Tougher emission cuts

The cut in emissions is one of a series of radical proposals put forward by the Sustainable Development Commission to help the government meet its climate change commitments.

In a report published on 22 June, the commission urged the government to make up a 10 million tonne shortfall in its carbon reduction target.

In the report, commission chairman Jonathon Porritt says the UK has a massive gap to fill if we are to get back on track and achieve a 20% cut in CO2 emissions by 2010 – and the signs at the moment do not look good.

Porritt says that with so much attention focused on the role of the USA in tackling climate change it would be all too easy for the government to neglect what is going on in its own back yard. A review provides the only realistic prospect of getting back on track in time to make a difference by 2010.

The SDC is urging the government to:

• sign up to a 50% cut in carbon emissions from buildings (from 1990 levels) by 2050
• aim for a carbon neutral public sector by 2020
• adopt a target to cut carbon emissions from road transport by 50% (from 1990 levels) by 2025
• step up the government’s Energy Efficiency Commitment – which requires electricity and gas suppliers to promote improvements in domestic energy efficiency – by introducing measures to triple savings
• invest revenue from the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation into a new Climate Change Challenge Fund to support local authorities and communities in pursuing ambitious carbon saving projects
• not to fill the carbon gap by buying carbon savings from other countries
• give up its current action against the European Commission regarding the UK’s allocation under the European Union’s Emission Trading Scheme.
• In a snub to the US government, 140 American cities have now signed up to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. The cities, including Denver, Los Angeles and New York, will first discuss ways to regulate emissions from large power producers before tackling other sectors.