DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (233/08) issued by
The Government News Network on 17 July 2008
The Annual Report
to Parliament setting out progress of the UK's Climate
Change Programme was published by Defra today.
The document brings together material, most of which has been
released previously, to provide a full summary of statistical data
and Government activity in the field of climate change in the last
12 months.
The report emphasises the importance of both reducing emissions
and adapting to the impacts of climate change and outlines
emerging policy in this area. It sets out previously published UK
emissions data for carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases, along with
the steps Government has taken, and proposes to take, to reduce emissions.
Highlights of the report include a number of key statistics:
* Provisional estimates show carbon dioxide emissions during 2007
were around 543.7 million tonnes, 2 per cent lower than the 2006
figure of 554.5 million tonnes. The decrease resulted from fuel
switching from coal to natural gas for electricity generation,
combined with lower fossil fuel consumption by households and industry.
* Under the Kyoto Protocol, the UK is committed to reducing total
greenhouse gas emissions to 12.5 per cent below base year levels
by 2008-12. Taking account of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme
results, the 2006 final estimates show that emissions of the
basket of gases covered by the Protocol fell by 20.6 per cent
between the base year and 2006, down from 779.9 to 619.0 million
tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent.
* New carbon dioxide emission projections are estimated at
approximately 15.5 per cent below 1990 levels for 2010 and
approximately 26 per cent below 1990 levels for 2020.
Alongside the Climate Change Programme Annual Report, the
Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has today
published its fifth annual report on progress on the 2003 Energy
White Paper.
A full copy of the report is available at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/ukccp/index.htm,
while a copy of the Energy White Paper Annual Report is available
at http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file46645.pdf.
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