Emissions

Wednesday 11 June 2008

This mostly comprises of carbon dioxide - 554.5 million tonnes a year - but also gases like methane and oxides of nitrogen.

The UK has actually reduced its emissions quite considerably compared to 1990 - a 16.4% reduction on the 779.9 million tonnes of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere back then. But, much of this was because of a widespread changeover from coal power plants to more efficient, cleaner gas turbines - the so-called "dash for gas" - during the mid-1990s.

As a result, the UK should comfortably meet its global "Kyoto Protocol" commitment of a 12.5% decrease (compared to 1990) by 2012. However, decreases in emissions have been much slower in recent years - 2006 marked a 0.5% decrease in emissions compared to the year before.

The UK government is currently predicting a 23.6% decrease in emissions (compared to 1990 levels) in 2010, meeting its own domestic target of 20% by that year.

With a transformation in the energy sector now on the cards, the UK has set its sights on reductions of at least 80% by 2050. Interim targets have been agreed by Europe of cutting emissions by 20% by 2020, with the possibility of a global deal at Copenhagen (a deal that would be a sequel to the Kyoto Protocol) stretching that to 30%.

Scotland is already proposing a 34% target by 2020 through its Scottish Climate Change Bill, but environmentalists have said it is already on track to reach a 32% cut by that year, so are pressing for a higher interim target.