Page 6 - Gi June/July 2019

industry & Government news

DIGEST protests by the Extinction Rebellion
It also followed a week of high-profile
group and Greta Thunberg, the Swedish
teenager who inspired the global school
strikes, telling the UK government that
its support for fossil fuels and airport
expansion is “beyond absurd”.
The UK is forecast to miss existing
carbon targets in 2025 and 2030.
Hitting zero emissions in 2050 will
‘DO IT NOW’: UK MUST SET require a leap in the ambition of
government policy, particularly on
ZERO-CARBON TARGET FOR heating and transport.
The zero emissions goal would fulfil
the pledge made by the UK when it
signed the Paris agreement in 2015 to
2050, SAY OFFICIAL ADVISERS limit the rise in global temperature to
as close to 1.5°C above pre-industrial
levels as possible. In October, the
world’s scientists warned of severe
global impacts above this rise.
The CCC target includes flying and
shipping and all greenhouse gases,
and allows no offsetting of emissions
abroad, making it the toughest of any
major economy. The CCC said it could
prove a vital catalyst in unlocking
matching pledges from other countries.
The current plans of the world’s nations
would lead to 3°C of warming and
catastrophic damage.
The CCC’s recommendation was
welcomed by many politicians,
business leaders, energy and water
companies, doctors and farmers.
Some green groups, including WWF,
called for zero emissions by 2045,
while Extinction Rebellion activists
have said 2025. The CCC said the 2050
date could be brought forward if good
progress was made.
Ian McCluskey, IGEM’s Head of
Technical Services and Policy, said:
“We welcome this latest report and the
initiative to set more aggressive targets
for deep decarbonisation.
“To meet net zero will increase the
need for policy and decision-making
that accelerates the implementation
of necessary technologies such as
CCUS, methane reforming for hydrogen
THE UK IS FORECAST TO MISS EXISTING CARBON TARGETS IN 2025 AND 2030 production at scale, renewables and
decarbonised heating. IGEM, and the gas
THE UK GOVERNMENT must It will require tens of billions of sector as a whole, is already committed
immediately set a legally binding target pounds of investment every year, the to developing these initiatives.
to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero CCC said – about one to two per cent of “The CCC’s key message is very much
by 2050, its official advisers have said, Britain’s GDP, reports The Guardian. in line with our position. In fact, it
signalling an end to the nation’s role in But not acting would be far more repeats the core message of the most
driving climate change. costly and the changes would deliver recent IGEM-sponsored Future Gas
Doing so will be challenging, said a cleaner and healthier society, the Series report from Carbon Connect,
the Committee on Climate Change, advisers said, as well as potentially which highlights how low carbon
meaning the end of petrol and diesel bolstering the UK economy and jobs. forms of gas could make a significant
cars and gas boilers, less meat on The CCC’s request for urgent action contribution to the UK’s efforts to
plates, quadrupling clean electricity came after Labour, Scottish National reduce greenhouse gas emissions
generation and planting an estimated party and the Welsh assembly declared by 2050. We must now ramp up our
1.5 billion trees. a climate emergency. activity in this area.”

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News.indd 1 16/05/2019 13:36