THE GOVERNMENT HAS published its long-awaited revised Climate Action Plan, setting out how it intends to meet tight climate targets over the next nine years.
The plan proposes how much each sector of society must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Many of the targets are the same as the ones that were set out in the original Climate Action Plan in 2019.
Let’s take a look at how much various sectors must reduce their emissions – and how this is expected to be achieved – by the end of this decade.
Agriculture
The agriculture sector, which is responsible for the most greenhouse gases, has been targeted with the lowest change – a 22% to 30% reduction in emissions by 2030.
The plan states: “Farmers know the land better than anyone. We will empower farmers with a science-based approach, backed by robust research. Farm practices that enable farmers to produce world-class food with a lower carbon footprint are key.
“The plan commits to using less chemical nitrogen and more targeted use of fertiliser, while maintaining the same level of grass growth through multi-species swards.
“Other measures include improving the genetics of our herds to reduce emissions and improve productivity. We will also incentivise increased organic farming and diversification into forestry, biomethane and energy production.”
The government has committed to a number of measures including the following:
Transport
Transport must cut its emissions by 42% to 50% by 2030.
The government has committed to a number of measures including the following:
Electricity
Electricity must cut its emissions by 62 to 81% by 2030.
The document notes: “Among the most important measures in the plan is to increase the proportion of renewable electricity to up to 80% by 2030, including an increased target of up to 5 Gigawatts of offshore wind energy.
“This will not just reduce our emissions from electricity, it will allow us to electrify other sectors such as transport and heat and reduce our emissions in these sectors too.
“In addition to the upcoming microgeneration support scheme for householders the government will introduce a small-scale generator scheme for farmers, business, and communities to generate their own electricity and feed into the grid.
“As well as developing improved storage, we will also begin to deploy renewable gas such as biomethane and green hydrogen. The government will review its strategy on data centres to ensure that the sector will be in alignment with sectoral emissions ceilings and support renewable energy targets.”
Enterprise
Enterprise must cut its emissions by 29 to 41% by 2030.
The plan states that enterprise “will be required to implement a detailed agenda of transition and change if it is to ensure that our sectors are climate resilient and can remain competitive in a decarbonising world”.
These measures include the following:
Building
Emissions related to buildings must be cut by 29 to 41% by 2030.
The plan states that the government has already committed to retrofit 500,000 homes by 2030 and will install 680,000 renewable energy heat sources in both new and existing residential buildings.
The document adds: “We recognise that we will need to work out ways to assist broader society with the costs of retrofitting. The new National Retrofit Plan will drive demand, make retrofitting more affordable, and expand the capacity of the industry including training of workers.
“A further 3 specialist training centres will be established. Other measures include increased targets for district heating and the public sector and strengthening building standards for all buildings.”
Public sector
The document states that the public sector “will lead by example in this transition by reducing emissions by 51% by 2030.
This will be done via the following measures:
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