Government will not rely on the reduction in emissions brought about by the economic downturn to meet its climate targets. To reinforce this, any over-achievement in the first carbon budget due to the recession will not be carried forward to allow for higher emissions in the future.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said: “The recession will not deflect the Government’s efforts to cut emissions and move to a low carbon economy. We will not let up on the fight against climate change, instead we must redouble our efforts at home and internationally so the UK emerges from the global downturn building on the opportunities and benefits a low carbon future will bring.”
Significant progress has already been made since the Low Carbon Transition Plan was published in July 2009, including in the key sectors of power generation, buildings and industry, and transport.
In the power sector, the UK government has said that there will be no new coal without carbon capture and storage. The draft energy National Policy Statements were published for consultation to speed up decisions on low carbon energy infrastructure.
The government is also working to ensure that access to the electricity grid is not a barrier to low carbon generation. Measures include introducing new grid access arrangements, a new offshore electricity transmission regime and setting out plans for a smart grid in the UK.
In homes and industry, government programmes have supported the installation of insulation in around 2 million homes in the last 18 months, and a new community-based and whole-house approach is being trailed to increase take-up. ‘Household Energy Management Strategy’ is expected to be published shortly that will set out new plans to help reduce emissions from households by 29% from 2008 levels by 2020.
The government will shortly be setting out details of ‘clean energy cash-back’ schemes for people and businesses that generate low carbon heat and electricity.
To reduce emissions from transport, the government is providing an incentive from 2011 to stimulate early markets in ultra-low carbon cars, helping cities and regions put the necessary recharging infrastructure in place, continuing to encourage the uptake of sustainable travel initiatives, investing significantly in public transport, and supporting cycling with GBP140m over three years.
The government will also shortly publish ‘2050 Pathways’ work, identifying routes to deliver 80% reduction target in emissions by 2050, while meeting the energy security goals.
