Climate change and food—court decision weakens net zero policies (R (on the Application of Global Feedback Ltd) v Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Article summary

Environment analysis: The case concerns the government’s Food Strategy and whether its failure to address the carbon emissions of meat and dairy products amounts to a breach of duty to put in place policies to ensure carbon budgets are met under Section 13 of the Climate Change Act 2008. The Court of Appeal’s answer to this question is ‘no’. The Court of Appeal also decided that when developing its carbon budgets, the Secretary of State for Energy, Security and Net Zero (formerly for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is not obliged to give any significant (or even any) weight to the advice of the Climate Change Committee, or indeed to provide cogent reasons for not following it. The decision will be of interest to climate lawyers and lawyers acting for campaigning organisations. Written by Stephen Sykes, head of Climate, Environment and Sustainability, Capital Law Environmental...