Climate Commitment:
Meeting the UK's 2010 carbon dioxide emissions target

Author: Tony Grayling, Tim Lawrence, Tim Gibbs
Contributors:
Price: Free
Publication Date: 31 October 2005

This report shows how the Government’s manifesto commitment to reduce the UK’s carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 20 per cent from the 1990 level by 2010 can bet met. Our starting point is the DTI’s updated emissions projections published in November 2004, which suggested about a six per cent shortfall by 2010, corresponding to excess emissions of about 10 million tonnes carbon equivalent (10MtCe).

However, our proposals do not wholly depend on the accuracy of the emissions projections. If, as widely expected, revised projections suggest higher emissions in 2010 without new measures, then under our proposals the notional saving from the EU Emission Trading Scheme would also increase. Other measures would also need to be revised and enhanced.