Environmental Update (January 2009)

Climate Change Act (CCA) Receives Royal Accent

The CCA received royal accent in late 2008. The key elements of the Act are:

• To set the greenhouse gas reduction target for 2050;
• To provide for a system of carbon budgeting;
• To establish a committee on climate change;
• To confer powers to establish trading schemes for the purpose of limiting greenhouse has emissions;
• To make provisions about adaptation to climate change;
• To confer powers to make schemes for providing financial incentives to produce less domestic waste and to recycle more of what is produced;
• To make provision about the collection of household waste; and
• To amend the provisions of the Energy Act 2004 about renewable transport fuel obligations.

On the 1st December, the Climate Change Committee was established as an independent body to provide advice to the Government on the level of the first three five-yearly carbon budgets.

The Secretary of State for the Environment will have to ensure that the net UK carbon account for 2050 is at least 80% lower than the 1990 baseline and that the annual equivalent of the carbon budget for 2020 is at least 26% lower than the 1990 baseline.

By April 2009, the Government will announce proposals for the level of the first three carbon budgets.

By June 2009, the Government should have set the first three carbon budgets through secondary legislation.