Climate Council statements

​​​Request ​810298067

To whom it may concern, 

I am requesting information relating to statements attributed to the Climate Council review of the Government of Jersey’s Carbon Neutral Roadmap and the Government’s net-zero strategy. 

Media reporting of the review includes the statement that “the window for corrective action is narrowing.” 

To ensure clarity regarding the scientific basis of this statement, please provide the following information held by the Government of Jersey: 

1) 

Definition of the Statement 

The precise meaning, as used by the Government or its advisers, of the phrase “the window for corrective action is narrowing”, including the specific metric, timeframe, or threshold being referenced. 

2) 

Scientific Evidence Relied Upon 

A list of all peer-reviewed scientific papers, datasets, reports, or assessments relied upon by the Government of Jersey, the Climate Council, or any contracted advisers when making or repeating this statement. 

3) 

Paleoclimate / Ice Core Evidence 

If paleoclimate evidence (including but not limited to ice-core records of atmospheric CO₂ or temperature) is being relied upon to support this claim, please provide: 

The specific datasets or publications referenced 

Any analysis, modelling, or interpretation conducted or commissioned by the Government using those datasets 

Any internal documents explaining how those datasets support the conclusion that the “window for corrective action is narrowing.” 

4) 

Internal Scientific Advice 

Copies of any scientific briefings, advisory notes, internal reports, modelling summaries, or correspondence held by the Government which explain or justify the use of the above phrase.

5) 

Evidence Threshold 

Any documents describing the scientific criteria, thresholds, or modelling assumptions used to determine that the timeframe for corrective action is “narrowing”. 

6) Absence of Evidence 

If the Government holds no peer-reviewed scientific evidence, modelling outputs, or datasets supporting this specific statement, please confirm this explicitly.

7) 

Origin of the Statement 

Please identify which organisation, report, or individual first introduced the phrase in relation to the Government of Jersey’s climate policy. 

Please provide the information electronically. If any of the requested information is already publicly available, please provide direct links or citations to the exact documents relied upon. 

If any part of this request is refused or redacted, please specify the statutory exemption relied upon and the reasoning for its application, as required under the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. 

Kind regards,

Response

1) 

This statement is an extract of the quote provided collectively by the Climate Council for the News Release issued by the Government of Jersey to coincide with the publication of the Council’s report reviewing Jersey’s progress in reducing the Island’s greenhouse gas emissions, in line with its commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The full news release is available via the following link:

Independent Climate Council publish report on Jersey’s progress – Official Government of Jersey Blog

The statement from the Council describes a time-bound risk: the period in which Jersey can realistically correct course to meet its 2030 climate commitments is decreasing. This is due to a combination of delivery delays, infrastructure lead times, and the limited number of years remaining before the target year.

2) 

The evidence assessed by the Climate Council in preparing their report is all referenced in the report as linked below. As this information is publicly available, Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

Climate Council Report March 2026

3) 

This information is not held by the Cabinet Office; Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 therefore applies. 

4) The evidence assessed by the Climate Council in preparing their report is all referenced within the report linked below. Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

Climate Council Report March 2026 

5) & 6) 

This information is not held by the Cabinet Office; Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 therefore applies. 

7) 

The statement is an extract of the quote provided by the Climate Council for a News Release issued by the Government of Jersey.

Articles applied

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a) it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b) it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.

Article 23 - Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.