How Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) can help the UK achieve its 2050 emission targets

Author: Iloka Benneth Chiemelie

Published: 4th of October 2014

1.      Abstract

The overall purpose of this research is to explore an understanding of how LWEC (a farewell organization in the UK) can help the UK government to meet its 2050 emission targets. Findings indicate that the company can offer necessary support by funding innovative new low-carbon technologies, advancing their reports on carbon emission, and providing the UK government with their research findings in the areas of greenhouse gas emission in the UK and how to control such emission. Effectively, this joint efforts with the UK government will help reduce cost from the side of the government while providing the government with higher flow of ideas that will be used to make effective emission policies.

2.      Introduction

In a paper for the Victorian Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability in Australia, Philip (2004) stressed on the importance of ensuring environmental sustainability. The author presented basic understanding of environmental sustainability as being the ability of a society to provide the needs of present generation, while ensuring that their activities doesn’t hinder the potentials of future generations to provide their own needs (Philip, 2004). In essence, it calls for careful and judicious utilization of resources in a way that it is used to satisfy the needs of customers both presently and in the future to come.

In the same account, Philip (2004) note that energy is the most vital resource in the world and its sustainability is essential as it does have direct influence on the sustainability of the human race. Imagine a world without energy – there will be no light, companies can’t function, cooks can’t be cooked, and transportation will be zero – basically, nothing will be as it presently exist. This will have huge impact on the human race and overall sustainability of this planet. Thus, these huge negative issues does stress the need to ensure sustainability of energy resources.

Even when sustainability of energy resources is ensured, the world still face other issues in terms of the negative impacts that energy resources have on the environment. Dincer and Zamfirescu (2011) made known that fossil fuels (which is the primary source of energy across the world) is the major cause of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases are also the primary cause of global warming – a phenomenon that increasingly threatens the sustainability of the human race. Thus, reducing the negative effects experienced from consuming energy resources is as important as ensuring sustainability of energy supply. This implies that for all supplies made, suppliers need to ensure that such energy resources have less or no negative effect from consumption (both presently and in the future).

In response to this issue, a number of international policies have been established and in one of such policies, UK pledges to reduce its greenhouse gas emission by 80% in 2050. Thus, this presents the overall purpose of this paper – which is to understand the extent of UK meeting its emission targets while also demonstrating how LWEC can help the country in meeting this set energy target.

3.      About LWEC

Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) is a farewell organization in the UK that is committed towards providing the UK government and energy companies with necessary supports (in the form of research and policy development as well as updates on the outcomes of developed policies) on combating energy issues in the UK and the world at large (LWEC, 2014). The company also issues recommendations and accreditation to companies that push the line between what is done today and what happens tomorrow in the area of energy management and reducing global emission.

4.      Objectives of LWEC

In line with the background discussion of the company about, the company does have a number of objectives that govern its operations as:

1.      To develop a broad knowledge of energy sources and the impact of these sources on land use, other resources and ecosystem – in order to create a balance between the environment and all these resources (LWEC, 2014).

2.      To aid in improvement of energy security through the exploration of renewable energy sources like solar energy and hydropower (LWEC, 2014).

3.      To aid in reduction of carbon emissions and overall impact of this emission on the environmental by crafting the right vehicle for such outcome and developing renewable energy technologies as well as identifying the social changes needed in order to reduce carbon in communities (LWEC, 2014).

From the above discussion, it is obvious that the company focuses on helping with policies and researches on creating sustainable energy supply and reducing global emission. This expand earlier discussion in which it was made known that reducing emission (creating sustainability for the environment) is as important as ensuring energy sustainability (for both present and future generation).

5.      UK’s 2020 emission goals

In accordance with the government of UK (2014), the 2008 climate change act represents the first established global legally binding climate change target. As such, the government of the UK aim to reduce its greenhouse gas emission by at least 80% from 1990 to 2050. In the same documentation, the UK government made known that it is trying to achieve this reduction by conducting a number of actions in both home and abroad. Such actions are geared towards moving towards more energy efficient and low carbon economy which will help the government to meet this target. The successful achievement of this target will also help the UK government to rely less on imported fossil fuels and as such less exposed to “peak oil” pricing that can inflict huge negative impacts on its economy (the UK government, 2014).

6.      What the government is presently doing towards meeting set target

6.1. Setting national policy and strategy

1.      The government is setting a number of carbon budgets to limit the volume of greenhouse gases that the UK is allowed to emit a given point in time.

2.      The government makes use of statistics on greenhouse gas emission, further evidence, analysis and researches to make energy and climate change policies.

3.      The government also make use of EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) to deliver significant level of its carbon emission reduction between 2013 and 2020.

4.      The government make use of set values for carbon in order to ensure that its project and policy appraisal does account for its climate change impacts.

5.      The government adopts 2050 calculator in order to help policy makers and the overall public to explore the different options it has for meeting the 2050 emission reduction targets.

