Climate Change Act 2008 Explanatory Notes

  • Explanatory Notes Table of contents

  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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