A Climate Change Committee report has indicated that the UK can make major carbon emission cuts at a lower cost than previously perceived.
According to the Climate Change Committee (CCC) report, the UK will be able to reduce 78% of carbon emissions by 2035, based on 1990 levels, while spending less than 1% of national wealth.
If the numbers are accurate, this could potentially accelerate UK’s clean energy timetable by 15 years.
Emission reduction at a lower cost
The report attributed the lower costs of cutting carbon emissions to the development of more efficient new clean technologies. The authors mentioned that individuals can also contribute by eating less red meat, curbing flying, driving less and installing low-carbon heating.
According to their estimates, the costs of the low-carbon revolution will scale from around $10 billion currently up to £50 billion annually by 2030, most of which will be private investment.
However, some of these costs will be offset by fuel savings of £18 billion by 2030.
Professor Euan Nisbet from the Royal Holloway of University of London, who was not involved with the report, said: "This is a massively important report that maps out a whole new economy for Britain to create a better country."
"This shows it can be done. It can be afforded. This is world-leading, and it’ll persuade other countries also to follow the path," Prof. Nisbet added.
On the other hand, critics argued that the CCC has underestimated the eventual costs and overestimated the government’s ability to effect change on the projected scale.
2020s as the decisive decade for green plan
The CCC pointed out: "The message to the government is clear: the 2020s must be the decisive decade of progress and action on climate change."
The committee claims that if its recommendations are followed, the UK will be able to achieve its United Nations (UN) target based on the Paris agreement. Drafted five years ago, the Paris agreement is geared toward keeping the global temperature increase well below 2C and trying to keep it under 1.5C.
The CCC argues that the UK's targets for the "carbon budget" period of 2033-2035 are definitely achievable as long as the government has a sense of urgency in conducting initiatives.
Last month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that new cars powered entirely by petrol and diesel will be banned from sale in the country by 2030.
Johnson's decision is part of his "green industrial revolution" to address climate change and create jobs in industries such as nuclear energy. He confirmed that some hybrid vehicles will still be allowed.
Johnson aims to produce sufficient offshore wind to power every home in the UK by quadrupling the current production to 40 gigawatts by 2030, creating up to 60,000 jobs in the process.
The plan also involves making cycling and walking more attractive modes of transportation as well as making investments in zero-emission public transport for the future.
A few days ago, British snack food manufacturer Walkers said it will be reducing its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by using beer and potato waste to produce fertilizer.
The potato chips company has adopted a technology that it claims will reduce its CO2 emissions by 70% by capturing CO2 from beer fermentation in a brewery and then mix it with potato waste to produce fertilizer.
