The UK could end its contribution to global warming by phasing out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has said, a target which would drive a revolution in the country’s power system.
Today the CCC has published a landmark report establishing its recommendation that the UK government set a target date of 2050 for the country’s economy to transition to ‘Net Zero’ status, eliminating greenhouse gas emissions.
The 256-page report details precisely how that aim can be realised, and crucially states that such a target could be achieved with technologies already known and within economic costs already accepted by parliament.
However, the report does include a raft of recommendations, most notably a “significant” ramp up of existing policies that will be required for a net zero emission target to be credible, and a potential revisit of the way costs are distributed among consumers and businesses.
The country’s energy sector would also have to undergo a significant transition to support a net zero economy, including an effective quadrupling of low-carbon electricity generation by 2050, bringing forward a future ban on new sales of petrol and diesel vehicles to 2035 or earlier and the development of carbon capture and storage technology.
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