Carbon Plan - GOV.UK

1 Carbon Plan Contents Foreword 3. Chapter 1: The challenge of climate change Our approach 4. Chapter 2: Secure, sustainable low Carbon energy 15. Chapter 3: Saving energy in homes and communities 23. Chapter 4: Reducing emissions from business and industry 29. Chapter 5: Towards low Carbon transport 35. Chapter 6: Cutting emissions from waste 44. Chapter 7: Managing land sustainably 48. Chapter 8: Reducing emissions in the public sector 53. Chapter 9: Developing leadership within the European Union 58. Chapter 10: Building the case for global ambition with key countries and international institutions 62. Chapter 11: Supporting the development of low Carbon , climate resilient economies 68. Chapter 12: Ensuring progress within international climate negotiations 74. Chapter 13: Action in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales 79. Foreword Foreword This Carbon Plan sets out a vision of a changed and in the way we travel. This means Britain, powered by cleaner energy used more better public transport, reducing emissions efficiently in our homes and businesses, with from petrol and diesel engines and moving more secure energy supplies and more stable towards alternative technologies such as energy prices, and benefiting from the jobs and electric vehicles.

2 Growth that a low Carbon economy will bring. Becoming a low Carbon economy will be one But it does more than that. It shows exactly of the greatest changes our country has ever how we will deliver that vision and play our part known. But it is a change for the better, for our in the global effort to tackle climate change economy, our society, and for the planet. This and build a green economy through specific, Carbon Plan shows how, together, we can make practical action across government, month by it happen. month and department by department. We want the public to tell us where we can be even more ambitious, and hold us to account on delivering what we say, when we say. Together, we can make our vision a reality. David Cameron Prime Minister Doing this means change across the whole economy, but most critically and fundamentally in three areas, namely: in the way we generate our electricity, where we must see a dramatic shift away Nick Clegg from fossil fuels and towards low Carbon Deputy Prime Minister alternatives renewable energy, new unsubsidised nuclear power and fossil fuel power stations fitted with Carbon Capture and Storage.

3 Chris Huhne in the way we heat our homes and Secretary of State for businesses, where a step change is needed Energy and Climate Change in how well our homes are insulated and in the use of low Carbon energy alternatives, such as heat pumps;. 3. Chapter 1: The challenge of climate change Our approach 4. Chapter 1: The challenge of climate change Our approach Climate change is one of the greatest and West Antarctic ice sheets, leading to threats to both UK and global security major sea level rise, or the release of large and prosperity. There is an overwhelming natural stores of methane from oceans or scientific consensus that climate change melting permafrost, which could cause is happening, and that it is very likely to further warming. The UK Met Office's be primarily the result of human activity. Hadley Centre has produced an interactive There is now almost 40% more Carbon map1 outlining some of the impacts dioxide in the atmosphere than there was that may occur if the global average before the industrial revolution, a level not temperature rises by 4 C (7 F) above the experienced for at least the last 800,000 pre-industrial climate average.

4 Years. Consequently, the global average temperature continues to rise, and Government's approach to avoiding the 2000 09 was the warmest decade on risk of dangerous climate change has at its record since at least the 1850s (see heart the Climate Change Act 2008, which figure ). requires Government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by: Without action to curb emissions, there is a very high risk of global warming reaching cutting emissions by at least 34% by 2020. well beyond 2 C relative to pre-industrial and 80% by 2050 below the 1990. times. Such unmitigated global warming baseline;. would increase the risk of accelerated or irreversible changes in the climate system, setting and meeting five-yearly Carbon such as initiating melting of the Greenland budgets for the UK during that period; and Figure : Observed global average temperature relative to 1961 90. 2000s Temperature relative to 1961 90 ( C). 1990s 1980s 1940s 1970s 1960s 1930s 1950s 1870s 1880s 1920s 1890s 1860s 1850s 1900s 1910s Source: Met Office 1 5.

5 Requiring that those Carbon budgets be Be fair: There will inevitably be costs to set three budget periods ahead so that Government, business and individuals in it is always clear what the UK's emissions making such a significant change. These will be for the next 15 years and setting costs will be lower than the alternative the trajectory towards the 2020 and 2050 of dealing with the cost of unmitigated targets. climate change and offset by maximising the growth opportunities from a low This is a firm, long-term and legally binding Carbon transition, but they will still be framework that requires Government to real, and the Government is committed to ensure that the transition to a low Carbon preventing any unnecessary burden and to economy really happens. But it leaves sharing the costs fairly. important choices about how we make that change. Act sustainably: This Carbon Plan is underpinned by the Government's continued commitment to sustainable Our principles development, to be open and transparent in its operations and to look to the long Within the overarching framework set by term to tackle economic, environmental the Climate Change Act, the Government and social challenges.

