Annex
DEFRA-LED
PSAS
Defra is leading the development of two PSAs
as part of CSR07. They are still under development, and will be
finalised and agreed as part of the final CSR settlement. Delivery
agreements for the PSAs will be published along with the CSR.
The current drafts of the PSAs, their vision
and proposed indicators are detailed below, but are still subject
to discussion between the contributing departments and further
refinement.
CLIMATE CHANGE
PSA
"Leading the global effort to avoid dangerous
climate change by bringing about a step change in global investment
in low carbon technologies, building on actions in the UK and
EU and helping to build the necessary social, economic and political
conditions internationally to:
— Secure effective and robust global
commitments for the period post-2012, through engagement with
our international partners, consistent with a trajectory to stabilise
atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations[4],
that will shift economies to a low carbon basis, including through
an efficient and effective carbon market.
— Adopt and promote policies which
reduce greenhouse gas emissions to ensure that the new UK carbon
dioxide (CO2) account, as defined in the draft Climate Change
Bill,[5]
for the year 2050 is at least 60% lower than the 1990 baseline,
moving to the levels required to achieve the carbon budget as
set for 2008-12, 2013-17 and 2018-22 demonstrating to other parties
the practical, economic, environmental and social benefits that
tackling climate change in a cost effective way can deliver.
As a complement to our mitigation efforts, develop
a robust approach to domestic adaptation to climate change, shared
across Government, and by encouraging adaptation to climate change
internationally."
Further articulated into a vision of:
Climate Change is one of the most daunting challenges
facing the planet. Without significant mitigation, on business
as usual trends, there will be a 50:50 chance of exceeding a 5°C
temperature increase by the end of the 21st century—with
devastating impacts on people and nature. Action is also necessary
to adapt to the unavoidable effects of climate change.
Our vision is to play a leading role internationally
and through domestic action to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
We want to see:
International
— Agreement to a post-2012 framework
of commitments that can:
— deliver reductions in greenhouse
gas emissions consistent with a trajectory to stabilise atmospheric
concentrations at a level which avoids dangerous climate change
while being realistic, robust, durable and fair.
— shift economies of all nations to
take action to adapt to climate change.
— A transformation in global public
and private investment patterns consistent with low carbon growth
and climate resilient development, including a fully operational
Clean Energy Investment Framework.
— International consensus that an urgent
response to climate change is a security and prosperity imperative.
— Donors and multilateral development
institutions including the World Bank, mainstreaming and supporting
adaptation across their assistance to developing countries.
— The international community supporting
adaptation through scaling up investment in global public goods
including for example improved monitoring and prediction of climate
change.
— Development, deployment and transfer
of low-carbon technologies world-wide, including collaboration
with China, India and other developing countries on carbon capture
and storage and with Southern Africa on biofuels.
— Further development of international
carbon markets including:
— a revised European Union (EU) directive
on emissions trading providing a long-term carbon price signal
and the expansion of the scheme to sectors such as aviation;
— the establishment of emissions trading
schemes in other countries with the potential to link to the EU
Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS); and
— international agreement to the enhancement
of existing flexible mechanisms such as the Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM).
— International action to minimise
emissions from land use and deforestation.
— Sharing good practice and learning
from other countries' experiences.
Domestic
— The Climate Change Bill enshrined
in law, an effective Committee on Climate Change in operation
and the UK achieving its carbon budgets.
— The UK achieving its targets, including
its Kyoto commitment of a 12.5% reduction in greenhouse gasses
(further details on the range of targets is set out in Annexes
A and D).[6]
— The UK continuing to demonstrate
that it is possible to reduce its CO2 and other greenhouse gas
emissions without it adversely affecting the health of its economy
through a combination of fiscal, regulatory and trading mechanisms.
— The UK public aware of how their
behaviour can impact on the UK's greenhouse gas emissions and
taking action to change it accordingly.
— An energy sector making a full contribution
to efforts to tackle climate change, while ensuring the reliable
supply and efficient use of clean, safe and competitively-priced
energy.
— The UK investing in the science and
technology base to support stakeholders and adapt to climate change,
including the development of projections of future climate change
and other tools to facilitate the progress to a well adapted UK.
— An economy and society that understands
the complementary nature of adaptation and mitigation and which
considers the risks of climate change in decision making processes.
— A robust and accessible evidence
base in place to support adaptation to climate change impacts,
including an established monitoring network for detecting changes
in biodiversity, and to provide an improved and wider understanding
of the impacts that climate change could have on stability and
security in many parts of the world.
— A high level of awareness of the
impacts of climate change on biodiversity, including the impacts
of mitigation on biodiversity, and means of adaptation in all
relevant sectors (for example agriculture, forestry, water, flood
defence and energy).
We will measure our progress towards delivering
this PSA using five key indicators:
1. Global CO2 emissions to 2050—which
will show the level and projected trends of global CO2 emissions
which will allow us to see whether we are globally on track to
avoid dangerous climate change.
2. Adaptation to climate change—indicator
to be agreed.
3. Size of the global carbon market—which
will show progress towards a viable international carbon trading
system which is a vital component of a global low carbon economy.
4. Total UK greenhouse gas and CO2 emissions—which
will show the UK's net contribution to global greenhouse gas and
CO2 emissions (both with and without credits from the EU ETS).
5. Greenhouse gas and CO2 intensity of UK
economy—which will show whether the UK is successfully moving
towards a low carbon economy (both with and without credits from
the EU ETS).
Additionally, the Government also produces annual
emissions data for the basket of greenhouse gases, and total emissions
broken down by source.
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
PSA
"Secure a healthy natural environment for
everyone's well being, health and prosperity, now and in the future;
and reflect in decision-making the value of the services that
it provides."
Further articulated into a vision of:
Our vision is for a diverse, healthy and resilient
natural environment, which provides the basis for everyone's well-being,
health and prosperity now and in the future
— The air that we breathe free from
harmful levels of pollutants
— Sustainable water use which balances
water quality, environment, supply and demand
— Land and soils managed sustainably
— Biodiversity valued, safeguarded
and enhanced
— Sustainable, living landscapes with
best features conserved
— Clean, healthy, safe, productive
and biologically diverse oceans and seas
— People to enjoy, understand and care
for the natural environment
We will measure our progress towards delivering
this PSA using five key indicators:
1. Water—improving water quality as
measured by parameters assessed by Environment Agency river water
quality monitoring programmes.
2. Biodiversity—as measured by data
on bird populations in England as a proxy for the health of wider
biodiversity.
3. Air—improving air quality by meeting
the Air Quality Strategy targets for eight air pollutants as illustrated
by trends in measurements of two of the more important pollutants
which affect public health: particles and nitrogen dioxide.
4. Marine—clean, safe, healthy, productive
and biologically diverse oceans and seas as indicated by proxy
measurements of fish stocks, sea pollution and plankton status.
5. Land management—improving the contribution
of agricultural land management to the natural environment as
measured by the positive and negative impacts of farming.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
July 2007
4 The six greenhouse gases are: carbon dioxide (CO2),
nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs),
perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Back
5
More information on the draft Climate Change Bill and its key
provisions can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/legislation/index.htm Back
6
1995 levels for Fluorinated or F-gases. Back
|
