UK Should Commit To 57% Emissions Reduction By 2030

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The UK’s Committee on Climate Change said Thursday that the country should target an emissions reduction of 57% by 2028-2032.

CCC-2With the UN climate negotiations in Paris merely days away, climate and environmental bodies around the world are publishing recommendations for countries and the globe in an attempt to make as big a splash as possible, and to impact their target audience at the right time. The UK’s Committee on Climate Change has joined this chorus of advocacy, calling on the UK government to continue on its path towards reducing emissions by at least 80% by 2050 on 1990 levels, by committing to an emissions reduction target of 57% by 2028-2032.

The Committee published The fifth carbon budget — The next step towards a low-carbon economy this week, the halfway mark from the first carbon budget period (2008-2012) to 2050. Many countries are focusing tightly on creating climate goals that will play into the globally agreed action to limit warming to 2°C. On Monday, the International Renewable Energy Agency released their newest reportREthinking Energy 2015, which called for an accelerated transition to renewable energy in an effort to help limit global warming.

The UK has done its part so far — reducing emissions by 36% on 1990 levels, and on track to lower them by 43%-46% by 2020, with the fourth carbon budget (2023-2027) set to see emissions continue to fall to 52% on 1990 levels.

This fifth carbon budget is therefore simply an extension of that trend, and would be the equivalent of emissions reductions of 2% per year from 1990-2014, 3% per year from 2014-2030, and 4% per year from 2030-2050.

However, according to the Committee on Climate Change, if these targets are to be met to keep the country on track to 2050, a number of new policies and “clear long-term signals to investors” are “urgently required.” Specifically, the Committee presented four targets that must be met in order for the fifth carbon budget to be reached:

  • By the 2030s around 1 in 7 UK homes are heated using low-carbon sources of energy, helping to reduce emissions significantly and drive further innovation in delivering sources of low-carbon heat.
  • By the 2030s, the majority of new cars and vans bought in the UK are fully or partially electric, removing a significant proportion of emissions from transport, improving UK air quality and potentially boosting UK manufacturing.
  • By the 2030s, the UK is largely powered by low-carbon sources of electricity, delivering power with emissions of below 100 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour (compared to 450g today). Low-carbon options in the power sector are important to support emissions reduction in other sectors, such as transport and heating, as well as to reduce emissions from the power sector itself.
  • By the 2030s, insulation is installed in nearly all UK homes where it is cost-effective, reducing the cost of energy to households.

“The UK has been at the forefront of global action on climate change,” stated Lord Deben, Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change. “As a nation, we have begun the transition towards a low-carbon economy. By legislating the fifth carbon budget at the recommended level, the Government will take the next important step. That will build on its commitment to the UK’s existing climate targets and send a clear signal to businesses and consumers that UK climate ambition remains on track through the 2020s and into the 2030s.”

“This medium-term vision, balancing a range of considerations, helps to ensure the UK can continue to play its part at lowest cost to business and consumers while properly positioning our country for the environmental and economic realities that lie ahead.”


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Joshua S Hill

I'm a Christian, a nerd, a geek, and I believe that we're pretty quickly directing planet-Earth into hell in a handbasket! I also write for Fantasy Book Review (.co.uk), and can be found writing articles for a variety of other sites. Check me out at about.me for more.

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