Carbon Neutral Roadmap Preferred Strategy published

02 November 2021

​The Council of Ministers has published its Preferred Strategy for tackling the climate emergency, backed by £23m of new investment over the next four years.

The Preferred Strategy has been developed by a steering group of ministers and States Assembly members, chaired by the Assistant Minister for Environment, Deputy Gregory Guida. It sets out five position statements that provide the basis for the detailed plans that will be released for consultation in the Carbon Neutral Roadmap in December:

1. Increasing the speed of decarbonisation, committing to the science-based plans set out in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change
2. Taking the necessary steps to ensure Jersey can become carbon neutral by 2030
3. Reviewing the balance of cost, security and sustainability of the Island's energy supplies
4. Providing £23m of initial investment, and identifying new funding routes for future years
5. Ensuring the Climate Emergency Fund is spent in areas that provide the biggest reduction in carbon emissions and other local benefits
   

The Preferred Strategy is to reduce emissions by 68% compared to a 1990 baseline by 2030, and to reduce them to 78% from the baseline by 2035. Recent figures show that Jersey has so far reduced emissions by 35.83% from its 1990 baseline.

Ministers have also provided a detailed response to the report of the Citizens' Assembly on Climate Change, accepting the majority of the group's recommendations, including the suggestion to appoint a new Minister for Energy and Climate Change in the next Council of Ministers.

Assistant Minister for Environment, Deputy Gregory Guida, said: "Steps to date have reduced on-Island emissions by more than a third over the past three decades, but we now need to do much more to ensure we play our part in combatting global warming and the climate emergency.

"This Preferred Strategy gives us the foundations for the major new interventions we are planning to announce in December, backed by the new funding that we need to take strong action."

Chair of the Comité des Connétables, Constable Deidre Mezbourian, said: "Parishes have an important role to play, not only to reduce their own carbon emissions, but also to connect local communities into the wider Island effort. I'm pleased that government will explore a small grants fund to help local groups take action and contribute to our carbon neutral journey."

The Carbon Neutral Roadmap, which will set out the detailed spending plans informed by the Preferred Strategy, will be published in December for a period of consultation, before being debated in the States Assembly in Spring 2022.