Net-Zero Review: A timeline of what green policies need to happen and when

The Mission Zero report was published on Friday (13 January) by MP Chris Skidmore, based on the 1,800 responses from businesses and climate experts. It acts as a comprehensive review of the UK’s approach to its net-zero target for 2050, which was deemed unlawful last year following a legal challenge with Friends of the Earth and ClientEarth.

The new report details 129 recommendations across key sectors such as the built environment, renewable energy, green finance and nature. Upon releasing the report, Chris Skidmore claimed that ministers needed to grasp the “historic opportunity” opportunity that decarbonisation would bring, warning that a “high emission future” that contributes to the climate crisis would cause severe disruptions to the point that “normal economic activity will become very challenging” in the UK.

In this interactive timeline, the edie team has highlighted more than 30 timebound recommendations that could have big impacts on the green economy if the Government was to adopt the Review in full.

So, from green taxonomy updates in 2023 to electric vehicle rollouts in the 2030s, this timeline takes you on a journey across all key sectors of the UK economy to find out what needs to happen to reach net-zero.

Dates are only provided in yearly forms, as the Net-Zero Review does not have month-based suggestions, and legislative suggestions only go up to 2035, with many of the challenges beyond the next 12 years to reach net-zero yet to show themselves.