UK pledges ‘zero carbon’ laws

The UK government will introduce stricter climate laws to cut carbon emissions to zero, according to official announcements.

Currently, the law states that greenhouse gas emissions need be reduced by 80 per cent by 2050 and ministers have argued that the target is not ambitious enough.

The international climate change agreement that was signed at the Paris climate summit in December made it clear that the UK must not increase CO2 due to the severe threat of global warming, ministers explained.

The Paris Agreement is designed to curb GHG emissions and avoid dangerous levels of global warming..

Energy minister Andrea Leadsom addressed the Commons and said government would "take the step of enshrining the Paris commitment to net zero emissions in UK law".

Leadsom added: "The question is not whether but how we do it. And there are an important set of questions to be answered before we do… This is an example once again of the House demonstration on a cross-party basis a determination to tackle climate change."

The announcement is seen by some as contradictory to the government’s policies on renewable energy and emissions reduction.

Ministers predicted that by 2030 the country would rely mainly on nuclear power, offshore wind and gas, and carbon capture technology but no new nuclear stations have been secured, while the government has dropped a competition for carbon capture technology and has threatened to slash the budget for offshore wind projects.

Onshore wind and large scale solar energy has also been hit by cuts in subsides and the tax on small low-emissions cars has been increased.