Responding to the announcement that the UK Government intends to legislate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net zero’ by 2050, UKPIA (UK Petroleum Industry Association) – the trade association for the UK’s downstream oil sector – has called on policymakers to work with industry to meet these ambitious goals.

Stephen Marcos Jones, UKPIA director-general, said: “The decision to commit the UK to ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is a momentous one. We cannot underestimate the effort that will be required from all areas of society to meet this challenge – and UKPIA stands ready to work with UK Government in realising this new target.

“The downstream oil sector has considerable potential to be a key participant in the UK’s low-carbon energy future. Companies in the sector have the expertise and resources that could develop the advanced fuels that can achieve widespread decarbonisation of transport, especially the more hard-to-decarbonise transport sectors such as heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), aviation and shipping as they transition to low-carbon.

“To do this, however, governments and policymakers will need to work closely with industry to ensure emissions are not simply exported elsewhere while domestic manufacturing is rendered uncompetitive.”