UK and Germany set ambitious emission reduction targets

Aiming at 32 per cent and 40 per cent reduction by 2020

At the Spring Summit in March, EU leaders formulated a unilateral commitment to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the EU-27 by 20% before 2020. The UK has recently released the first draft of its Climate Energy Bill. Germany has likewise published a draft of its Climate Agenda 2020. Both action plans go much further than the European target.

Germany going twice as far as the EU

The German Climate Agenda 2020 was unveiled by Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel in the run-up to the G8 meeting in Heiligendamm. It proposes eight measures intended to reduce 2020 levels of GHG emissions by 40%:

• Modernising power stations
• Doubling the number of CHP units
• Increasing the share of renewables in electricity production to 27%
• Cutting electricity consumption by 11%
• Improving the energy efficiency of buildings
• Using more renewables for heating
• Increasing fuel efficiency and use more biofuels in transport
• Reducing methane and the emission of F-gases

The plan excludes a revival of nuclear power.

A legally binding action plan in the UK

The UK Climate Change Bill sets a target of between a 26 and 32% reduction in GHG emissions by 2020. The UK also proposes a second target of 60% reductions by 2050. The Bill would be the first climate change action plan that would be legally binding. A Committee on Climate Change will be created to provide independent expert advice and to hold the government accountable if targets are not reached.

The principal measures used to reach the targets would be:

• Improving energy efficiency
• Stimulating consumers to become producers at home
• Investing in the development of low carbon fuels and technology

The draft plan has already received severe criticism in the UK. Some claim that it is doomed to fail because it is based on forecasts that are far too optimistic, while others criticise the targets for not being ambitious enough.