Common Strategic Policy 2026 – 2030 (P.75/2026): eighth amendment. Ensure a just transition to Net-Zero

2026  P.75 Amd.(8)

COMMON STRATEGIC POLICY 2026-2030 (P.75/2026): EIGHTH AMENDMENT

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After the words "report accompanying this Proposition" insert the words –

", except that –

1. on page 17 of the report, within priority 10, the words "practical and affordable" should be substituted with the words "practical, affordable and just"; and
2. on page 17 of the report, after action 10.1 there should be inserted the following action –

"10.2 Ensure that any costs of transition to a low or zero carbon economy, do not disproportionately impact Islanders on low incomes, or those employed in carbon-intensive industries"".

DEPUTY L.D. CARPENTER OF ST. HELIER CENTRAL

Note:  After this amendment, the proposition would read as follows –

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

in accordance with Article 18(2)(e) of the States of Jersey Law 2005, to approve the statement of the Common Strategic Policy of the Council of Ministers as set out in the report accompanying this Proposition, except that –

1. on page 17 of the report, within priority 10, the words "practical and affordable" should be substituted with the words "practical, affordable and just"; and
2. on page 17 of the report, after action 10.1 there should be inserted the following action –

"10.2 Ensure that any costs of transition to a low or zero carbon economy, do not disproportionately impact Islanders on low incomes, or those employed in carbon-intensive industries".

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P.75/2026 Amd.(8)

REPORT

This amendment makes a just transition to net-zero an explicit part of the Common Strategic Policy. The States Assembly has already endorsed this principle. When the Carbon Neutral Roadmap was lodged, the Government committed to a just transition in which  costs  do  not  disproportionately  fall  on  people  on  lower  incomes  or  those employed in carbon-heavy industries. During the 2022 debate, the Assembly was told a just transition should not detrimentally affect the most vulnerable members of the community or worsen income inequality.

The reason this matters now is that the principle is at risk of being lost between the roadmap and delivery. As currently drafted, the CSP priority refers only to a "practical and affordable" transition. That wording says nothing about who bears the costs. The transition will require real changes to how Islanders heat their homes, travel and work, and distributional analysis carried out on behalf of Government acknowledged that lower income households are likely to be disadvantaged unless policy is designed to prevent it. Those on low incomes have the least capacity to absorb upfront costs such as heating system upgrades and vehicle replacement, and workers in carbon-intensive industries face changes to their livelihoods that they have little control over.

There is also evidence that the principle is not yet being delivered in practice. The Independent Climate Council's review of the roadmap's first phase identified "just transition failures", concluding that subsidies had skewed towards the wealthy, that polluter-pays principles had been weakened or abandoned, and that some high-emission activities such as aviation remain untaxed.

A just transition is also a key tenet of ensuring public support. Consultation on the roadmap showed strong backing for action, but that support depends on Islanders trusting that the burden will be shared fairly. A transition seen as regressive risks losing public consent and slowing progress towards net zero. Placing the principle in the Common Strategic Policy gives Ministers a clear mandate to test every funding and policy decision against it and gives the Assembly a clear standard against which to hold the Government to account.

Financial and staffing implications

The financial and staffing implications will depend on the measures brought forward by Ministers.  Policy  development  will  require  officer  time,  and  changes  to  financial support or services may require additional funding. These requirements should be identified within the relevant proposals and considered through the Budget process.

Children's Rights Impact Assessment

I consider that this amendment has no direct or indirect impact on children and that the duty to have due regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child does not arise. Accordingly, a Children's Rights Impact Assessment is not required under the Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Law 2022.

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P.75/2026 Amd.(8)