Carbon Trust applauds European Commission’s Carbon Package

Print Email to a friend
Print Printer friendly
 
 
 
 
23 January 2008
Carbon Trust response to European Commission's measures for the next phase of the EU ETS


Tom Delay, Chief Executive of the Carbon Trust said:

“This powerful package of measures has put Europe firmly in the driving seat of international action on climate change and has quite rightly raised the bar on the UK’s renewable energy ambitions. The measures announced for the next phase of the EU ETS are very welcome as they will increase and firm up the price of carbon - essential if we are to drive investment in low carbon technologies at the scale required to deliver the deep carbon cuts necessary to mitigate the impact of climate change.

“The target announced on renewables for the UK is also extremely welcome given our huge potential across a range of technologies. It should catapult renewables from a niche provider, currently supplying 2 per cent of the UK’s energy needs, to a mainstream energy player by 2020. As well as delivering carbon reductions, a dramatic expansion of renewables will create significant economic opportunity as new technologies, such as offshore wind, could be worth at least £2 billion a year to the UK economy by 2020.

“However, meeting this seven fold increase in renewables will be a major challenge for the UK and will require well thought out policy measures for renewable electricity, heat and transport to ensure that this target is met and the UK reaps the benefits.”

 
 
Footnotes
 

For interviews, please contact the Carbon Trust Press Office on T: 020 7544 3100 or E-mail : carbontrust@fishburn-hedges.co.uk

The Carbon Trust published a report on 15th January 2008 examining the impact of the EU ETS on the competitiveness of EU industry. For copies of the report or press release, please visit www.carbontrust.co.uk/about/presscentre

The Carbon Trust is working with the Energy Technology Institute on an ambitious £40 million initiative to cut the cost of offshore wind power and accelerate its development in the UK.

The Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust is an independent company set up by government in response to the threat of climate change, to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy by helping organisations reduce their carbon emissions and by developing commercial low carbon technologies. The Carbon Trust works with UK business and the public sector through its work in five complementary areas: insights, solutions, innovations, enterprises and investments. Together these help to explain, deliver, develop, create and finance low carbon enterprise.

The Carbon Trust is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and Invest Northern Ireland.