“If we don’t [meet the target] it’s because we have chosen not to,” says the government’s adviser
THE SCALE of what is needed to stave off the worst impacts of climate change is often compared to a war effort. On May 2nd an official advisory panel drew up Britain’s battleplan. The Committee on Climate Change said that Britain should aim to eliminate net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. If achieved, this would mark the end of Britain’s contribution to global warming, notwithstanding “exported” emissions resulting from products made abroad.
Second, the CCC recommended that Britain should stop emissions of all greenhouse gases, not just carbon dioxide. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a UN body, has found that to have a higher than 50% chance of avoiding more than 1.5°C of global warming, worldwide emissions of CO2 alone must come down to zero by mid-century, and all emissions must cease by 2070.
The CCC insists that its target is achievable using existing technologies. That does not mean it will be easy. Under Britain’s Climate Change Act of 2008, emissions are supposed to fall 80% below their 1990 levels by 2050, leaving room for some sectors to under-achieve. Net-zero allows no such wriggle room. The CCC calls for a massive boost in electricity supply to phase out fossil-fuel use, particularly in transport and domestic heating.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Britain should deepen climate target to net zero emissions by 2050: advisersBritain should commit to a 2050 net zero greenhouse gas emissions target, the go...
Read more »
Beto O’Rourke proposes $5-trillion climate plan for net-zero emissions by 2050Beto O’Rourke, who has described climate change as the top issue of his campaign, released a proposal that would spend trillions of dollars to wean the country off fossil fuels with a goal to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.
Read more »
UK should slash emissions to net zero by 2050, say climate change advisersThe UK should aim to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, according to its chief advisory committee on climate change
Read more »
Massive Saudi wealth fund zeros in on China, but US remains its top investment targetThe Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) is one of the Middle East's largest, with some $300 billion in assets under management and an aim to increase that to $2 trillion by 2030.
Read more »
World Malaria Day brings a call to help prevention: ‘Zero malaria starts with me’World Malaria Day is Thursday. The disease remains a challenge in some countries even as others, such as the U.S., have eliminated it from within their borders.
Read more »
O'Rourke releases plan to fight climate change with $5 trillion investment and net-zero emissions by 2050Beto O'Rourke releases plan to fight climate change with $5 trillion investment and net-zero emissions by 2050
Read more »
DBS first-quarter profit rises 8.5 percent on higher net interest incomeDBS Group Holdings Ltd, Southeast Asia's biggest lender, reported an 8.5 pe...
Read more »
BNP Paribas first-quarter net profit beats forecasts thanks to market upturnBNP Paribas' first quarter net profit rose from last year and beat expectat...
Read more »
Joe Biden targets Trump, touts union ties in first campaign rally“I make no apologies. I am a union man. Period,” Joe Biden says at his first 2020 campaign rally in Pittsburgh
Read more »