An environmental group in the Isle of Man has raised concerns over a lack of progress on the Government’s ‘Net Zero’ targets.

Peter Christian, a member of the voluntary group ‘Isle of Man Friends of the Earth’ (IOM FoE), is worried that most of projects outlined by the Government in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change were either on hold, had not been started or were currently in progress.

Back in 2022, the Government published a five-year climate change plan with the overall aim of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

However, Mr Christian claims the latest Climate Change Annual Progress Report has shows that the island is ‘heading in the wrong direction’.

He said: ‘The [Climate Change Transformation] Team’s task is immense and some initiatives are long term and will take some time to come to fruition, but all the reports, strategies and consultations cannot disguise the fact that the island is still not delivering emissions reductions.

‘The previous annual report stated that “climate change is not yet at the heart of decision making across Government”, pointing also to under resourced public bodies and laborious and time-consuming procedures to access funding, therefore holding back progress.

‘A year on and none of these barriers to progress has been adequately addressed. The report again notes “resistance to change, lack of ambition and urgency”, and the needless obstacles to accessing funding for initiatives. This barrier also appeared in the past two progress reports.’

As well as highlighting the lack of funding, the latest report lists the different projects which have either not started, are currently in progress or have been completed.

Of 59 listed actions at the end of the report, three (or around 6%) have been ‘completed’, 26 (or around 44%) are ‘in progress’, 11 (or around 19%) are ‘ongoing’ and 19 (or around 32%) are ‘on hold’ or ‘not started’.

The 59 actions fall under different categories such as ‘electricity’, ‘buildings’, ‘transport’, ‘agriculture’, ‘waste’, ‘leading by example’ and ‘investing in our future’.

The three successful actions include the completion of a carbon-neutral energy strategy, the roll-out of an energy efficiency public engagement campaign and an extension of the UK’s ratification of the ‘Paris Agreement’ to the Isle of Man.

According to the report, the barriers to reducing emissions included factors such as resourcing, competing priorities, resistance to change, access to funding, pre-existing policies and the number of skilled workers.

The island’s Climate Change Transformation Team is also currently without a chair, following the resignation of Daphne Caine MHK who was appointed as Education Minister in February.

Mr Christian concluded: ‘While the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers ponder the future leadership of the Team following Daphne Caine’s appointment to a ministerial post, IOM FoE urge them to not dither or delay.

‘They should cement climate change transformation firmly in the decision-making processes of Government, and remove forthwith the blockages to appropriate funding channels.’

In response to Mr Christian’s concerns, a spokesperson for the Government said: ‘The Isle of Man Government remains fully committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

‘While we acknowledge the challenges highlighted, we continue to prioritise the acceleration of climate action, ensuring that funding and governance processes align with the urgency required to meet our ambitious targets.’

In the original five-year plan published in 2022, Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said: ‘The proposals in this Plan represent the first steps of measures that will grow and develop, ensuring our emissions reductions are on-track for net zero by 2050.

‘I am confident that as a nation we can meet this challenge together and take the action needed to limit climate change and protect our community and future generations.

‘The next five years will be pivotal, and I urge everyone to support the delivery of this Plan.’