The Green Technical Advisory Group (GTAG) has issued its final advice to the UK Government on the creation of a UK Green Taxonomy centered on establishing a long-term "institutional home" for the taxonomy. This marks the culmination of nine advisory papers provided to the UK Government since GTAG’s inception in June 2021.
In the two years since GTAG’s establishment, the global landscape for green finance regulations has evolved significantly, with the introduction of 21 additional taxonomies, bringing the global total to nearly 50.
GTAG’s chair Ingrid Holmes said: “GTAG’s membership remains convinced of the need for a usable and scientifically robust green taxonomy, aligned to the UK’s net-zero investment and wider environmental needs, within the increasingly busy disclosures landscape.
“Given for some sectors – including steel, cement, and agriculture – there are no absolutist definitions of net zero-aligned economic activity, and so transitional definitions will be needed, the taxonomy will be constantly evolving. This is what makes the last GTAG paper – looking at options for the ‘institutional home’ of the taxonomy – so important.”
In its final paper, GTAG underscores the need for sustainable governance arrangements for the UK Green Taxonomy and outlines various options for achieving this goal. The recommended “least regrets” option involves the UK government establishing an Advisory Body to facilitate the Taxonomy’s implementation and development through executive action in the short term.
This could be accomplished either by augmenting the responsibilities of an existing entity, such as the Financial Reporting Council/Audit, the Reporting and Governance Authority, or by creating a new organization, potentially referred to as “GTAG 2.0.” The rationale behind this recommendation is to support both voluntary and mandatory disclosure approaches, paving the way for mandatory disclosures in the future.
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