Transport will be the “hero sector” for decarbonisation over the next decade, Climate Change Committee (CCC) CEO Emma Pinchbeck has said.
Speaking at the Innovation Zero World Congress 2025, Pinchbeck outlined the thinking behind the Seventh Carbon Budget (CB7) that the CCC has put forward to the government.
She explained that carbon output from the energy system will reduce over the next few carbon budgets, shifting the CCC’s primary focus to transport and buildings.
Households will contribute to a third of emissions reduction in 2040, with 72% of that coming from switching to an EV and a heat pump.
Image taken at Innovation Zero 2025.
Importantly, Pinchbeck clarified that the CCC’s plans require no scrappage; these upgrades will happen when households naturally replace cars or heating systems.
While cheap electricity is essential to this strategy, Pinchbeck emphasised that electrification isn’t the only solution.
“Apart from EVs, if there is a key technology for CB7, it is trees.”
CB7 represents the first period where the financial savings from decarbonisation will outpace the investments, delivering low-cost solutions across the economy.
“The savings start to net off against those costs around 2040 and continue to grow through the 2040s,” said Pinchbeck.
“Low carbon technologies get more efficient, and the fuels they run on are low cost or free.”
She noted the CCC expects rapid electrification of UK transport, citing that falling battery prices are making EVs more affordable.
Households benefit financially from EVs almost immediately, and Pinchbeck stated she is “pretty sure” that EVs will reach cost parity with petrol cars by 2030.
Although not yet legislated, CB7 offers guidance on how the UK can reduce emissions between 2038 and 2042 in line with the 2050 net zero goal.
The CCC, established under the Climate Change Act of 2008, is responsible for advising the UK government on carbon budgets and how to meet them.
Pinchbeck concluded by emphasising the flexibility of the CCC’s recommendations:
“It’s meant to be speculative,” she said.
“There’s space for innovation—the carbon budget could be met in ways we didn’t anticipate.”