By Anders Lorenzen

One of the highest courts in the UK has dealt the government an embarrassing blow to its climate strategy.

In a case brought by organisations Friends of the Earth, Client Earth and the Good Law Project, the High Court ruled that the government had not done enough to cut emissions and ordered it to redraw the plans. 

The ruling announced Friday (2nd of May) inflicted more bleeding to the ruling Conservative Party as they also suffered heavy losses to the opposition, the Labour Party in the May 2nd local elections.

It is not the first time the coalition has defeated the government as back in 2022 where it argued that its net-zero plan was detailed enough to detail how the UK would cut emissions as required in the legally binding Climate Change Act.

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Conservative spokespeople have not commented much on the ruling other than saying they’re proud of their record in tackling climate change.

Fourteen years of failure

But the shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero for the main opposition, the Labour Party, Ed Miliband who is also a former leader of their party, said that the ruling was evidence that the government has totally failed on energy and climate for fourteen years.

The UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) an independent body that advises the government on climate change has in recent years become increasingly frustrated about the government’s departure for ambitious climate change policies which contradicts the government’s targets of cutting emissions of 78% by 2035 against 1990 levels.

In delivering his ruling Justice Sheldon argued that it was not clear from the government which proposals and policies would be delivered in full.

This week the government sent several high-profile ministers to the high-profile Innovation Zero held in London to defend its climate and energy policies.

The government is required to hold another general election at the latest by the end of the year, and it is widely accepted that Labour is a government in waiting with the Conservatives trailing by such huge numbers the majority of experts believe cannot be undone this year. In line with that, what the government does on climate and energy could significantly change with a change of government.