INFORM Carbon Reduction
REPORT BUDGET 09 SPECIAL
The government needs to fol-
low the lead of Germany by
investing in renewable energy UK aims to hit tough carbon
to stimulate the markets.
This is the claim of a report
published by the Renewable
targets without buying offsets
Energy Association (REA),
which says that backing renew- The UK will aim to meet its
ables and energy efficiency ambitious emission reduction
could lead to a trade balance targets without buying carbon
benefit for the British economy offsets during its first carbon
of up to £12.6B a year by 2020. budget period to 2012.
Philip Wolfe of the REA, said: In last month’s Budget,
“We hear a lot about the cost Chancellor Alistair Darling said
of renewables, and not enough the UK had followed the recom-
about the upsides. This report mendations of the independent
shows how investment in sus- Committee on Climate Change
tainable energy leads to huge and set a target to cut greenhouse
and increasing savings for the gas emissions by 34% under 1990
UK economy through avoided levels by 2020 – rising to 42%
fossil fuel imports.” once a global climate deal had
been reached. Budget announced aims to cut emissions by 34% under 1990 levels by 2020
TARGETS
And the government says it
Europe has become the first hopes to meet the targets through ment’s pledge to cut emissions was said executive director Andy
region in the world to set domestic carbon reduction meas- “riddled with so many loopholes Atkins.
“far-reaching”, legally binding ures alone, rather than relying on that it could be met almost in its “A 42% cut by 2020 is the
climate and energy targets. international offset credits bought entirety without taking any steps minimum required if we are to
The European Commission by the non-EU Emissions Trading to clean up power generation and play our part in avoiding danger-
announced its pleasure at the Scheme sector. industry in the UK”. ous climate change,” he added.
formal adoption of new meas- However, the government did Reyes argued that the pledge But the Budget report claims
ures relating to the reduction of say that offsetting could be a was just “positive spin” because that the latest “government mod-
carbon dioxide emissions from “fallback option”. the UK’s stance on offsetting elling” shows that the UK is on
new cars and transport fuels. The UK is the first country in applies purely to the non-traded course to meet the 2020 and two
Its commitment is to cutting the world to set legally binding sectors – which accounts for interim targets. A full strategy on
greenhouse gasses to 20% targets for carbon reduction. around 55% of Europe’s how the targets will be reached is
below 1990 levels and increase “These budgets give industry the greenhouse gas emissions. due in the summer.
the share of renewable energy certainty needed to develop and And Friends of the Earth The UK’s five-year budgets are
by 20% by 2020. use low-carbon technology – cut- warned that the targets were no required by the Climate Change
The EU will also aim to ting emissions, creating new busi- longer enough. “The government Act, the legislation passed in
improve energy efficiency by nesses and jobs,” said Darling. has ignored the latest advice from December that demands 80%
20% in the same time frame. But the Transnational Institute’s leading scientists and set targets cuts in greenhouse gas emissions
Oscar Reyes said that the govern- that are completely inadequate,” by 2050.
NUCLEAR
A list of 11 sites where nuclear
POLICY
power stations could be built
has been published by the
Activists threaten action over clean coal
Department of Energy and
Climate Change. Climate change activists have “independently judged as techni- “But, there must be a global
The public now has a promised direct action to stop a cally and commercially proven”. effort to develop this technology
chance to comment on the new generation of clean coal-fired Miliband believes the plans will and the UK is in a strong position
proposed sites before a con- power stations being built in put the UK at the forefront of the to lead this charge.”
sultation is launched later this the UK. global race to decarbonise fossil However, Climate Camp
year. The sites are Hartlepool, Ed Miliband, the secretary of fuels. “In order to ensure we activists vowed to use direct
Heysham, Dungeness, state for the department for ener- maintain a diverse energy mix, we action to stop the first of the four
Sellafield, Kirksanton, gy and climate change, caught need new coal-fired power sta- planned stations, Kingsnorth in
Braystones, Bradwell, Wylfa many off guard last month when tions but only if they can be part Kent, from ever being built.
Peninsula, Oldbury, Hinkley he put his weight behind plans for of a low-carbon future,” he said. Climate Camp activist Emily
Point and Sizewell. up to four new plants. “With a solution to the prob- Moore said: “The only logical
Sites judged to be poten- He has also called for a full- lem of coal, we greatly increase response to such irresponsibility
tially suitable will be included scale retrofit of carbon capture our chances of stopping danger- is to take direct action to stop
in the draft National Policy and storage, but only within five ous climate change. Without it we these power stations from ever
Statement later this year for years of the technology being will not succeed. being built.”
public consultation.
IN FACT CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS IN THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE HAVE INCREASED BY 30% IN THE LAST 200 YEARS
6 May 2009 ❘ Sustainable Business
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36