50 signatures reached
To: Amber Rudd – Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change
UK Government: Strengthen your commitment to cut UK CO2 emissions from 40% by 2030 to 55% by 2030
The petitioners call on Secretary Of State for Energy & Climate Change, Amber Rudd to honour the UK’s commitment to a “fair” global climate deal. Demonstrating a leadership position from the UK and strengthening its pledge at the COP21 Paris Climate Conference would encourage others in the EU to do what is necessary to keep global temperatures rising by more than 2 degrees. We are therefore requesting the UK Government pledges to cut UK CO2 emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, including land use emissions.
This is supported by the Committee on Climate Change who state the UK would need to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 51-57% by 2030 to play its part in stabilizing global temperatures.
The following measures can support this target:
Reinstate the domestic Feed-In-Tarriff (FIT) which is proposed to be cut by 87%. This is projected to result in at least 20,000 jobs losses and 1 million fewer solar schemes being installed by 2020, increasing carbon emissions by 1.6 million tonnes
Remove the £910m-a-year tax on renewable energy imposed via the Climate Change Levy, a tax developed for imposition on fossil fuels. Reinstate the Levy Exemption Certificate for renewables
Maintain support for the Green Deal through a review of its implementation and continue support for energy efficiency measures in domestic and commercial applications that will facilitate reductions within our existing building stock.
Reinstate subsidies for onshore wind, the UKs cheapest low carbon electricity source.
Why is this important?
We are facing a climate crisis that will cause increasing global instability, famine, poverty, greater pressure from refugees, environmental degradation and loss of species, and we are aware that the pledges made by the UK government falls short of what is needed to avert this crisis.
Commitments made by countries ahead of the Paris talks are not currently enough to keep global temperatures from rising by more than 2 degrees, which is seen as the internationally agreed threshold that we cannot surpass if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Currently our approach to energy policy is regressive and out of step with the times and what other EU countries are doing. We call on the UK to emulate those countries who are leading the way, such as Denmark who will meet 100% of their energy needs from renewables by 2050 and plans to stop using coal by 2025, which currently makes up 20% of its current energy supply, and who’s parliament has divested its fossil fuel endowment of $900 billion.
