8 in 10,000 Net Zero

Hint Click a step on the left to see which payer categories receive the cost from that part of the chain.

From CO₂ Target
to Distributed Cost

Cost-flow Categories · Where it Lands

Core Audit Questions

1

What is measured, and what is modelled?

Direct costs sit on bills and price tags — measurable. Indirect costs flow through prices, taxes, and timing — usually modelled, often imperfectly. The audit asks which of each is in the headline number.
2

Which costs are direct, and which are transferred?

Direct costs are visible on the household bill or invoice. Transferred costs travel via supply chains, contract terms, and tax structure — invisible at the point of purchase but real in the budget.
3

Who pays first, and who pays later?

Today's energy bills hit today's household budgets. Deferred costs sit on government balance sheets and replacement cycles — payable by people who didn't choose them.
4

What distributional effects are omitted?

Headline modelling reports national averages. The audit asks which sub-populations and timeframes are missing from the average — and whether the omitted detail would change the policy verdict.
5

What trade-offs are justified?

The framework's signature question. The CO₂ target licenses concern; it does not pre-justify which payer category absorbs the cost of meeting it. That decision needs its own audit.

Typical Missing Checks

A Net Zero target is not self-explanatory.

Audit how costs are distributed before relying on the policy pathway.