British committee to release report on emissions cuts

November 28, 2008

The British Committee on Climate Change is expected to release a report on Monday that will lay out a plan for substantially reducing that country’s greenhouse gas emissions.  The Committee, which was set up by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, will advise the government on how to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.

One issue the committee is expected to focus on is coal power plants.  Similar to a recent change in coal policy in the US, it is expected that Britain will begin requiring all new coal plants to demonstrate how they can reduce carbon emissions in the future.  The committee report should also be welcomed by the coal industry, since the uncertainty surrounding coal policy has worried investors and led to a situation where Britain may face electricity shortages by 2015 due to a lack of new investements.

The committee report is also expected to advise on how Britain could achieve the target of generating 15% of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.  As of 2005, only 1.3% of their power was generated from renewable sources.

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