Royal Society President Sir Adrian Smith responds to UK's sixth Carbon Budget announcement

Responding to the announcement of the UK’s sixth Carbon Budget Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, said: 

"We welcome the Government stepping up its ambition to achieve a 78% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.

"But for this to be a credible step on the UK's path to achieving net zero by 2050 these ambitions must be quickly backed with action. We need to be investing today in technologies and scientific innovations that will be critical to driving down carbon emissions at pace beyond 2035.

"The UK and its partners in the G7 nations have a great capacity, and a great responsibility, to ensure we have a planet fit for the future.

"Evidence-led technology roadmaps setting out how each G7 nation intends to support research, policy and industrial innovation over the next 30 years are now essential to delivering that promise.

"Here in the UK, there is a need for an independent body of technical experts able to advise on low carbon technologies and their readiness for deployment, acting beyond the political cycle to ensure we are not blown off course."