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Climate Change Act 2008

  • Explanatory Notes Table of contents

Please note:

All reference to 'Parts' and 'sections' are from the Climate Change Act 2008. For other versions of these Explanatory Notes, see More Resources.

  1. Introduction

  2. Summary

  3. Background

  4. The Act

    1. Part 1: Carbon Target and Budgeting

    2. Part 2: The Committee on Climate Change

    3. Part 3: Trading Schemes

    4. Part 4: Impact of and adaptation to climate change

    5. Part 5: Other provisions

    6. Part 6: General supplementary provisions

  5. Territorial Extent

  6. Territorial Application: Wales

  7. Commentary on Sections

    1. Part 1: Carbon Target and Budgeting

      1. The target for 2050

        1. Section 1: The target for 2050

        2. Section 2: Amendment of 2050 target or baseline year

        3. Section 3: Consultation on order amending 2050 target or baseline year

      2. Carbon budgeting

        1. Section 4: Carbon budgets

        2. Section 5: Level of carbon budgets

        3. Section 6: Amendment of target percentages

        4. Section 7: Consultation on order setting or amending target percentages

        5. Section 8: Setting of carbon budgets for budgetary periods

        6. Section 9: Consultation on carbon budgets

        7. Section 10: Matters to be taken into account in connection with carbon budgets

      3. Limit on the use of carbon units

        1. Section 11: Limit on the use of carbon units

      4. Indicative annual ranges

        1. Section 12: Duty to provide indicative annual ranges for net UK carbon account

      5. Proposals and policies for meeting carbon budgets

        1. Section 13: Duty to prepare proposals and policies for meeting carbon budgets

        2. Section 14: Duty to report on proposals and policies for meeting carbon budgets

        3. Section 15: Duty to have regard to need for UK domestic action on climate change

      6. Determination whether objectives met

        1. Section 16: Annual statement of UK emissions

        2. Section 17: Powers to carry amounts from one budgetary period to another

        3. Section 18: Final statement for budgetary period

        4. Section 19: Duty to report on proposals and policies for compensating for budget excess

        5. Section 20: Final statement for 2050

      7. Alteration of budgets or budgetary periods

        1. Section 21: Alteration of carbon budgets

        2. Section 22: Consultation on alteration of carbon budgets

        3. Section 23: Alteration of budgetary periods

      8. Targeted greenhouse gases

        1. Section 24: Targeted greenhouse gases

        2. Section 25: Base years for targeted greenhouse gases other than CO2

      9. Carbon units, carbon accounting and the net UK carbon account

        1. Section 26: Carbon units and carbon accounting

        2. Section 27: Net UK carbon account

        3. Section 28: Procedure for regulations under section 26 or 27

      10. Other supplementary provisions

        1. Section 29: UK emissions and removals of greenhouse gases

        2. Section 30: Emissions from international aviation or international shipping

        3. Section 31: Procedure for regulations under section 30

    2. Part 2: The Committee on Climate Change

      1. The Committee

        1. Section 32 and Schedule 1: The Committee on Climate Change

        2. Schedule 1: The Committee on Climate Change

      2. Functions of the Committee

        1. Section 33: Advice on level of 2050 target

        2. Section 34: Advice in connection with carbon budgets

        3. Section 35: Advice on emissions from international aviation and international shipping

        4. Section 36: Reports on progress

        5. Section 37: Response to Committee’s reports on progress

        6. Section 38: Duty to provide advice or other assistance on request

      3. Supplementary provisions

        1. Section 39: General ancillary powers

        2. Section 40: Grants to the Committee

        3. Section 41: Powers to give guidance

        4. Section 42: Powers to give directions

    3. Part 3: Trading Schemes

      1. Trading schemes

        1. Section 44: Trading schemes

        2. Section 45: Activities to which trading schemes may apply

        3. Section 46 and Schedule 2: Matters that may or must be provided for in trading schemes

        4. Schedule 2: Trading schemes

      2. Authorities and regulations

        1. Section 47: Relevant national authorities

        2. Section 48: Procedure for making regulations

        3. Section 49 and Schedule 3: Further provisions about regulations

