Emissions 'need to fall quicker'

30 June 2011 Last updated at 01:54 GMT By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News Progress on renewable electricity is ok, the report says - but more needs to be done on heat The UK's greenhouse gas emissions are not falling fast enough to meet government targets, say advisers.

Emissions rose by 3% during 2010, says the Committee on Climate Change (CCC).

This was due to extra energy demand in cold weather; but the general trend is flat, which is "incompatible" with the 3% annual cuts needed, the CCC says.

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said the government's once-in-a-lifetime reforms showed it was serious about making the changes "vital to cut emissions".

The CCC's report says people are buying less polluting vehicles and installing more efficient boilers, but progress on home insulation is slowing.

The government has formally adopted five-yearly sets of emission targets - "carbon budgets" - proposed by the CCC.

Emissions for 2010 were within budget - but that was mainly due to the recession, which lowered economic activity and therefore emissions during 2009.

"During 2010, the economy grew by 1% but emissions stayed flat," the committee's CEO David Kennedy told BBC News.

"If we move to 2% growth per year and above, it's uncertain what would happen - would emissions go up or stay flat? - we don't know.

"But as we return to growth, we will have to do better."

Emissions of carbon dioxide rose during 2010 - partially offset by a fall in output of other greenhouse gases such as methane.

This suggests that existing policies have not broken the historically close relationship between economic growth and CO2 emissions.

Warming up "This is the third progress report from the CCC, and each one has said that a step change is needed," commented Keith Allott, head of climate change with environment group WWF-UK.

"The government now has no excuses for failing to listen. The UK urgently needs clear, stable and strong policies that will unlock the potential of the low carbon economy."

Mr Kennedy said that the government must adopt new tools in order to make emissions fall by 3% per year - the rate needed in order to stay with the successive carbon budgets, which is a legal requirement.

"In terms of insulating cavity walls we've done virtually nothing to date, and there's been very little progress in terms of changing consumer behaviour in transport," he said.

Meeting the carbon budgets proposed by the CCC and accepted by government will need tough cuts

"The government should set a clear goal, such as insulating all lofts and all cavities within five years, and this should be reflected in an obligation on energy companies to deliver on these targets."

These obligations could be made as part of the "Green Deal", the proposed scheme under which companies will install insulation in people's homes using financial mechanisms that carry no up-front cost and save money in the long term.

The Green Deal is supposed to be up and running late next year.

Government proposals suggest that "millions of people could benefit" - but do not set firm targets.

The number of lofts and cavity walls insulated by professionals fell by 30% in 2010.

The committee also noted that only 2% of heating is supplied from renewable sources, while projections indicate 12% is needed by 2020.

However, average emissions of new cars fell from 149.5 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre (g/CO2/km) in 2009 to 144.2g/CO2/km in 2010 - a faster fall than the committee had projected.

Another key element the CCC identifies in bringing emissions down at the required rate is reforming the electricity market, an area where the government is expected to publish firm proposals within the next few weeks, following a recent consultation.

French lesson Non-CO2 emissions from sectors such as farming are declining - but not CO2 emissions themselves

Mr Huhne said the required policy changes were in hand.

"As we come out of recession, the coalition is determined to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, which means a permanent shift to low carbon has to be locked into our economy in good times and bad," he said.

"The coalition's once-in-a-generation reforms of the electricity market, the Green Deal and the Green Investment Bank show we're serious about making the long term structural changes that are vital to cut emissions and keep the lights on."

Earlier in the week, Mr Huhne had commented that energy prices in France were rising more slowly than in the UK because of much lower French dependence on fossil fuels for electricity generation.

But Rhian Kelly, director for business environment at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said recent policy changes had slowed decarbonisation.

"Recent policy shifts have dented investor confidence, such as the sudden removal of the incentive behind the Carbon Reduction Commitment.

"To get back on track, the government must clarify a number of grey policy areas, including the Green Deal, electricity market reform and the Green Investment Bank."

