Carbon Dioxide Emissions (Hansard, 19 May 2004)

§ Mrs. May
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what target was most recently set by the Government for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 2020. [171522]

§ Margaret Beckett
The Government have set a domestic goal to move towards a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010, and is putting itself on a path to cut the UK's carbon dioxide emissions by some 60 per cent. by about 2050, with real progress by 2020.
A target for 2020 has not been set, however, the 2003 Energy White Paper said that by 2020, on the basis of existing policies including the full effect of our climate change programme, we would expect UK carbon dioxide emissions of some 135 millions tonnes of carbon (MtC) in 2020. To be consistent with demonstrating leadership in the international process, we expect to aim for cuts in carbon of 15–25 MtC below that by 2020.

§ Mrs. May
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government expects to achieve a 60 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. [171523]

§ Margaret Beckett
In the 2003 Energy White Paper we accepted the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's recommendation, in their June 2000 report "Energy—The Changing Climate", that the Government should adopt a strategy to put the UK on a path to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by some 60 per cent. from current levels by about 2050.
975W
As the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's recommendation implies, absolute precision five decades before 2050 is not possible. However, the Energy White Paper uses around 65 million tonnes of carbon (MtC) to describe the level of carbon emissions which a 60 per cent. cut would deliver by 2050.
Analysis for the Energy White Paper showed that on the basis of existing policies, including the full effect of our climate change programme, we would expect UK carbon dioxide emissions of some 135 MtC in 2020. We expect to aim for additional cuts in carbon of 15–25 MtC below that by 2020 to put us on course to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by some 60 per cent. by about 2050.

§ Mrs. May
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government first used the term some 60 per cent. by 2050 to define the target for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. [171524]

§ Margaret Beckett
The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution recommended in their June 2000 report, "Energy—The Changing Climate", that the Government should adopt a strategy to put the UK on a path to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by some 60 per cent. from current levels by about 2050.
Following analysis and public consultation, the Government accepted this recommendation and first defined it as a goal in the Energy White Paper, which was published on 24 February 2003.