UK revs up on the low carbon route

The government of the United Kingdom took what is seen in some quarters as a significant step to shift to a low-carbon economy, providing clear signals to investors that the U.K. wants to host large-scale clean energy projects moving forward.

The agreement announced today takes the form of a legally binding target to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2025, as part of the country's fourth carbon budget. This goal is far deeper than the European Union’s goal of cutting emissions 20 percent by 2020, and it would mean that Britain would make faster emissions cuts than other similar size countries, including Germany.

The Committee on Climate Change had called for a 80 percent reduction in emissions.

The target will be viewed further in 2014 in the face of what has been achieved by then.

The goal could require households to spend on new energy-saving devices for the home. It could also revive stalled government support for large projects, like those that capture power from tides and that bury carbon dioxide emissions.

But how well will policy back up the target remains to be seen given the signals. For instance, the extraordinary U-turn on feed-in tariffs, for instance, left the solar industry reeling in shock. The government's decision to indicate it will slash financial support to solar over 50 kW has effectively pulled the rug out from under the industry, as The Guardian notes.

Also falling short of expectations was the energy bill, presented to parliament for its second reading last week by the energy and climate change secretary. The proposals lacked detail, joined-up thinking and realistic strategies to deliver on the scale really needed to address fuel poverty and reduce climate emissions, says the Guardian.

Unambitious and incoherent policies will not help achieve aggressive targets as the latest one. That goes for any nation.