Radical reassessment needed to hit net zero emissions by 2050, says NAO

Watchdog finds UK is projected to fail to meet targets aimed at achieving climate goal

Boris Johnson's commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions in the UK by 2050 is a colossal challenge" that can only be achieved with a radical reassessment of priorities, according to Whitehall's spending watchdog.

The National Audit Office (NAO) has found that the UK is projected to fail to meet the government's targets for the years 2023 to 2027 and 2028 to 2032, which were set to establish a trajectory for reducing emissions by 80% over the next 30 years.