British Carbon Reduction Initiative

Please note: The content of this article is in the process of being updated to reflect the latest CRC scheme design. Updated content will be posted shortly. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) website contains complete details on program requirements and design.

The UK Carbon Reduction Commitment Forges Ahead

The British carbon initiative outlined within the Climate Change Act of 2008 is getting a lot of attention worldwide as it is the first legislative approach of its kind.

The British have been very forward reaching in this area and do not intend to throttle back at anytime in the near future. The UK government has announced its aims following the passage of the Climate Change Act.

The British Carbon Plans
"This plan seeks to improve carbon management and help the transition towards a low carbon economy in the UK and to demonstrate strong UK leadership internationally, signaling that we are committed to taking our share of responsibility for reducing global emissions in the context of developing negotiations on a post-2012 global agreement at Copenhagen next year."

British carbon reduction plans have been implemented immediately in advance of a landmark, post-Kyoto protocol agreement expected in 2012. Evidences have shown that our climate situation is getting worse and that aggressive actions are required to try and address this situation as soon as possible. The British push is part of this.

By the year 2050, the UK government says that it expects greenhouse gas emissions to have been reduced by at least 80%. To enable it to achieve measurable goals towards an ultimate target, the Climate Change Act calls for a carbon budgeting system. This project will run over a set of five year periods, with the first budgets running between 2008 and 2022.

UK Taking the Lead on Mandatory Carbon Emissions Reporting

While there are likely to be a number of international actions as well, it is interesting to see that the British carbon legislators have said that they "have regard to the need for UK domestic action on climate change," which may mean that they will place this first before any conformity to other standards.

The Carbon Reduction Commitment followed immediately on the heels of the Climate Change Act of 2008. This heralded the first legislative emissions trading scheme of its kind. Mandatory participation is required subject to qualification and there are a number of economic incentives for those who can reduce the size of their carbon footprint.

Only the Top 5,000 UK Organizations Need Report Emissions

While the fact that only 5000 organizations are participating in the UK's "cap and trade" scheme may seem a rather low number, it should be noted that these organizations represent significant contributors to the problem through a large consumption of electricity. As a means to address carbon emissions and climate change, it will be interesting to see how market forces can really help.

British carbon reduction plans are not alone as legislators in the United States are looking with keen interest at this development. Similar legislation is on the cards to implement a cap and trade system within the US, but it seems that this action will not be as sweeping as a considerable process of delay and debate is already apparent.

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