Government Plan 2020–2023 (P.71/2019): twelfth amendment (P.71/2019 Amd.(12)) – comments [P.71/2019 Amd.(12)Com.]

STATES OF JERSEY

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GOVERNMENT PLAN 2020–2023 (P.71/2019): TWELFTH AMENDMENT (P.71/2019 Amd.(12)) – COMMENTS

Presented to the States on 22nd November 2019 by the Council of Ministers

STATES GREFFE

2019  P.71 Amd.(12)Com.

COMMENTS

Senator K.L. Moore proposes the following in P.71/2019 Amd.(12) –

PAGE 2, PARAGRAPH (f)(ii) –

After the words "to the Report" insert the words ", except that, in Summary Table 6, after the line entitled "Sustainable Transport Initiatives", there shall be inserted a new line as follows, with the line entitled "Closing balance" to be amended accordingly –

".

The Council of Ministers opposes this proposal and urges States Members to reject the amendment.

Some early actions and initiatives have already been proposed in the Government Plan – strengthening environmental protection, policy development work, and actions around sustainable transport.

The full detail of the Carbon Neutral Strategy will be lodged with the States Assembly at the end of the year. The basis of the strategy will be to directly tackle carbon emissions in 2 ways –

1. Invest in local policies that abate carbon emissions; and
2. Offset residual emissions using verified carbon offsets.

Investment in both of the resourcing requirements to reach carbon neutrality will be met from the Climate Emergency Fund, which is intended to  support initiatives that respond to the climate emergency, as declared in P.27/2019, and initiatives that reduce carbon emissions and other pollutants, in line with adopted future plans or strategies for, inter alia, energy use and management, carbon reduction, sustainable transport approved by the States Assembly including as part of an approved Government Plan'.

It is recognised that the current proposed Fund will be insufficient to fund the scale of policies and offsets needed to meet the challenge of achieving carbon neutrality, especially if the current target date of 2030 is adopted, and it will need to receive further revenue.

The level of ambition and date for achieving carbon neutrality will be decided by the States Assembly, following a citizen engagement programme in early 2020 based on a scenario of carbon neutrality by 2030. The community will consider how the challenge of  resourcing  the  Island's  decarbonisation  commitments  will  be  met,  including considering the economic instruments that might raise revenue to add to the Fund over the long term.

The types of on-Island carbon abatement policies that the carbon neutral strategy will consider will include hydrocarbon boiler scrappage schemes, ways to encourage non- carbon forms of transport, and investment in public transport.

This proposed sponsorship opportunity does not deliver immediate on Island benefits in carbon reduction.

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Within the Climate Emergency Fund, there might be a place for an innovation or community fund whereby community-originated projects could bid for funding against a set of criteria that might include carbon saved per pound investment, additional social, environmental and economic benefits, etc. However, this route is not yet agreed, nor any governance yet established for equitable and fair project selection. Even if such an innovation  or  community  fund  were  agreed,  this  sponsorship  opportunity  would potentially fall short of innovation', which would more usually involve investment in research and development and/or taking a stake in a Jersey-based enterprise.

Thus, it is premature to fast-track funding for any specific projects or sponsorship opportunities  above  those  proposed  in  the  Government  Plan  from  the  Climate Emergency Fund for the following reasons –

• The detailed carbon neutral strategy will not be published until December 2019. It will outline scenarios and resourcing requirements for carbon neutrality by 2030 for agreement by the Assembly.

• There will be a large-scale citizen engagement programme in early 2020 to gain community insight into the decarbonisation agenda and the level of ambition informed by the principles and scenarios outlined in the carbon neutral strategy. Part of this conversation will include the funding challenge for local abatement policies and international offsets. Critical to this debate will be the context whereby  the  current  size  of  the  Climate  Emergency  Fund  is  considered insufficient.

There is currently no agreement that part of the Island's decarbonisation agenda will include sponsorship opportunities for renewable energy projects (or indeed any other projects) funded from the Climate Emergency Fund. Nor are there criteria or governance whereby a project such as the one described in this amendment might comfortably apply for funding on an objective basis.

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