Report

Net Zero Society: scenarios and pathways

The UK is committed to reaching net zero by 2050. Future societal norms and behaviours will have a significant impact on how emissions are reduced, but they are also highly uncertain. Society
in 2050 is likely to be very different from today. Testing against a wider set of assumptions about how society could look should  make the UK’s net zero strategy more resilient and ready to
address risks and opportunities as they arise.

This report shows that if society changed in ways that reduce demand for energy, the energy system costs of a scenario meeting net zero could be lower by 2% of GDP than a baseline case where the UK fails to meet net zero. There are also risks and costs associated with scenarios with higher levels of energy demand, which should be planned for.