        4. Schedule 3: Trading schemes regulations: further provisions

      3. Other supplementary provisions

        1. Section 50 and Schedule 4: Information

        2. Schedule 4: Trading schemes: powers to require information

        3. Section 51: Powers to give guidance

        4. Section 52: Powers to give directions

        5. Section 53: Grants to administrators and participants

        6. Section 54: Power to make consequential provision

      4. Interpretation

        1. Section 55: Interpretation of Part 3

    4. Part 4: Impact of and adaptation to climate change

      1. National reports and programmes

        1. Section 56: Report on impact of climate change

        2. Section 57: Advice of Committee on Climate Change on impact report

        3. Section 58: Programme for adaptation to climate change

        4. Section 59: Reporting on progress in connection with adaptation

        5. Section 60: Programme for adaptation to climate change: Northern Ireland

      2. Reporting authorities: non-devolved functions

        1. Section 61: Guidance by Secretary of State to reporting authorities

        2. Section 62: Directions by Secretary of State to prepare reports

        3. Section 63: Compliance with Secretary of State’s directions

        4. Section 64: Consent of, or consultation with, devolved authorities

        5. Section 65: Report on exercise of power to give directions

      3. Reporting authorities: devolved Welsh functions

        1. Section 66: Guidance by Welsh Ministers to reporting authorities

        2. Section 67: Directions by Welsh Ministers to prepare reports

        3. Section 68: Compliance with Welsh Ministers’ directions

        4. Section 69: Consent of, or consultation with, Secretary of State

      4. Interpretation

        1. Section 70: Interpretation

    5. Part 5: Other provisions

      1. Waste reduction schemes

        1. Section 71 and Schedule 5: Waste reduction schemes

        2. Schedule 5: Waste reduction schemes

          1. New Schedule 2AA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990

        3. Section 72: Waste reduction provisions: piloting

        4. Section 73: Waste reduction provisions: report and review

        5. Section 74: Waste reduction provisions: interim report

        6. Section 75: Waste reduction provisions: roll-out or repeal

      2. Collection of household waste

        1. Section 76: Collection of household waste

      3. Charges for single use carrier bags

        1. Section 77 and Schedule 6: Charges for single use carrier bags

        2. Schedule 6: Charges for single use carrier bags

      4. Renewable transport fuel obligations

        1. Section 78 and Schedule 7: Renewable transport fuel obligations

      5. Carbon emissions reduction targets

        1. Section 79 and Schedule 8: Carbon emissions reduction targets

        2. Schedule 8: Carbon emissions reduction targets

      6. Miscellaneous

        1. Section 80: Report on climate change: Wales

        2. Section 81: Climate change measures reports in Wales

        3. Section 82: Repeal of previous reporting obligation

        4. Section 83: Guidance on reporting

        5. Section 84: Report on contribution of reporting to climate change objectives

        6. Section 85: Regulations about reporting by companies

        7. Section 86: Report on the civil estate

        8. Section 87: Power of Ministers and departments to offset greenhouse gas emissions

        9. Section 88: Fines for offences relating to pollution

    6. Part 6: General supplementary provisions

      1. Territorial scope of provisions relating to greenhouse gas emissions

        1. Section 89: Territorial scope of provisions relating to greenhouse gas emissions

      2. Orders and regulations

        1. Section 90: Orders and regulations

        2. Section 91: Affirmative and negative resolution procedure

      3. Interpretation

        1. Section 92: Meaning of “greenhouse gas”

        2. Section 93: Measurement of emissions etc by reference to carbon dioxide equivalent

        3. Section 94: Meaning of “international carbon reporting practice”

        4. Section 95: Meaning of “national authority”

        5. Section 96: Meaning of “relevant Northern Ireland department”

        6. Section 97: Minor definitions

        7. Section 98: Index of defined expressions

      4. Final Provisions

        1. Section 99: Extent

        2. Section 100: Commencement

  8. Commencement Date

  9. Hansard References

  • Explanatory Notes Table of contents

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Explanatory Notes

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