In July 2009 the UK government announced the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan which sets out how the country will meet its target of 34% cuts in emissions from 1990 levels by 2020. This is no mean feat, and the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan has been formulated to help deal with the challenges that this target presents.
The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan covers a number of society sectors such as energy consumption in the home, in workplaces, within farming and by transport. According to the government, the plans will have minimal direct impact on consumers and is “the most systematic response to climate change of any major developed economy”.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change also published some related documents alongside the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, namely the UK Low Carbon Industrial Strategy, the Renewable Energy Strategy and the Low Carbon Transport Plan. The first of these indicates how industry will be assisted in combating climate change. The Renewable Energy Strategy details how the government will achieve 15% of all energy (electricity, heat and transport) from renewables by 2020, and the Low Carbon Transport Plan suggests how transport’s carbon emissions will be reduced by 14% within the next ten years.
Within the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan the government details how the country will get 40% of its electricity from low carbon energy (renewables, nuclear and clean fossil fuels) by 2020, 30% of which will be from renewables. This includes increased funding for offshore wind developments.
For more information on the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, visit the DECC website.
Source: www.decc.gov.uk 2011
