London - Britain must speed up measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and introduce new policies if it is to achieve its target of a 34-percent cut in emissions by 2020, a government advisory body said on Wednesday. Greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 8.6 percent in the past year, but that is due to a reduction in economic activity due to recession, said the Committee on Climate Change, which added it feared emissions would rise as the economy recovered.
"The Committee on Climate Change said today that a step change in the pace of underlying emissions reductions is still required if the UK is to meet its legislated carbon budgets," the body said in a statement.
The committee is due to present a report on Britain's progress in cutting greenhouse gas emissions to parliament later on Wednesday.
In its pre-report statement, it called for faster progress in implementing policies including those concerning loft and cavity wall insulation, new car efficiency and encouraging the use of public transport.
The committee called for new policies in four areas:
- stronger incentives to invest in low-carbon power generation
- more clarity on a national programme to encourage energy efficiency
- more encouragement for fuel-efficient cars and a target for electric cars
- a more ambitious target for reducing emissions from farming.
Britain is far behind the European Union target of obtaining 15 percent of all its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
It has set itself a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 34 percent from 1990 levels by 2020.
"We are repeating our call for new policy approaches to drive the required step change, in order that the UK can ensure a low-carbon (economic) recovery," committee chairperson Adair Turner said in the statement.
On Tuesday, a report commissioned by the Conservative Party when in opposition proposed setting up a "green bank" to fund renewable energy projects and action to curb fossil fuel use. The party is now the senior partner in a coalition government.
The green bank would be funded by consumer levies, the sale of emissions permits to industry and new green investment products. - Reuters