The consultation process for the draft Climate Change Bill, which was published in March, is well underway. The deadline for submissions is 12 June.
The UK Government published the draft Climate Change Bill in March, aiming to set the UK on a path towards a low carbon economy. It was hailed at the time as the first of its kind in any country. As with any major draft bill, a consultation accompanies it, the deadline for submissions being 12 June.
The main features of the bill are as follows.
- A series of five-yearly ‘carbon-budgets’, planned 15 years ahead. The first of these could be in place by 2008. The aim is to provide certainty in business planning and for businesses investing in low carbon technologies.
- Mandatory cuts to greenhouse gas emissions of 60% by the year 2050.
- An interim target of 32% for CO2 emission reduction by 2020.
These targets are to be legally binding, although the legal sanctions should they be missed have yet to be decided. A new committee on climate change will be set up to provide advice and guidance to the Government. The commitee will produce an annual report, which will hold the Government to account on progress towards its carbon budgets. The draft bill and consultation document can be found on the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs website: www.defra.gov. uk/corporate/consult/climatechange-bill
EU targets
EU leaders, while meeting at the Spring Summit, endorsed binding targets for renewable energy use for the EU. There will be a minimum target of 10% for biofuels used in road transport by 2020. By the same date, 20% of EU energy usage should come from renewable sources, they decided. This confirms the stance previously taken by EU energy ministers and endorsed by environmental ministers earlier in the spring.
These targets are to be legally binding, although the devil is in the detail. In order to reach agreement, the German presidency accepted that individual countries could have different targets depending on "starting points and potentials". This effectively delays until autumn the arguments over which Member States are going to shoulder the burden of reaching the overall EU target. The 10% road fuel target will contribute to the overall 20% renewables target. But despite some earlier talk, no specific percentage goals were set out in the other two main energy sectors – electricity generation and heating and cooling.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
