Twenty five years ago, on this day, June 16th, 2000, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution released a report that turned out to be pivotal.
RCEP releases influential “Energy: The Changing Climate” report, advocating 60% reduction in emissions by 2050. Also tacitly endorses Contraction and Convergence
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly zzzppm. As of 2025 it is 430ppm, but check here for daily measures.
The broader context was that the UK government had been making weak promises about climate action since the late 1980s, and been able to keep them for two reasons – the UK was de-industrialising (manufacturing was heading off to China and India) and coal was being challenged as a supplier of electricity by gas, which – nominally at least – has a lower carbon intensity. The Kyoto Protocol was still “alive” (this is before Bush was gifted the Whitehouse by his dad’s Supreme Court appointees).
The specific context was the science was pretty clear – did we really need the Third Assessment Report? Or the Fourth? The Fifth? Hallelujah…
What I think we can learn from this
Good people at the RCEP had an impact on the “common sense views” of the policy networks. Twenty five years ago. And here we are.
What happened next some people within Blair’s broader policy network pushed for increased ambition and action. You can draw a not-bad line between this and the 2003 Energy White Paper.
What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.
Also on this day:
June 16, 1971 – “Ecology Action” formed in Sydney. – All Our Yesterdays