National: UK Climate change act Flashcards
Aim
This act set a legally binding target for the UK to reduce GHG emissions by 80% compared to 1990 levels by 2050, with an interim target of 26% by 2020 (has recently been increased to 34%).
achieved?
It has set up a system at looking at five-year carbon budgets as opposed to looking at them annually. The system specifies the total amount of GHG that can be emitted over each 5-year period. The first one ran from 2008-2012 to coincide with Kyoto. The current one is running 2018-2022. I
evaluation ++++
It is expected that the first target of 34% reduction in GHG by 2020 will be met (because, in 2007, emissions were already down by 21.7% on 1990 levels). There has already been a massive expansion of wind, both onshore and offshore due to the Renewable Obligation Certificate regime whereby energy suppliers face an increasing requirement yearly to supply a rising proportion of renewable energy to 20% by 2020. There has been possible support for a tidal barrage across the River Severn at a cost of around £30 billion to produce about 4% of the UKs electricity.
Village grants are now available for communities to sell surplus energy from wind farms to ‘the grid’. There has been private investment into carbon-capture-storage technology on coal and gas-fired plants. 10,000+ jobs could be created with the developments and the aim is to also increase energy security to that the UK relies less on imported sources.
if the country is to meet its goals, at least a £100 billion investment in the UK energy sector will be needed over the next 20 years.
