Friday 11 October 2013

Davey insists UK on track to meet carbon targets

The UK Government has insisted the nation is on track to meet its carbon reduction targets.

Energy Secretary Ed Davey said yesterday the UK will meet its first three legally binding carbon budgets, which will see a 34% reduction in emissions by 2020.

He was responding to a report published by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), which warned the Government could struggle to rein in the nation’s carbon emissions. It suggested more needs to be done for Britain to meet the third (2018-22) and fourth (2023-27) carbon budgets.

The Energy Secretary said: “Our latest projections show that we are on track to meet our first three carbon budgets but we recognise the scale of the challenge that we face in delivering further emissions reductions and meeting the target of the fourth carbon budget. We agree that we need to increase the rate of decarbonisation which is why we are taking action in a number of areas across the economy.”

Mr Davey listed a set of actions set out by the Government to slash emissions, which includes reforming the electricity market to attract investment, encouraging more energy efficiency measures, building a market for renewable heat and committing over £500 million to support the switch to Ultra Low Emission Vehicle technology.

He added the UK has already had “record amounts” of investment in new energy infrastructure, with an estimated £35 billion since 2010.

The CCC isn't the only one to raise concerns over carbon budgets: last week MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee urged the Government to commit to retaining the fourth carbon budget targets.

If you have any questions for Mr Davey, come along to the Energy Live 2013 conference on November 7th at the stunning London Film Museum in Covent Garden.