The British Academy responds to final report of Independent Review of Net Zero

The British Academy has today welcomed the final report of the Independent Review of Net Zero by the Rt Hon Chris Skidmore MP.

‘Mission Zero: Independent Review of Net Zero’ follows extensive meetings in all four devolved nations of the UK, over 1800 responses to the Call for Evidence and more than 50 roundtables, including one held at the British Academy in November 2022.

The review finds that “net zero is creating a new era of opportunity, but government, industry, and individuals need to act to make the most of the opportunities, reduce costs, and ensure the government delivers successfully.”

Hetan Shah, Chief Executive of the British Academy, said:

“We welcome this insightful and comprehensive review of net zero. Many of the recommendations echo the findings of the British Academy’s work, particularly the importance of delivering just transitions across societies, sectors and industries and the need to adopt a place-sensitive approach to policymaking. As our Where We Live Next project examines, enhancing the role of communities and local decision-making can more effectively and equitably transition society towards a sustainable way of living.

“The review also notes the need for bespoke, well-designed funding schemes to focus specifically on net zero. The Academy’s own Net Zero Policy Programme does just this, making £150,000 of funding available to a research group interested in making a practical contribution to the net zero policy discussion.

“If the government is to meet its net zero target by 2050, we will need insights into human behaviour, culture, design, incentives, politics and structures which are the purview of the SHAPE (social science, humanities and arts) disciplines.”

The window for applications to the British Academy’s Net Zero Policy Programme closes on 8 February.