Writing to the climate change secretary Amber Rudd, government advisors in the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said their “advice to the Government on the level of the fifth carbon budget remains the same in light of the Paris Agreement”.

At the COP 21 talks in Paris late last year, world leaders agreed to strive to limit global warming to 1.5oC above pre-industrial temperatures. 2015 saw temperatures rise over 1oC for the first time in recorded history, which climatologists said represents an ominous milestone.

The targets agreed to in Paris are more ambitious than the UK’s 2050 target of working to hold the global temperature rise to just below 2oC. Advising the secretary of state’s course of action on UK targets, CCC said, “The Agreement has greater long-term global ambition than current UK targets assume, although pledges by the EU and others to reduce their emissions have not yet changed.

“The proposed fifth carbon budget supports a more ambitious EU pledge, which will be needed alongside increased ambition from all countries to meet the Paris goals.”

The Committee’s recommendations were first made in November 2015, but the CCC promised to write to the secretary of state early this year to establish how the outcome of the COP21 talks had affected its recommendations. In light of the agreement in Paris, the Committee repeated its earlier advice that the fifth carbon budget be legislated at 1,765 MtCO2e for the period 2028-2032, representing a 57% cut in emissions compared to 1990 levels.

Though the committee said its recommendations have not changed, it reiterated that these “Will require new policies and plans [to tackle emissions and climate change impacts] to be set out by the government during this parliament.”

The CCC acknowledged that the more ambitious international targets raised the question of tightening this latest carbon budget, and making the UK’s national targets more ambitious still, but decided against this course of action.

However, on Thursday climate campaign group Friends of the Earth said the CCC’s recommendations go against the calls for action made in Paris in December. Those gathered in Paris agreed that nations’ action should “reflect its highest possible ambition”.

Friends of the Earth pointed to the CCC’s own analysis, released in 2015, which showed that neither the UK nor EU emissions reductions targets compare favourably to estimates for their “fair share” of global climate responsibility.

Friends of the Earth’s CEO Craig Bennett said, “This is desperately disappointing advice from the government’s climate advisor.

“Last month the international community agreed to ‘pursue efforts’ to keep global temperature rises to 1.5C – the Committee on Climate Change should have provided comprehensive advice and guidance on what measures the UK needs to take to help achieve this.

“The positivity and back slapping of Paris will fade very soon, unless our official advisory and regulatory bodies realise what governments signed up to in December - and work out what it means for action back home.”

The Committee’s letter to Amber Rudd can be read here.