UK Government Lambasted Over Own Carbon Emissions
UK: July 15, 2008
LONDON - The British government's record in cutting its own emissions of
planet-warming gases was "extremely poor", a cross-party panel of
politicians said on Monday.
"Central Government must demonstrate leadership by making rapid progress,"
the report said, finding that a major problem was rising electricity
consumption from increasing use of computers.
The report cited figures from the independent Sustainable Development
Commission showing that the British government was set to miss its target to
cut carbon emissions by 12.5 percent by 2011 on 2000 levels.
As a result, the government's aim to be carbon neutral by 2012 -- meaning it
produced no net carbon emissions -- would rely heavily on buying carbon
offsets, where a buyer pays someone else to cut emissions on their behalf,
it said.
"In meeting this (carbon neutral) target from 2012 onwards it is important
the Government does as much as possible to reduce its own emissions, rather
than simply relying on buying carbon offsets," it said.
Britain often hails itself as a leader on fighting climate change and
environmental group WWF earlier this month ranked it top among the group of
eight leading industrialised economies, pointing for example to legislation
to curb greenhouse gases.
But the government has come under recent pressure for example over plans to
expand Heathrow, the world's busiest international airport, and its
endorsement of new coal plants and nuclear reactors.
The government's record on generating its own electricity from renewable
sources was "extremely disappointing", said the report chaired by Tim Yeo, a
politician from the opposition conservative party.
The government was buying "green" electricity generated by utilities from
renewable sources such as wind power, but this was only clean energy which
such power producers had to generate anyway under their environmental
obligations.
The central UK government accounts for about 0.4 percent of Britain's total
emissions of the commonest manmade greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. The
Environmental Audit Committee comprises 16 Members of Parliament from all
three main UK political parties. (Reporting by Gerard Wynn; Editing by
Charles Dick)
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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