The independent council, which must have at least one Jersey resident among its number, will produce a report every four years – so every political term – with the first one needing to be signed off by the end of March 2026.
It is envisaged that the council – which will be made up of various experts – will cost £50,000 over its four-year lifecycle and be supported by a small independent secretariat.
Climate Change Minister Hilary Jeune told the Assembly that the council’s “composition, scope and focus is proportionate to Jersey’s size” and the “four-year reporting cycle is appropriate”.
The Government’s Carbon Neutral Roadmap commits the island to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
It states, as a minimum, Jersey needs to reduce its emissions by 68% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, and by 78% by 2035.
Pictured: The creation of a Climate Council was added to the Carbon Neutral Roadmap – the island’s plan for getting to net zero emissions – after a successful amendment by backbenchers responsible for scrutinising the environmental policy document.
Under the plan, new petrol and diesel vehicles will be banned from 2030 and work will begin to expand beds of seagrass around the island to capture greenhouse gasses.
Over the next four years, £23m will be spent to encourage islanders to buy electric cars, change gas and oil heating systems, use alternative sources of fuel, and walk, cycle and catch the bus more.
The £50,000 cost of the council will also come from that £23m fund, which has been raised from fuel duty.
It is not clear how much decarbonisation will cost the island beyond 2026, although the overall cost of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 has been estimated to cost around £250m.
The Roadmap commits the Government to draft a long-term financing strategy for debate and approval.
An amendment by Deputy Tom Coles to halve the frequency of the council’s reporting from four years to two was defeated by 19 votes to 27.