After signing both the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992 and the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, which set voluntary and legally binding targets respectively, for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in 2008 the UK government passed the Climate Change Act. This set a target of a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 80% of 1990 levels by 2050 and followed the release of the Stern report by HM Treasury in 2006, which found that the costs of failing to act on climate change far outweighed the costs of action [1]. Alternative ways to achieve this target by 2050 are being considered and supporting calculations and assumptions are being made public by the Department for Energy and Climate Change through the Pathways Analysis [2].
However, the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) has developed a “fully integrated solution to climate change” [3] that outlines how Britain could cut net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2030, surpassing the government target, with the added benefit of creating thousands of new jobs and regaining energy security [4]. This was published as a 384 page report, written by authors including policy makers, scientists, academics, NGOs and industry experts, on 16th June 2010.
The main idea of the Zero Carbon Britain 2030 strategy is that energy demand can be significantly reduced without decreasing services provided. This would be achieved by “Powering Down” by reducing energy demand through use of new technology, efficient design and behavioural change, and then “Powering Up” using renewable technology [3]. The report also asserts that as the global cut in emissions required to limit global warming to 2oC higher than pre-industrial levels is severe, industrialised nations such as the UK, which are historically responsible for human-induced climate change and also have the resources and technologies available to rectify it, should take a greater share of the burden and cut emissions faster than less industrialised countries [3]. The report itself is long and detailed, but some main points can be summarised:
Examples of “powering down” (with supporting evidence and suggestions on how to achieve them) given in the report include:
- Designing buildings to be more energy efficient, so that demand for domestic heating and lighting would see a reduction of 80% by 2030. Strategies which will go some way to achieving this are already in place, for example new homes and schools have to have zero net carbon emissions by 2016, with public and other non-domestic buildings complying by 2018 and 2019 respectively, and existing buildings would be refurbished
- Constructing new buildings from natural materials with low “embodied energy” (the total energy used in resource extraction, transportation, manufacture and fabrication of an item) that can also sequester carbon (carbon sequestration is the removal of carbon from the air to be locked up elsewhere, for example in the land or in plants)
- Increased use of improved public transport systems, with private car owners paying for travel per mile to make comparison with public transport costs easier, and pay-per-hour car clubs
- Increased use of electricity as a domestic transport fuel
- Transport of cargo by ships powered by solar panels, sails and sustainable fuels
- No domestic air travel, and a cut in long-haul flights, resulting in an overall aviation reduction of about two-thirds on current levels
- Only allowing about 15% of food consumed in Britain to come from the EU and 7.5% from the tropics, with remaining food needs being met domestically – this is important due to the embodied energy in imported foods
- No new arable land, and protection of peat-lands, to preserve the carbon reservoirs that are stored in soil and released if the land is disturbed
- Meeting the nation’s food needs using only 29% of the land that is currently used for this purpose
- A greater proportion of plant-based products compared to livestock products, which will be reduced by 70-80% with a particular focus on sheep and cows as they require high land use and produce a lot of greenhouse gases
- Land freed up by reducing livestock would be used to grow biomass (plants grown for providing fuel) and for sequestration of carbon to balance out necessary carbon emissions, therefore creating zero net carbon emissions
- Energy demands would be decreased by 55% on 2008 levels, allowing for a doubling in electricity demand due to increased use of electric cars
Methods suggested (again with supporting figures, suggestions for overcoming potential problems and topics highlighted for further research) for “powering up” include:
- Sources of energy would be renewable, such as biofuels (liquid fuel derived from plants, which carbon neutral as the plants absorb CO2 whilst growing), wind turbines and solar, marine and hydro power where appropriate
- Offshore wind would be particularly important – Britain already has the highest offshore wind deployment in Europe and there are plans for more
- Large hydro power, which can be switched on in seconds, and biomass fuels would be used to balance out the dependency of power sources such as wind, wave and solar on weather conditions and ensure demand is met at all times
- Biogas could be made from materials currently considered as waste, such as animal dung, sewage, food waste or grass
- Using renewable energy, Britain’s reduced energy needs, including the doubling in electricity demand, could be met without the use of fossil fuels or nuclear power, which is excluded for safety, security and financial reasons
- Offering rewards and incentives for producing renewable energy, such as are already in place
- Using microgrids and distributed renewable energy generation (so that energy is generated close to the consumer) to minimise energy losses during transmission and deal with energy shortages at peak times
- A small amount of energy from renewable sources would be imported to manage variability
- A larger amount of energy would be exported than imported, helping to cover costs associated with decarbonising the electricity supply and managing variability
- Use of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cables, rather than alternating current (AC) cables when transporting power over long distances, to minimise transmission losses
- Nationwide smart meters or smart appliances which control times at which appliances such as electric storage radiators, electric vehicles, air conditioners, washing machines and dishwashers are charged or in use, to manage energy demand and reduce cost to the consumer if these times coincide with surplus energy in the grid (likely to be at night as wind power generation would continue overnight)
- Buildings could be fitted with larger hot water storage cylinders containing smart meters so that they could be charged at night for space heating during the day
Besides limiting climate change, other noted benefits [3, 5] of achieving the target of zero net carbon emissions include:
- Dealing with the peak oil/gas problem (the point at which the global peak production rate of oil and gas is reached, currently forecast to occur sometime between now and 2031, after which production will decline and prices will rise accordingly)
- High employment due to the development of new energy technologies
- An ease in the decline of the UK steel industry as this will be needed to develop offshore wind power
- Better food and energy security as most food and energy would be produced domestically
- Improved diet and health
- A potential increase in biodiversity
- A better urban/rural balance
There are also suggestions for international and national policy frameworks and schemes to be established to facilitate these actions, and an exploration of the potential of a zero carbon Britain to increase employment and social equality. For example, policies would need to be in place to ensure fair pricing and avoid fuel poverty. Obviously a lack of or reduction in things we have become accustomed to, such as domestic and long-haul flights, car ownership and imported and other types of food, will mean radical lifestyle changes for some. But unfortunately these things will eventually become less and less sustainable and available with diminishing fossil fuel reserves anyway, making behavioural changes unavoidable. As the report points out, with the imminence of peak oil production and the decline of UK fossil fuel reserves, it is advisable to reduce the dependency of our society and transport system on oil.
Zero Carbon Britain 2030 is a scenario suggested by CAT and has triggered some debate, as might be expected with any proposal to limit climate change by altering every day practices, however public support for the idea it outlines is growing. For example, a similar plan has been drawn up in Australia, and 16th July 2011 saw events take place as part of Zero Carbon Britain day. Achieving these targets or those set out by the UK government for 2050 will require a large shift in behaviour and policies and these changes may be difficult to implement, but this report shows that they are not impossible.
[1] http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/Thewiderenvironment/Climatechange/DG_072901
[2] http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/tackling/2050/calculator_exc/calculator_exc.aspx
[3] http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/zero-carbon-britain-2030
[4] http://www.cat.org.uk/news/news_release.tmpl?command=search&db=news.db&eqSKUdatarq=37990&home=0