6.2. Reducing energy demand and helping individuals and businesses to use energy more efficiently

This government understand that it change achieve great success if the public and businesses reduce their overall demand for energy while making use of energy more efficiently. In that line, it provides smart meters and other energy efficient measures for people to control their consumption (the UK government, 2014). It also invests in green deal and provides incentives for both private and public sector companies to adopt more energy-efficient technologies and practices in line with the Energy Efficiency Scheme (EES) (the UK government, 2014). Adopting more renewable and eco-friendly energy sources for transportation and agriculture is another way it aims to achieve its set objectives.

6.3. Investment in low-carbon technologies

The government does create the right room for innovation in low-carbon technologies. For instance, it provides over£200 million of funding for innovation in low-carbon technologies from 2011 to 2015 (the UK government, 2014). The aim is to enhance the performance of its low-carbon technologies and also increase availability through cheaper options.

6.4. Public reporting of emissions from public and private sectors

As form of encouragement to others and measure of punishment to offenders, the UK government does public report the performance of its public and private sectors in their areas of emission (the UK government, 2014). Such reports also help the government to understand issues face and provide the right room for addressing these issues in order to ensure that it effectively controls the whole process of reducing its carbon emission and reach set 2050 emission targets.

7.      UK might end up not meeting its 2050 emission target

Fiona (2013), environment correspondent of the Guardian Newspaper (UK) did present a discussion of how the UK might not end up meeting its 2050 emission targets. The discussion details that the UK is on the right path towards missing its carbon targets, as warned by the government’s advisers on climate change.

The warming further details that “efforts to cut emission are not happening as fast as they are supposed to, and a looming policy gap will eventually result to shortfall on investments and infrastructures needed to ensure low-carom economy (Fiona, 2013).

For instance, the UK greenhouse gas emission in 2012 saw a rise by 3.5%, and this does present setbacks on the government’s plans for a stiffer “carbon budget”. The main factor behind the rise as the reported noted is due to cold winter and more power being sourced from coal (due to its cheaper price rating) (Fiona, 2013).

The national advisers did note that this is just a minor setback as the UK can still meet its energy target, but it also warned that the lack of more stringent and effect policies could see the government fall short of its targets in recent years and potential loss out in meeting its 2050 emission target (Fiona, 2013).

8.      How LWEC can help UK government to meet its emission goals

From the above discussions, it can be gathered that the objectives set by the UK government towards meeting its 2050 emission target does fall in line with the overall objectives of LWEC – which is to find new ways of reducing energy usage, ensuring energy efficiency and reducing overall greenhouse gas emission – with the aid of researches, innovation, and reports in the areas highlighted above. Thus, LWEC can offer helping hand by:

8.1 Supporting the governments’ research network – the organization can provide the government with their own research or support the research network of the government in order to jointly develop and effectively deploy new approaches that will be used to reduce greenhouse gas emission in the UK.

8.2 Aid government’s funding of innovative low-carbon technologies – through their own researches and development, LWEC can also help support the UK government’s investment on low-carbon technologies by either providing necessary innovation guidelines, offering their own innovative products for testing, or financial supporting the government in this area.

8.3 Advance its reporting of emission – providing detailed reports might be a big issue for the government in terms of investments needed to make that possible. Thus, LWEC can help in this areas by providing their own independent reports to the UK government in the area of public and private sector emissions.

9.      Conclusion

In conclusion, the UK government can make a great deal of help form LWEC towards combating its greenhouse gas emission and meeting its overall 2050 emission target. The benefits revolves around the understanding that it such supports will provide government with more supports, more funding, and more resolute solutions to its emission issues.

10.  Recommendation

In line with the conclusion above, it is recommended that the UK government should seek the help of LWEC in this issue especially as it faces a huge possibility of missing out on its emission targets. Additionally, it is recommended that LWEC should provide all necessary supports that they can offer to the UK government in the area of reducing greenhouse gas emission and meeting its 2050 emission targets. The whole idea behind this recommendation is that it will help to generate more innovative, efficient, cheaper and reliable solutions and effectively help the UK government with its emission target. In essence, the outcome is an expected reduction in greenhouse gas emission in the UK as a result of combined forces and UK will effectively meet its 2050 emission target in the end.

12.  References

Dincer, I., and Zamfirescu, C. (2011). Sustainable Energy Systems and Applications (1^st Eds). Page 51-60. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Fiona, H. (2013). UK 'could miss carbon emissions targets in 2020s'. The Guardian News. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jun/26/uk-miss-carbon-emissions-targets [Accessed on: 1^st of October 2014].

LWEC (2014). Case Study:  Renewable Energy. Available at: http://www.lwec.org.uk/sites/default/files/Renewable%20Energy%20Case%20Study.pdf [Accessed on: 1^st of October 2014].

Philip, S. (2004). A Perspective on environmental sustainability? A paper for the Victorian Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability. Available at: http://www.green-innovations.asn.au/A-Perspective-on-Environmental-Sustainability.pdf [Accessed on: 1^st of October 2014].

The UK Government (2014). Policy: Reducing the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/reducing-the-uk-s-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-80-by-2050 [Accessed on: 1^st of October 2014].