Archived press release

UK may miss carbon targets - New report

23 August 2007

A report released today by respected independent think tank energy analysts Cambridge Econometrics [1] forecasts that the Government will miss its own 2010 policy goal for a 20% cut in carbon emissions. It is also unlikely to achieve this even by 2020 unless new policies are adopted. The UK is also clearly off-track for meeting longer term targets laid out in the Climate Change Bill which will be debated later this year. Previous analyses by Cambridge Econometrics have similarly warned the government of this failure to tackle emissions, yet, despite much talk about the dangers of climate change, policies remain inadequate.

Friends of the Earth's climate campaigner, Mary Taylor, said:

"We need a fundamental shift in the attitude of Ministers and Government departments and the introduction of concrete policies such as rules for renewable energy in new developments. These already have widespread support and should be grasped. The current lack of effective policies is unacceptable. This report shows the need for a robust legal framework in the Climate Change Bill that will oblige the government to reduce emissions by at least 3% year on year. We are currently nowhere near that and so are making the job of stabilising our climate more difficult in the long term."

A leaked report last week showed that Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) is investigating ways for the UK to avoid EU targets on renewable, low-carbon, energy sources [2]. The incorporation of the so-called "Merton rule" into planning law, which would oblige builders to incorporate renewable energy technologies in new developments, is also under threat despite widespread support by local authorities and the renewable energy industry.

Notes

[1] Cambridge Econometrics (2007). UK Energy and the Environment. This is the latest in a series of twice-yearly reports. Press release available at:
www.camecon.com/press_releases/uk_energy_environment.htm

The report notes that Cambridge Econometrics' projections have consistently identified higher emissions from the transport (road and air) and household sectors as a barrier to achieving a low-carbon economy.

[2] The Guardian, 13 August 2007. "Revealed: cover-up plan on energy target."

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