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Huhne to reveal emissions target

17 May 2011 Last updated at 10:32 GMT Chris Huhne will make a statement to MPs on the carbon budget Chris Huhne is to set out plans to cut carbon emissions in half by 2027 and change the way Britain produces energy.

The energy secretary - who is at the centre of a storm over claims he asked someone close to him to take speeding points for him - will unveil the UK's fourth "carbon budget" in the Commons.

He reportedly won a battle with Lib Dem colleague Vince Cable over the targets amid fears they will hurt the economy.

But they could include an "opt-out" if EU competitors fail on similar aims.

'Prime minister intervention'

The 2027 targets follow recommendations from the government's official advisory body, the Committee on Climate Change.

It has urged the UK to accept a global agreement roughly equating to an emissions cut of 50% - based on 1990 levels - by 2025.

The 2027 target, which is expected to be similar, forms part of reaching a longer-term aim of a 60% reduction by 2030.

Continue reading the main story Richard Black Environment correspondent

Tuesday's announcement will make the UK the first country in the world to have declared a "legally binding" target on greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2020.

The set of five-yearly carbon budgets maps out the stages the UK should go through on the way to its long-term goal of cutting emissions by 80% by 2050.

There are many different pathways the country could take - the Committee on Climate Change, which recommends these budgets to government, sets out what it sees as the most economic route.

The business lobby has secured some concessions on the basis that the UK could lose competitiveness to its EU partners, as its emissions are now more tightly constrained.

One big question is whether these concessions materially affect the strength of the target itself.

But the budget's adoption should give extra confidence to companies wanting to invest in low-carbon energy.

A leaked letter last week exposed a row between Mr Huhne and Business Secretary Vince Cable over the proposed targets.

Prime Minister David Cameron was reported to have intervened on the side of Mr Huhne after Mr Cable reportedly complained that the "too aggressive" targets would "burden" the UK economy.

As it emerged the Lib Dem ministers were apparently at loggerheads, a coalition of environmental groups issued a warning to Mr Cameron that he risked seriously undermining his pledge to lead the "greenest government ever" if he did not back the targets.

Labour leader Ed Miliband also seized on the evidence of internal disagreement, writing to the prime minister to say failing to agree them would send "a terrible signal" to business and the rest of the world.

Higher prices

Foreign Secretary William Hague put the case for strong carbon targets to keep up with countries like China in the move towards low-carbon energy, and to retain the UK's international moral leadership on the issue.

However, the BBC understands that the UK's main energy-using industries have secured key concessions from the government to ease the impact of higher electricity prices.

But consumer watchdog Which? has expressed concern that domestic customers will not be similarly shielded from price rises.

The Committee on Climate Change has forecast that to meet emissions targets the average household fuel bill will go up by ?1 a week until 2020 when it will plateau out with no major rises after that.

Greenpeace has described the agreement as "rare victory for the green growth agenda" in the face of what it said was "vehement" opposition from the Treasury and the Department of Business.

But Friends of the Earth said Mr Huhne should have gone further and accepted advice to tighten the UK's existing 34% emissions reduction target, by 2020, to compensate for the cuts already achieved due to the recession.

A Department of Energy source defended the government's handling of the issue, arguing that it would be wrong to pre-empt discussions under way in the EU and the UK was still arguing to increase the EU 2020 target from 20% to 30%.

Mr Huhne will make a statement on the carbon budget to the Commons at around 1630 BST.

The plans were originally to be announced in a written ministerial statement, a move which had drawn criticism from Opposition MPs.

Shadow climate change secretary Meg Hillier had said it would "beggar belief" if Mr Huhne did not make a statement to the House on such a key issue - and claimed he might be a "bit afraid" to face MPs.

He is currently at the centre of media storm over allegations, being investigated by police, that he asked his someone close to him to take speeding points for him in 2003.

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