions reduction targets. So what is the gap between where we are and where we need to be? And what action must be taken to address it?
Rob Harrison and Ruth Strange introduce Ethical Consumer's fourth annual report: Closing the Climate Gap 2024: An annual report on progress towards sustainable consumer lifestyles in the UK.
The report includes simplified lists of key consumer, company and government actions. These appear across 'report tables', which are available on the separate pages for our main impact areas:
If we look at our summary report card below we can see that:
Another way of looking at the report card is that, for the twelve areas we look at, four appear to be moving fast enough, three might be, one is a don’t know, and only four are definitely not.
There is some room for optimism.
Although there are some serious qualifications to this optimism.
The targets themselves do not seek deep enough cuts in the light of what we now know, and will need revising soon. This has been a key finding in our last two reports too.
The organisation Climate Action Tracker, which rates the credibility of governments’ net zero plans, said in 2024 that “for the world to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5˚C temperature goal, [governments] need to move to emergency mode and strengthen the ambition of their 2030...targets and current policy action.”
Strengthening these targets is already on the CCC’s agenda, and it is due to report on new ones in ‘early 2025’.
The quality and timeliness of the data that we are making these observations from needs a lot of work before we can be properly confident that they are right.
For example, the most recent meat and dairy consumption data are from 2022, and may be misleading (see Addendum below).
There are also no updated figures of insulation installations, and the reductions seen in home heating emissions which are thought to be due to a warmer winter and high costs, may not hold without the investments needed.
In 2023 the backtracking by the Conservatives on climate measures was a serious setback, but we have since had a change of government, and some of the decisions were quickly reversed.
For example, the de-facto ban on onshore wind turbines has been lifted, and there are plans to reinstate both the 2030 phase-out date for new petrol and diesel cars, and obligations on landlords to improve the energy efficiency of rented homes.
However, increased action needs to be spread across a broader range of sectors.
Some areas of the new UK Government remain a cause of concern.
For example, campaigners are worried about Labour’s position on airport expansion and oil and gas licensing.
Political action also needs to include asking deeper questions, such as whether the targets themselves are robust enough, whether an economic growth focus for our societies still makes sense, and how to challenge the ongoing extractivism that is happening to enable the ‘green transition’.
The failure of our current political arrangements, both here and abroad, to deliver sensible climate leadership two decades ago, when some of the dangerous impacts we are seeing now could have been more easily addressed, is a systemic problem which is likely to recur repeatedly.
| FOUR KEY IMPACT AREAS (c. 75% of total consumer emissions) | Food (26%) | Heating (14%) | Transport (25%) | Selected Consumer Goods (10%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2030 consumer targets based on the CCC ‘Balanced Pathway’ | c. 13% CO2e reduction | c. 23% CO2e reduction | c. 44%* CO2e reduction | 40% CO2e reduction |
| Consumer intentions (willing to take actions) | 34-77% willing | 27-50% willing | 40-58% willing | 39-73% willing |
| Where have we got to? (current position against baseline) |
c.10% reduction in reported meat and dairy consumption per week (2022); 14% increase in food waste (2018-2022) |
17% reduction in residential emissions (2023) | 13% reduction in car and aviation emissions (2022) | Reporting from selected companies in 2023 shows emissions reductions, but wider DEFRA data shows a 0.01% increase |
| Priorities for government | Rebalance agricultural policy | Subsidise heating solutions | Halt airport expansion | Require full supply chain emissions reporting |
| Priorities for companies | More plant options on menus | Develop creative funding and support campaigns | Reduce business travel and transport | Focus more on reducing supply chain emissions |
| Priorities for consumers (In each impact area, supporting political campaigns is at least as important as reducing our own emissions) | Reduce meat and dairy | Insulate and choose heat pumps where possible | Choose lower carbon travel where possible | Increase repair and buying secondhand |
| What's the gap? (reduction needed from latest position to get to CCC target) | 13% still to reduce | 8% still to reduce | Now 35% to reduce | 40% still to reduce |
| Are we moving fast enough? | Yes on some elements, no on food waste | Not fast enough on heat pumps, unknown on insulation | Not fast enough on car emissions and EV registrations, and going in wrong direction on aviation emissions | On target reporting on emissions, not fast enough on repairs, and going backwards on emissions |
c. = circa or approximately
The 2024 Climate Gap report is free to download and contains more detail on the calculations we use and the reasons we have chosen particular indicators and goals.
The report found that across four key consumer areas (food, heating, transport and consumer goods) we are not cutting emissions fast enough.
We have highlighted ten key actions to aim for, depending on your circumstances.
You can also read more on these in our series of articles highlighting actions you can take for the climate - see the links below.
With a somewhat bleak outlook for many of the targets in the report, it can feel overwhelming as to what one person or business can do.
To address this, in the 2024 report we have included a broad selection of campaigns covering the areas of food, heating, transport and consumer goods, so that you can choose to join others in campaigning for change. Linking with others with the same aims can help us feel less despondent. We have included campaigns that individuals and businesses can join.
We have also included a section on campaigns for wider political reform. In the UK our current political systems are not fit for purpose, and as noted above, the failure of leadership is clear.
See the lists of campaigns in our full report.
You can see how well your local council in the UK is performing against their net zero ambitions. Go to Council Climate Action to find your council and see how they perform compared with other councils.
You can then contact your council to praise them on current action (if appropriate), and ask them to do more.
If you like dark humour, new project Climate Science Translated has paired climate scientists with stand-up comedians who use their well-honed wit to offer their own interpretation of the complex and often overwhelming world of climate science in a series of punchy, short films. Comedians involved so far include Jo Brand, Nish Kumar, Jonathan Pie, and Kiri Pritchard-McLean.
The scientists said: “People need to pressure politicians to act, and humour can help science cut through to a much broader public."
Watch the Climate Science Translated films online then share in your networks.
We have been engaging with our readers over the last year by asking for personal stories of climate actions, and reviews of motivational media.
This is helping us create resources and information which can be shared with others in the new climate action group.
Each month we’ll send out an email with a range of actions to choose from, from campaigns to support, events to join, and simple practical things to do with friends.
Each quarter will focus on one of the four impact areas in this report (food, transport, consumer goods, heating).
You can sign up via this simple online form.
We would like to express gratitude to Ecology Building Society for its sponsorship of the 2024 Climate Gap Report.
After you have read this report, we’d appreciate any feedback to help us understand the impact it is having, and improve this in future years.
2023 report: open the report as a PDF
2022 report: open the report as a PDF
2021 report: open the report as a PDF
The full reports include the evidence that sits behind the information.
November 1st 2024
Subsequent to the publication of our 2024 report we were contacted by a reader who was concerned that the 10% fall in meat consumption that we had observed this year may have been due to methodological changes in the research dataset rather than actual changes in consumption patterns.
The dataset we used (DEFRA's Family Food Survey) appears to be contradicted by other government and OECD sources which do not indicate the same decline. They have contacted DEFRA on our behalf and we are waiting for a response. We will also consider the information sources for this element of the 2025 report in light of what we are learning here.
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