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Climate Change Committee warning to act on CO2 emissions.

A government watchdog, the independent Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has called for the government to act in rolling out a fresh and workable set of green built environment policies to increase the rates at which insulation is being installed and zero carbon measures are being applied to help achieve the tough carbon reduction targets.

The CCC is charged with ensuring the government keeps on track in achieving the legally -binding carbon emissions reduction target of 80% below 1990 figures by 2050. In the CCC’s fifth Carbon Budget which covers the period 2028 to 2032, it sets out recommendations amounting to a carbon reduction of 57% by 2032, equivalent to 1765 megatonnes, to make sure we stay on track  for 2050.

The CCC report includes a number of  recommendations including:-

  • 1.5 million solid wall insulations]
  • 2 million cavity wall insulations
  • 13% of homes and 50% of businesses will require heating from low carbon sources through heat networks or heat pump technology
  • Low carbon heat from hydrogen introduction to the gas grid,
  • hybrid heat pumps combined with gas boilers to top up heat supply on the coldest days

The report goes on to recommend that power generation will need to drop from 450gCO2/kWh in 2014 to 250gCO2/kWh and under 100gCO2/kWh by 2020 by the use of renewables, nuclear and carbon capture and storage methods, adding that the UK urgently needs  to roll-out more strategic offshore wind and carbon capture projects.

JB comments. Up until 2015, green industries such as low and zero carbon energy and technologies, sustainable materials. all were eagerly building their understanding, knowledge and confidence in a variety of sectors. Supply chains and valuable relationships were being engendered.  – There was impetus in the sector and self sustainance wasn’t too far away!

Since the government binned the raft of green policies earlier this year, those within the green  industries, whilst coming to terms with their demise, colapse overnight in some cases, have started to seek other avenues for jobs and security. As the weeks go by and any residual confidence that alternative policies will be found quickly becomes forlorn, more and more people with valuable skills and knowledge within specialised sectors are being lost.

It would have been reasonable that the government refresh policies which have come to their natural end or have simply not worked. However to cut them seemingly with no replacements has set our renewables and sustainability industries back greatly. By the time we do get some policies back on the statute book as replacements, will the UK have to start all over again?  

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