The breakthrough was undoubtedly fuelled by its strong opposition to Brexit but also reflects how climate change has rocketed to the top of the political agenda.
Another straw in the wind was MPs’ unanimous backing for Labour’s motion that the UK parliament should become the first in the world to declare a climate emergency.
Labour’s decision to throw its weight so visibly behind climate change could be seen as an attempt to divert attention from its divisions on Brexit.
But the party’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has a long-standing history of commitment to environmental causes, including opposition to the expansion of Heathrow Airport and nuclear power.
Lord Deben, chair of the Committee on Climate Change, raised concerns, though, at last week’s launch of his organisation’s net zero report about the risks of the issue becoming a party political football.
There’s not much evidence of that at the moment. Nearly 100 MPs from across the political spectrum queued up to speak at last Wednesday’s climate emergency debate.
But there is the risk that this extraordinary consensus may begin to break down once the implications of the CCC’s advice, which include far-reaching changes to the way we heat our homes, begin to sink in.