In response to the government’s announcement that they will ask the Committee on Climate Change for advice on more rapid decarbonisation and a date for the UK to reach net zero carbon, Kate Blagojevic, Head of Energy at Greenpeace UK, said – “The clear message from UN climate scientists is that the time for delays, excuses, and half measures is over. The longer we wait to get moving, the costlier it will get to stave off dangerous climate change. What our ministers need to do now is roll up their sleeves and turn climate science into climate action. “There are many things that can be done straight away with existing technologies like restarting onshore wind, keeping a fair deal for solar, building zero-carbon homes and speeding up the switch to electric vehicles. Climate-proofing Britain won’t just help avert one of the biggest threats we face, it will also have many other benefits like cleaning up air pollution, creating jobs and giving us better homes. “We fully support the government tightening up the long term carbon targets, but that’s no excuse for not getting on with the job right now.”
Greenpeace 15th Oct 2018 read more »
The UK Government’s official climate change watchdog has warned ministers that the new Road to Zero strategy will not be sufficient to meet national and international climate targets. letter to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and Business Secretary Greg Clark, the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) chairman Lord Deben said the plan would leave the UK struggling to meet its Fifth Carbon Budget. The letter, sent on Thursday (11 October), accuses ministers of excluding some of the most “cost-effective” measures to cut road transport emissions from the strategy, such as providing financial support to domestic and business customers seeking to purchase electric vehicles (EVs) after 2020. The 15-page document additionally urges the Government to bring its 2040 phase-out of new petrol and diesel car sales forward by five years to 2035 – a move Deben claims could bring about a “near zero-emission” road transport sector by 2050.
Edie 12th Oct 2018 read more »
The UK is taking a tentative step towards a radical “green” future with zero emissions of greenhouse gases. The government is formally seeking Climate Change Committee (CCC) guidance about how and when to make this leap. If it happens it would mark an extraordinary transformation of an economy built on burning fossil fuels. The decision was prompted by last week’s UN report warning that CO2 emissions must be stopped completely to avoid dangerous climate disruption.
BBC 15th Oct 2018 read more »
Government advisers have been tasked with setting out a strategy to virtually eliminate carbon emissions within 30 years, following a warning that “unprecedented” action is needed to tackle climate change. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) will establish whether the UK needs to completely overhaul its current emissions targets, and what needs to be done to achieve this transition. Environmental groups welcomed the move as a crucial step forward, but cautioned that any new goals must be sufficiently ambitious to avoid the worst effects of climate change. A major UN report released last week concluded that emissions must be slashed to “net zero” – the point at which emissions are effectively cut by 100 per cent – by 2050 to stop warming beyond 1.5C. This will require massive and rapid changes to power generation, industry, transport, buildings and lifestyles, as well as investment in measures to suck any remaining CO2 from the atmosphere. The letter to CCC chairman Lord Deben invites them to consider what emissions reductions would be needed to meet the Paris climate agreement target of a “well below 2C” rise, as well as the 1.5C limit urged in the new report. Not only do experts agree that this more ambitious target is vital to avoid catastrophic effects such as coral reef extinction and Arctic ice loss, but they say that to get there emissions must reach net zero very soon. Responding to the news, Ed Matthew from The Climate Coalition said: “It is not just the target that matters, it’s how fast we get there. The CCC must now ensure that this net-zero pathway is compliant with no more than 1.5C of warming. “The UK must set a net-zero emissions target before 2050.”
Independent 15th Oct 2018 read more »
The UK government will today officially instruct the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) to advise on whether the UK should set a target for net zero emissions. In a long-trailed move, Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry has written to CCC chair Lord Deben asking his committee to provide advice on whether the UK needs to ramp up its current carbon-cutting policy and set a date for net zero emissions. Specifically, the government has asked the CCC to report on the date by which the government should look to set a net zero target, as well as the range which UK greenhouse gas emissions reductions would need to be within, against 1990 levels, by 2050 as an appropriate contribution to the global goal of limiting global warming to “well below” 2C above pre-industrial levels. It has also asked for the corresponding emissions range for a 1.5C target. In addition, the CCC has been asked to spell out how emissions reductions might be delivered in key sectors of the economy, and set out the expected costs and benefits of such actions across a range of scenarios in comparison to meeting the current targets. The governments of Scotland and Wales have also asked for updated advice to inform their own climate policy agendas, with Perry’s counterparts in each country co-signing the letter. In the absence of a minister while the Stormont government remains suspended, Northern Ireland officials similarly indicated support for securing new advice from the CCC, the letter said. The CCC is expected to report back on its findings by the end of March 2019.
Business Green 15th Oct 2018 read more »