Annex C
TECHNOLOGY POLICY
The UK's renewables policies, are fundamentally
inadequate to realise the very large investments required in new,
low Carbon energy technologies and energy efficiency programmes
that are necessary to meet the 60% reduction target. There is
no indication of a large scale adoption of distributed CHP, or
of solar power, or of energy efficiency measures. The wind energy
programme is gaining pace, but is still not of a scale to meet
the UK's intermediate goals of 10% reduction by 2010 and 20% by
2020.
It should be emphasised that in the area of
energy demand and supply, together with energy efficiency measures,
the technologies required are already available. The policy problem
is to persuade, and to provide regulations and economic incentives
to industry and households to take up these technologies on a
mass scale. The construction industry is a particular problem;
50% of GHGs come from buildings, but the UK continues to build
houses and offices that are of a low standard in terms of energy
use and energy efficiency.
It is imperative that the UK Government and
other governments provide massive support for "clean"
energy technologies, without which GHG stabilisation at acceptable
levels will be impossible. The incorporation into new homes and
other buildings of micro heat and power generation systems based
on a combination of solar, wind and other sources should be made
mandatory. Market and regulatory/tax mechanisms should be introduced
to encourage individuals and businesses to take more responsibility
for energy efficiency. This will be more successful if it is based
on "positive" incentives to reduce energy use (eg tax
reductions for efficiency) rather than negative, punitive policies
that add additional tax burdens to individual households and businesses.
Grants should be available that cover the full installation costs
of domestic micro-power systems, rather than a proportion of the
cost as is currently the case. There is very limited public awareness
of the Energy Savings Trust and measures such as National Energy
Savings week are not sufficient in raising its public profile.
The Government should invest in a larger scale engagement programme.
Motor vehicles are continuing to increase GHG
emissions at a rapid rate. The growth in road transport far exceeds
the projected increases in efficiency for conventional petrol
and diesel powered vehicles. Therefore, stronger policies are
required to encourage low-carbon power systems, such as petrol/battery
hybrids or fuel cell vehicles. Patterns of settlement, work, leisure
and transport should be examined—the current growth of private
car use, for example, is unsustainable. Transport policies should
reduce dependence on private car use by improving public transport.
Issues of transport associated with the distance between homes
and work places should also be examined. Could future planning
reduce the distances people travel between home and work by rethinking
urban development?
Commercial, particularly food, distribution,
is another area where emissions could be reduced. Many foodstuffs
are transported to distribution and food processing centres before
being redistributed to point-of-sale outlets closer to the original
sources. Incentives for a more decentralised and efficient distribution
system that reduces "food miles" could reduce GHG emissions
and possibly also traffic congestion. Greater emphasis on local
food production, compatible with current social trends towards
the consumption of local, often organic, produce, could improve
efficiency of national food production systems.
29 October 2004
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