The Committee’s role is to provide independent evidence-based advice to the UK Government on setting and meeting carbon budgets and on adapting to climate change. The Committee was established as a statutory, executive Non-Departmental Public Body on 26 November 2008 when the Climate Change Bill was enacted into legislation. It is jointly sponsored by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government. 

The Committee:
• Advises on the appropriate level of the UK’s carbon budgets and steps required to meet them. The budgets define the maximum level of CO2 and other greenhouse gases which the UK can emit in each 5 year budget period, beginning with 2008-12,
• Monitors progress towards meeting carbon budgets and recommending actions to keep budgets on track,
• Advises on the preparation of the UK Climate Change Risk Assessments and progress towards implementation of the UK Government’s National Adaptation Programme,
• Advises on other requests for advice from national authorities in regard to carbon budgets, progress in reducing emissions and adaptation,
• Conducts independent analysis into climate change science, economics and policy, and
• Engages with a wide range of organisations and individuals to share evidence and analysis

The Committee is responsible to the UK Parliament, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Climate Change and Environment Ministers from the devolved administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.