Book,
Building a low-carbon economy -- The UK's contribution to tackling climate change: The First Report of the Committee on Climate Change
(2008)
Abstract
Building a low-carbon economy, the first report by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) sets out the analysis underpinning the proposed level of the first three carbon budgets covering the periods 2008-12, 2013-17 and 2018-22. The CCC urges the Government to commit unilaterally to reducing emissions of all greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the UK by at least 34% in 2020 relative to 1990 levels (21% relative to 2005). This should be increased to 42% relative to 1990 (31% relative to 2005) once a global deal to reduce emissions is achieved. Meeting these targets is necessary to contain the threat of climate change. These significant reductions can be achieved without harming the UK's economy and at a cost less than 1% of GDP in 2020. In other words, an economy that might grow by 30% in the period to 2020, would instead grow by 29%. The CCC advises that this is a price worth paying, given the long-term costs of inaction on climate change.
