The Green Economy in Bristol and the West of ... - Miguel Mendonça

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Section 2: Policy
UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The drivers of the green economy are mainly to be
found in the agendas of energy security and the
response to climate change, in both mitigation and
adaptation. Mitigation is seeing the largest interest
and investment, to some extent because the
prescriptions also meet the objectives of energy
security. Reducing energy demand and carbon
emissions through efficiency savings and moving to
energy from renewable sources are both areas where
government intervention through policy and
incentivisation can drive activity. The reduction of
GHG emissions was written into law in the Climate
Change Act of 2008 under the Labour government.
To measure progress, annual emissions from across
the various sectors of society are reported by DECC.
Provisional estimates of UK greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions from 2010 showed increases from 2009
figures across all sectors. Between 2009 and 2010:
• UK emissions of the six greenhouse gases covered
by the Kyoto Protocol rose 2.8%, 566.3 to 582.4
million tCO 2 e (tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent)
• CO 2 (accounting for ~84% of UK emissions) rose
3.8% in total, from 473.7 Mt to 491.7 Mt (million
tonnes)
• CO 2 rose 13.4% (10.1 Mt) in the residential sector,
3.3% (6.0 Mt) in the energy supply sector, and 2.4%
(1.8 Mt) in the business sector. 21
The increases are attributed primarily to increased
Government Strategy
The Labour government produced The UK Low
Carbon Industrial Strategy in 2009 that set out the
means to ensure that British businesses and workers
are “equipped to maximise the opportunities and
minimise the costs” of transitioning to a low carbon
economy. 23 Added to this were two further principles.
The first was a long­term strategic approach to
setting stable frameworks for business and
consumers. The second was a pragmatic approach to
the role of government and markets in the
transition, with regard to increasing the cost of
residential gas use, fuel switching from nuclear to
coal and gas for electricity generation, and rising
demand. The residential sector made up around 17%
of all CO 2 emissions, at 85 Mt. There was a 13%
increase in emissions between 2009 and 2010, due
mainly to cold weather and the need for space
heating. Some nuclear power stations suffered
technical problems that necessitated the switch to
more coal and gas, increasing emissions from this
sector by 4% between 2009 and 2010. At 156.2 Mt,
emissions from power stations, accounted for almost
one third of all CO 2 emissions. The business sector
made up around 16% of all CO 2 emissions in 2010, at
78 Mt. This was 2% higher than in 2009, but
provisionally estimated to be 29% below 1990 levels
in 2010. The Industrial process and public sector
accounted for 9 Mt each, dropping 47 and 39% since
1990 respectively. The agricultural sector was
estimated to have emitted 4 Mt of CO 2 in 2010, 22%
down on 1990 levels. Waste management produced
0.3 Mt in 2010. Net land use, land use change and
forestry emissions dropped from emissions of 3 Mt in
1990, to absorption of 5 Mt in 2010. 22
carbon progressively, encouraging, and removing
barriers to, low carbon innovation and climate
change adaptation. A key statement in the document
is that the government intended to target
“proportionate government intervention” at areas
where British businesses could take a leading global
role. 24 These areas are listed as: offshore wind, wave
and tidal power, civil nuclear power, ultra­low
carbon vehicles, renewable construction materials,
renewable chemicals and low carbon manufacturing.
Note that there is no mention of solar PV.
The Green Economy in Bristol and the West of England