Carbon budgets should be ‘devolved across UK’

Carbon budgets should be devolved to individual regions across the UK so they can tackle decarbonisation in specially tailored approaches. That’s according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), […]

Carbon budgets should be devolved to individual regions across the UK so they can tackle decarbonisation in specially tailored approaches.

That’s according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), which says the north of the country in particular is already driving ahead, hosting a third of the country’s low carbon jobs and generating nearly 50% of its renewable energy.

The policy think tank also says the north is more carbon intensive than other regions and suffers from a lack of investment.

It believes devolved carbon budgets would enable regions to draw on local expertise and capabilities to maximise the opportunities presented by going clean.

For example, the north could focus on increasing capacity of suitable clean power sources, such as wind, as well as rolling out efficient technologies to help its many factories reduce industrial emissions.

It also suggests the region must transition to a cleaner, more connected and efficient transport system if it is to effectively decarbonise.

Laurie Laybourn-Langton, IPPR Senior Research Fellow, said: “More needs to be done to drive demand for low carbon goods and services and support firms in supplying them.

“Action at the regional level is key and so we recommend regional carbon budgets so regions can take ownership of the rapid structural change needed to reach net decarbonisation by the midpoint of the century.”

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