Technical note - PSA target 7
To reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5% from 1990 levels in line with our Kyoto commitment and move towards a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions below 1990 levels by 2010, through measures including energy efficiency and renewables (joint with DTI and Defra).
Technical Note status: New
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Data
The National Environmental Technology Centre (NETCEN) publishes an annual inventory on behalf of Defra of the UK's historic greenhouse gas emissions usually within 15 months of the end of the calendar year in question. Data is available on an annual basis back to 1990 1 .
Provisional data on carbon dioxide emissions are estimated from energy data and published annually by DTI in Energy Trends 2 in the March following the end of the calendar year in question.
Quality Controls
Data will be subject to the requirements of National Statistics.
Definitions
The UK's target under the Kyoto Protocol is to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)) to 12.5% below 1990 levels by 2008-12 (for the purposes of this PSA target, emissions will be calculated as an average over these five years). The baseline for the UK's greenhouse gas emissions is 1990 although, as allowed by the Kyoto Protocol, 1995 is used for emissions of hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride.
The Government has a domestic goal to reduce emissions of CO2 by 20% from 1990 levels by 2010. The UK Climate Change Programme 3 , which sets out how the UK will meet its Kyoto target and move towards the domestic goal, will be reviewed in 2004.
The Government has also accepted, in the Energy White Paper published in February 2003, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's recommendation that the UK should put itself on a path to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of some 60% from current levels by about 2050.
Timing
Data on greenhouse gas emissions are available annually with lags of just over a year.
Territorial Scope
Emissions data relate to the UK.
Success Criteria
UK greenhouse gas emissions should be below the level of the Kyoto target, and thus the UK should be moving towards the goal of a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions below 1990 levels by 2010, by 2008.
In addition, that we have, by 2008, put the UK on a path to cut carbon dioxide emissions by some 60% by about 2050, with real progress by 2020.
Energy Efficiency
Data
Energy intensity has traditionally been used as a proxy for energy efficiency. However, intensity changes include changes in energy service demand or to structural changes in business. Defra is undertaking work to develop improved indicators for energy efficiency to take account of these changes. The available data will continue to be published annually in indicators to support the Energy White Paper annual report.
Quality Controls
Data will be subject to the requirements of National Statistics.
Definitions
Energy efficiency improvements are calculated for individual technical measures, and the overall improvement for a sector such as Households is the sum of the improvements for all of the installations of each of the measures.
Timing
Energy efficiency data are available annually with a lag of about a year.
Territorial Scope
Carbon savings from energy efficiency are for the UK.
teriaSuccess Cri
The Government set out in the Energy Efficiency Action Plan a formal aim to achieve savings of 4.2MtC per annum by 2010 (3.5 MtC for England) through energy efficiency in the household sector, in fulfilment of the requirements of the Sustainable Energy Act 2003. The Action Plan also projected savings of 7.9 MtC from business and the public sector, giving total savings of 12.1 MtC.
Renewable Energy
Data
Data on the supply of electricity from renewable sources is available annually in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics 4 .
Quality Controls
Data will be subject to the requirements of National Statistics.
Definitions
Renewable energy is defined here as all sources of renewable energy that are eligible for the Renewables Obligation (RO) in England and Wales and the analogous Renewables (Scotland) Obligation. This includes solar power, wind, hydropower, wave and tide, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas and biogases. Specific exclusions from eligibility for the RO include existing hydro plant over 20 MW; all plant using renewable sources built before 1990 (unless re-furbished); and energy from mixed waste combustion unless the waste is first converted to fuel using advanced conversion technology. Only the biodegradable fraction of any waste is eligible.
Timing
Data on renewable energy supplies are available annually with a lag of about 6 months.
Territorial Scope
Carbon savings from renewable energy supplies are for the UK. The percentage of electricity supplies from renewable energy is also for the UK.
Success Criteria
We are on course for renewable energy to supply 10% of the UK's electricity needs by 2010.
1 See http://www.airquality.co.uk/archive/reports/cat07/aeat-env-r-1702.doc
2 See http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/statistics/publications/trends/index.html
3 See http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/cm4913/index.htm
4 See http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/statistics/stats-by-energy-source/Renewables/page18513.html
