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| Tue, 5th Jul 2022 9:23:00 |
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Climate change: Is the UK on track to meet its targets? |
The UK Committee on Climate Change (UKCCC), which advises the government, has criticised the plans to meet the country's climate goals.
The UK has pledged to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Net zero means a country takes as much of these climate-changing gases out of the atmosphere as it puts in.
In response to the Committee's damning report, the government said: "The UK is forging ahead of most other countries. [We are] decarbonising our cars and vans faster than any other developed country."
Simple guide to climate change:
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Power generation cross-head
In 2021, Boris Johnson set a target for all of the UK's electricity to come from clean sources by 2035.
Governments have been relatively successful in cutting emissions from energy. These fell by 40% between 1990 and 2019, largely as a result of closing coal-fired power stations, and by spending more money on solar, wind and nuclear energy.
However, the UKCCC says the lack of a clear strategy in this area - and the delays facing new nuclear power stations - mean the government risks not reaching its 2035 target.
The UK is already a world leader in offshore wind. It currently has capacity of about 10GW, which the government has promised to increase to 50GW by 2030. This would generate enough energy to power every home in the UK.
The UK has made significant progress in scaling up its offshore wind production. In March, the industry body Renewable UK announced that there is capacity for 72.5GW of wind planned or under construction in the UK.
But the UKCCC warnsthe country needs more and better energy storage for times when the wind doesn't blow.
In April 2022, the government published its UK Energy Security Strategy, which aims to move away from "expensive fossil fuel prices set by global markets we cannot control".
However, it also included a promise to issue new licences in the North Sea for oil and gas, despite the UN warning against new fossil fuel projects.
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