UK climate legislation photo: tj morrisIn December 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008, setting in statute a legally binding, long-term target for the UK to reduce its carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. The Climate Change Act provides the legislative framework for the UK Government’s programme of actions and policies on climate change, establishes a system of carbon budgets, and creates the independent expert body, the Committee on Climate Change, to advise the Government. The Committee on Climate Change, chaired by Lord Adair Turner, has also advised the Government to commit to a minimum 34% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, with a 42% cut if a global deal is achieved. The Government has until 1 July 2009 to set the carbon budgets for 2008-2022 and say how it will achieve the targets. According to the Committee, a major part of the solution is decarbonising the electricity sector 'starting now and continuing through the 2020s'. It advises that this can be achieved by moving away from using fossil fuels towards using cleaner forms of generating electricity and heat, while existing policies must be strengthened. See more of our work on Decarbonising electricity. Related Link | Legal briefing on the Climate Change Bill: the scientific case for an 80% target and the proposed review of the 2050 target |
