Everything you need to know about the government’s Clean Growth Strategy
The Clean Growth Strategy has been launched by the government as it becomes even more committed to reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions across the UK. Within the document, which has been put together by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and can be viewed in full here, you can find the approach proposed by the government for the UK to realise a lower-carbon future.
If you don’t have the time available to read through all 165 pages of the document, business gas experts, Flogas Britain, has summarised the key points of the strategy and what they mean for homes and businesses throughout the UK here…
Understanding the UK’s climate change commitment
So, what is the background legislation that has made the Clean Growth Strategy necessary in the first place? In 2008, the UK introduced the Climate Change Act, and through this became the first nation in the world to self-impose a legally binding carbon reduction target. The crux of it? To reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050 (compared to 1990 levels).
Is the UK close to reaching its target?
In March 2017, figures were published by the BEIS which revealed that UK was well on track to reaching its target. In fact, overall carbon emissions have dropped by 42 per cent since 1990. While this progress is encouraging, the government acknowledges that there is still plenty more work to be done — and that’s where proposals like the Clean Growth Strategy come in.
How the Clean Growth Strategy aims to help
The Clean Growth Strategy contains a series of proposals and policies which are aimed at accelerating the pace that ‘clean growth’ can be achieved throughout the UK via two key methods — by decreasing emissions and by increasing economic growth. With that in mind, the two guiding objectives underpinning the strategy are:
- To meet our domestic commitments at the lowest possible net cost to UK taxpayers, consumers and businesses.
- To maximise the social and economic benefits for the UK from this transition.
A collection of lower-carbon systems, processes and technologies have been pledged by the government to be rolled out across the UK to ensure this vision is realised. All of these will be released in the most cost-effective way possible for businesses and homes alike.
Spotlighting the Clean Growth Strategy’s key proposals
There are six main areas which are the focus of the proposals set out in the Clean Growth Strategy, which collectively account for 100 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions. These are as follows:
- Improving business and industry efficiency (25% of UK emissions).
- Improving our homes (13% of UK emissions).
- Accelerating the shift to low-carbon transport (24% of UK emissions).
- Delivering clean, smart, flexible power (21% of UK emissions).
- Enhancing the benefits and value of our natural resources (15% of UK emissions).
- Leading the public sector (2% of UK emissions).
To read the entire list of 50 pledges made in the Clean Growth Strategy, take a look at this executive summary.
What does the Clean Growth Strategy mean for UK homes and businesses?
The government has set out the Clean Growth Strategy in a way to encourage and support homes, businesses and industrial operations across the whole of the UK to reduce its carbon footprint through a wide selection of techniques. A major focus will be reassessing the fuels we use for jobs — like heating, cooking, and powering industrial and manufacturing processes — and embracing cleaner, greener alternatives.
As a result, individuals and organisations will be encouraged to make better use of renewable technologies — heat pumps, solar panels and biomass boilers, for instance — while also choosing cleaner and conventional fuels as opposed to more polluting alternatives. For example, for off-grid homes and businesses, the strategy sets out specific plans to phase out high-carbon forms of fossil fuels like oil. As the lowest-carbon conventional off-grid fuel, oil to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) conversions will play a key part in replacing oil in rural parts of the country.
Any business or home connected to the mains network will continue to find natural gas to be a popular choice, too. This is not only because of its affordability and accessibility, but also because it is the lowest-carbon fossil fuel available. Flogas, which specialises in highly competitive commercial mains gas, expects to see this part of its business continue to go from strength to strength. The company also predicts that the ‘green gas’ phenomenon (natural gas injected with a proportion of environmentally friendly biogas) will grow in popularity as the Clean Growth Strategy rolls out.
How the UK has reacted to the Clean Growth Strategy
Key industry figures have already displayed their support of the Clean Growth Strategy.
Flogas’ Managing Director, Lee Gannon, commented: “Through the publication of its Clean Growth Strategy, the government has made clear its intention to reduce carbon emissions from off-grid UK homes and businesses. Natural gas is affordable, versatile, widely available and — most importantly — emits significantly less carbon than the likes of coal and oil. As such, it will continue to play a central role as the UK works towards cleaning up its energy landscape. We look forward to working alongside policymakers and wider industry stakeholders to make the Clean Growth Strategy the success that it deserves to be.”
Another supporter has been Mike Tholen, the Upstream Policy Director at trade body Oil & Gas UK. He stated: “Oil & Gas UK welcomes the government’s commitment to technology in the strategy, especially with regards to carbon abatement measures such as carbon capture, usage and storage. Oil & Gas UK looks forward to working with the government to see how these technologies can further reduce emissions across the economy.”
