The UK is committed to reaching net zero by 2050, and the government has adopted a suite of policies to achieve this goal. This extract provides a brief overview of policies introduced from 2020 onwards. It is taken from the recent briefing “The UK’s Plans and Progress to Reach Net Zero by 2050” published by the United Kingdom House of Commons Library.

The Net Zero Strategy (October 2021)

The UK Government’s first main climate change policy document was the Net Zero Strategy (Build Back Greener), which was published on 19 October 2021 and last updated in April 2022. This strategy was produced by the government as part of its statutory duties under the Climate Change Act 2008. It sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet the government’s net zero target by 2050. The Net Zero Strategy builds on wider government policy, such as the ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution which was published on 18 November 2020. Several sector and technology specific strategies were also published by the relevant government departments. 

Wider policy documents include: 

• Environmental Improvement Plan, updated February 2023 (applies to the UK) 

• British Energy Security Strategy, April 2022 (strategy to decarbonise the power sector, applies to England, Wales and Scotland) 

• Transport decarbonisation plan, July 2021 (strategy to decarbonise the entire transport system in the UK, most policies apply to the UK and some apply just to England – these are specified within) 

• Industrial decarbonisation strategy, updated April 2021 (strategy to reduce industrial emissions for the UK) 

• Hydrogen strategy, August 2021 (strategy to develop the low carbon hydrogen sector, applies to the UK) 

• Heat and buildings strategy, October 2021 (strategy to decarbonise homes, commercial, industrial and public sector buildings – some policies are specific to England, and other parts of the UK will produce their own policy frameworks).

Carbon Budget Delivery Plan (March 2023)

The Carbon Budget Delivery Plan (CBDP) was produced by the government as part of its statutory duties under the Climate Change Act 2008.  It set out proposals and policies, and associated timescales and delivery risks, that should enable carbon budgets four, five and six to be met. The CBDP built on the Net Zero Strategy, and was published alongside a suite of wider policy documents under the headline ‘Powering Up Britain’, which included both an energy security plan and a ‘net zero growth’ plan.

The CBDP estimated that its quantified proposals and policies would deliver 100% of the savings required to meet the fourth and fifth carbon budgets, and 97% of the savings required to meet the sixth carbon budget. The plan outlined that the remaining 3% of sixth carbon budget was expected to be met through areas in which further savings are estimated, but not yet quantified, such as agriculture and land use, energy efficiency and local emissions reductions. Additional funding to deliver carbon budgets was announced in the Spring Budget 2023, which made up to £20 billion available for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS). More widely, the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio also made £1 billion of funding available to accelerate the commercialisation of low-carbon technologies, systems and business models in power, buildings, and industry.

Energy Act (October 2023)

The Energy Act 2023 was introduced by the then government in July 2022, prior to the publication of the CBDP, and received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. The government set out that the act’s aim was to deliver a cleaner, more affordable and more and more secure energy system for the long term. There were three main focus areas:

• Leveraging private investment in clean technologies and “homegrown energy”, through £100 billion of investment for carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) and hydrogen, new nuclear, heat pumps and decarbonising surface transport 

• Reforming energy system pricing, and 

• Ensuring the safety, security and resilience of the UK’s energy system

It also created the National Energy System Operator (NESO), which is responsible for planning and delivering the energy of today and the future, through working with both incumbent fossil fuel and future clean energy generators. The government said that the act was intended to help the government deliver net zero by 2050 in a pragmatic, proportionate and realistic way. 

Clean Power by 2030 (December 2024)

Following the General Election in July 2024, the Labour Government reiterated its manifesto commitment to reach “clean power by 2030” and “make Britain a clean energy superpower”. The strategy for achieving this was published in December 2024 as the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, which was informed by advice from the National Energy System Operator (NESO). Whilst the plan does not fulfil the same statutory duty as the Net Zero Strategy and CBDP, it marks an accelerated timeframe for decarbonisation of the energy and power sectors compared to previous targets. 

The government said that it is “committed to delivering clean power by 2030”, setting out three main aims of the plan: 

• to maintain a secure and affordable energy supply in an increasingly unstable world 

• to create new industries and investments around the country 

• to protect the environment we live in from the most damaging effects of climate change.

This action plan sets out what the government means by a clean power system (with energy generated from renewables and nuclear, alongside the decarbonisation of industrial processes through the use of CCUS and hydrogen) and what the government will do to support and accelerate delivery of the new infrastructure. It sets out aims for reduced bills for energy customers and businesses, as well as green job creation for workers.

Key publications that support the clean power by 2030 ambition include: 

• The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy (June 2025), which set out a 10-year plan to “increase business investment and grow the industries of the future in the UK”, including renewables. 

• The Spending Review 2025 (June 2025), which included £4.2 billion for Sizewell C (nuclear) and funding for two new hydrogen and carbon capture and storage clusters. 

• NESO’s further technical advice on achieving clean power, including implementation and decisions on grid reform.

Great British Energy Act (May 2025) 

The Great British Energy Act 2025 was introduced by the government in July 2024, and received Royal Assent on 15 May 2025. The main focus for the act was creating Great British Energy, which the government set out would be “backed by £8.3 billion over the course of this Parliament”. Great British Energy will invest in new renewable and clean energy projects across the UK, with any dividends reinvested

Revised Carbon Budget Delivery Plan (due by October 2025)

Following the two High Court judgements that found previous plans to be inadequate, the government is legally required to publish a revised plan to fulfil its statutory duties under the Climate Change Act 2008. Such a plan should set out proposals and policies that will enable both the carbon budgets and the net zero by 2050 target to be met. The original deadline for revising the existing Carbon Budget Delivery Plan (CBDP) was 2 May 2025, however following the General Election this was extended to October 2025. The government has said that it plans to publish “an updated whole economy plan to meet Carbon Budgets 4-6” as a “refreshed Carbon Budget Delivery and Growth Plan later this year”.

Access the briefing here