… to the task. The resulting plan: Destination Zero: Creating a greener and more sustainable Malvern Hills District represents the all-important first stage in our commitment to reducing carbon emissions within the district area to net zero – this being our target not only for the council’s own infrastructure and operational environment but for the district area and its communities as a whole…
…. The council has made an initial commitment of £250,000 to support the plan, the aim of which is to achieve net zero emissions ‘as quickly as possible’ - with its own operations becoming carbon neutral by 2030, and the district as a whole by 2050 at the very latest. That said, it is of course impossible to know with any certainty how long it will take to achieve several of the ambitions and planned…
… across the county by 50% - against a 2005 baseline - by 2030, with an ambition to be net zero by 2040. Tripling renewable energy generation and doubling the low carbon economy are also key measures in the plan. In May 2019, the UK Committee on Climate Change, set-up to advise the Government, called for the introduction of a net zero target for the UK by 2050. The Government agreed…
… a legally binding target to reduce the UK’s emissions by 80% against 1990 levels by 2050, which was updated in July 2019 to net zero by the same date. To meet these targets, the Government has set five yearly carbon budgets which legally restrict the amount of carbon the UK can emit during the period. These are detailed below: The independent Committee on Climate Change scrutinises government…
… 25% 2nd carbon budget (2013 to 2017) 2,782 MtCO2e 31% 3rd carbon budget (2018 to 2022) 2,544 MtCO2e 37% by 2020 4th carbon budget (2023 to 2027) 1,950 MtCO2e 51% by 2025 5th carbon budget (2028 to 2032) 1,725 MtCO2e 57% by 2030 7 The table information on the next two pages is taken from the committee’s net zero report, published in May 2019, and sets out the pathway for the UK to achieve…