6 The Government is committed to a number of principles is committed to taking a sustainable that will guide our approach: approach to decarbonising our economy and finding the right balance between Take a whole-government approach: environmental benefits, impacts, costs and Tackling climate change and demonstrating the need for a secure low Carbon energy leadership through action is the supply. The Government will give further responsibility of every part of government, details of its approach in the Natural cental and local, and the wider public sector. Environment White Paper. Be facilitative: Government's role should Be outward-looking: Climate change be to set the legal and market frameworks is a global problem and requires a global and to provide the information to enable solution. Action in the UK and our support businesses, households, local areas and for practical action overseas will help communities to play their part. demonstrate our commitment to other countries, and will stand alongside our Be inclusive: Our efforts to cut commitment to negotiating for a global greenhouse gas emissions should not be deal on climate change.

7 Forced through top down by Government. We should make this change by enthusing our whole society, in line with our commitment to localism. 6. Chapter 1: The challenge of climate change Our approach Our approach in the UK alone. To cope with this, we will need a new generation of secure, low Carbon In 2010 the Government published 2050 electricity, powered by a mix of renewable Pathways Analysis, which looked in detail energy, new nuclear power and fossil fuel at the changes the UK would have to power stations fitted with new Carbon make in order to reduce greenhouse Capture and Storage (CCS) technology gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050. capable of locking away Carbon dioxide The report showed many different ways emissions, and reusing as far as possible in which this could be done, but most the waste heat that is generated. Much fundamentally it showed that it can of this change is likely to need to happen be done. between now and 2030, requiring in excess of 110 billion of investment in While there are many possible pathways, generation, transmission and distribution there are some common themes that over the next emerge across the various solutions explored in the report.

8 These themes, Heat for our homes and businesses: combined with wider evidence, suggest Almost half of the UK's greenhouse gas that while every sector of our economy emissions are from the energy used to will need to change between now and generate heat,4 with the vast majority 2050, there are three areas which are of our homes still relying on fossil fuel together responsible for 80% of the UK's powered gas boilers and with much of our greenhouse gas emissions2 in which building stock still poorly insulated and change is most critical: inefficient. There is a huge opportunity here, not only to cut greenhouse gas Generating our electricity: Under many emissions and emissions of harmful scenarios explored in 2050 Pathways pollutants, but also for households and Analysis, demand for electricity is likely businesses to save money, with the most to double by 2050 compared to today. significant and cost effective opportunities Changes in other sectors are likely to likely to come from better insulation and mean greater reliance on electricity for from replacing inefficient heating systems.

9 Applications such as transport and heating, We need to ensure that the homes and pushing up demand. At the same time, buildings being built now and in the future our existing power plants are coming are as energy efficient as possible, and the to the end of their lives, with around a Government is committed to introducing quarter set to close within the next decade ambitious energy efficiency standards for 2 The 2009 final UK greenhouse gas emissions figures, available at: 3 DECC (2010) Electricity Market Reform: Consultation Document, 4 DECC (2010) Energy Consumption in the UK: Overall Data Tables, , tables and 7. new homes and buildings. In the short homes, businesses and travel, the impact term, this means ensuring that all fossil fuel of other sectors of the economy will boilers are as efficient as possible, but we become ever more important. Emissions also need to move towards lower Carbon from sectors such as agriculture, waste alternatives such as air and ground source and industrial processes are likely to grow heat pumps and consider decentralised steadily as a proportion of the UK's total options like Combined Heat and Power and emissions and it will be essential that district heating.

10 Appropriate policy action is taken across all of those sectors. Powering our cars and vehicles: Transport is a major contributor to the The Government believes that this UK's energy demand and greenhouse change can be enabled, among other gas emissions, as well as other polluting things, by reform to make the tax system emissions, with the majority of those greener, including by increasing the emissions coming from the oil-based fuels proportion of tax revenue accounted we rely on for road transport. We can for by environmental taxes. all play a part in changing this by taking advantage of public transport and looking There are significant business opportunities at innovative alternatives to travel such associated with the transition to a low as video conferencing for some business Carbon economy, and our Carbon budgets meetings. A big impact will come from provide a clear and credible long-term improvements to conventional engine framework to incentivise private sector technology and from developing vehicle investment in energy saving and low Carbon technologies that allow us to use low technologies.