And frequent flyers could be charged more depending on the number of flights they take should the States Assembly accept the Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change’s report.
The group has released its wide-ranging review – including more than a dozen headline recommendations – which is designed to feed into the government’s Carbon Neutrality Strategy.
In 2019, the States declared a climate emergency following a successful proposition by Deputy Rob Ward. That proposition also included a 2030 target date for the Island to become carbon neutral.
The citizens’ assembly, which has been meeting for the past three months, agreed that Jersey’s carbon-neutral goal could only be achieved by targeting the Island’s greatest sources of greenhouse gases – transport, heating, and cooking.
Emelita Robbins, chairperson-convenor of the assembly, said: ‘The citizens felt very strongly that we need to start reducing emissions as soon as possible.’
Professor Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, who advised the group, pointed out that carbon neutrality was not the same as being ‘net zero’.
She said: ‘Carbon neutrality is about offsetting some of our emissions, and that is achievable by 2030.
‘Net zero is about removing all carbon from the atmosphere, and we need to get to net zero by 2050. That is our international obligation.’
Among the action points the group has suggested are that no new petrol or diesel vehicles should be allowed to be registered in the Island from 2025 and that a full ban on such vehicles from Jersey roads should be in force by 2050. This, the group argues, should form part of a wider commitment to transition to ‘low-carbon transport’ by 2030, which also includes greater provision of electric charging points, the removal of import duties on electric cars and the provision of tax relief for low-income families and small businesses to purchase electric or low-carbon vehicles from 2022/23.
The report explains that there could be a scrapping scheme for petrol cars and that those who still owned one might be able to use biofuel instead.
‘Some cars would be able to stay on the road on that basis,’ Professor Bentley said.
The 91-page report also recommends that the government should ‘introduce and financially support currently available new carbon-reduction technologies for all modes of transport’ and that the Island’s public transport system should be decarbonised by 2025.
It also suggests investment in Jersey’s walking and cycle routes as an immediate priority.
However, Ms Robbins made the point that the specific details and the cost of any schemes would be assessed by the government.
She said: ‘The citizens’ assembly is about the dates and the “how”. But the decisions will be made by the government. How funds will be used will be up to the States Assembly to determine.’
The Citizen’s Assembly on Climate Change recommends that the government should promote the use of public transport by subsidising bus fares so they are free for young people and students and set at an ‘affordable rate’ for all Islanders. The panel also suggested carrying out a review into the viability of introducing trams in Jersey, bringing in electric minibuses to provide more bus routes, particularly in rural parishes, and creating an app to make information about public transport more accessible.
And – as part of a recommendation to reduce the demand for air travel – the panel said that the government should ‘reduce the number of personal air travel trips, targeting frequent flyers using a quota system that gets more expensive the more you do it’. The group also said that the Island should become more self-sustainable to reduce the need for ‘air and sea freight of goods’.
The introduction of Islandwide car-free Sundays by 2027 – designed to ‘change the mindset of the population’ about local travel – were also among the recommendations.
And the group also suggested changing planning laws to specify carbon-neutral standards for all buildings by 2023 to reduce the energy used to heat homes. Energy Performance Certificates would be needed for all rental properties by 2025, the report says.
The assembly also said that all government and commercial premises should become carbon-neutral by 2030, and that there should be a plan to retro-fit homes to ensure the highest energy efficiency. The assembly recommended financial support for low-income households and small businesses to help them cope with the transition.
Ms Robbins said the plans to make buildings more energy efficient would be devised ‘in conjunction with the relevant people to ensure they are achievable’.
And the make-up of the Council of Ministers should be different, according to the citizens’ assembly, with a dedicated Energy Minister appointed next year.
Professor Bentley said: ‘It is going to require each of us to change our behaviour. It is not about doing something and expecting people to jump on board, but to work with them.’
And she added: ‘This is not coming from the government, but from the citizens of Jersey themselves.’
States Members will have an in-committee debate – where no formal proposition is made or voted on – on the recommendations next month and the government will consider them when deciding on the next steps in the Carbon Neutral Roadmap, due to be debated next spring.
Environment Minister Deputy John Young said: ‘When I presented the Carbon Neutral Strategy to the States, it was clear that we wanted a people-powered approach to tackle the climate emergency, and that the citizens’ assembly would help the Island get to grips with some of the measures required to achieve our carbon-neutral goals.
‘The citizens’ assembly could be considered the most ambitious exercise of participatory democracy that Jersey has seen. This is important when considering the scale of the climate emergency and how it impacts all of us now and our future generations.
‘We’ve ensured the process has been kept clear of, and independent from, any political interference. Now it is for States Members to consider carefully the range of recommendations before an in-committee debate later this summer.’
The citizens’ assembly was a group of 45 randomly selected Islanders who met on 15 occasions between March and May to set ideas and present recommendations as part of the climate-change conversation.
