Unpicking the carbon budget

On 26 February 2025, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) published the seventh carbon budget. Here we explain who the CCC is, why it exists, the purpose of the carbon budget and AHDB’s involvement.

We issued an initial response to the seventh carbon budget in which Environment Director Chris Gooderham shared his thoughts on the findings of the report.

What is the Climate Change Committee?

The CCC is an independent statutory body in the UK that advises the Government on climate change policies. It was established under the Climate Change Act 2008 and its key responsibilities include:

• Advising on carbon budgets and long-term emissions targets e.g. net zero by 2050
• Publishing progress reports on carbon budget and other emission targets
• Assessing UK climate change risk
• Publishing progress report on adapting and preparing for climate change

It should be noted that, when it comes to reporting on net zero targets, the CCC report uses GWP100, to be in line with international reporting requirements.

While the CCC could build on this metric, refining the way methane is measured by using GWP* in its reporting, the net zero target by 2050 was set based on GWP100, so if the measurement changes, the target might also change.

What is the seventh carbon budget?

The UK has a legal obligation to achieve net zero by 2050. The net zero target is accompanied by carbon budgets – a tool to guide the UK’s greenhouse gas emission towards net zero.

A carbon budget is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that can be emitted in a five-year period, aiming for net zero in 2050. As part of this the CCC has designed a clear path to net zero for the UK by 2050, known as the 'Balanced Pathway'.

The budgets include all greenhouse gasses, including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, and cover all major sectors of the UK economy such as aviation, shipping, and agriculture.

Carbon budgets are designed and presented by the CCC to the government. It is then up to parliament to decide whether it accepts the budget and to design proposals and policies to ensure the budget is achievable.

In previous years the budget has been accepted and approved in full by government.

The Government must decide whether it approves or rejects the seventh budget by June 2026. Reports with advice for the devolved nations will be published by the CCC in due course. 

AHDB’s contribution

We contributed to the Agricultural Advisory Group and the Food and Trade group. These groups helped shape the CCC's recommendations.

Although not everything discussed was taken forward by the CCC, the chair of the Agricultural Advisory Group published a report in February this year alongside the budget which demonstrates the breadth and depth of areas discussed.

What the seventh carbon budget means for agriculture

Here you can find detailed examination of the seventh carbon budget and the impact it could have on the agriculture sector.