User:Watti Renew/Archive1 Europe

Climate change in the United Kingdom
Climate change in Climate change in the United Kingdom  describes the climate change related issues in the United Kingdom. This includes the climate politics, contribution in the global warming and the influence of the global warming in Europe. According to climate experts global temperature rise should not exceed 2 °C to prevent the most dangerous consequences of the climate change. It is estimated to demand at least 80-85 % emission reductions in the EU during 2008-2050 with reductions as soon as technically possible. the The UK Government has commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% on 1990 levels by 2050.

Politics
The London Green500 is programme to reduce the carbon emissions of the London city organizations including new building by 60% by 2025. The urban areas account for 75% of the world CO2 emissions, even if less than 1% of the earth’s surface is cities.

Legislation
There is in place national legislation, international agreements and the EU directives. The EU directive 2001/77/EU promotes renewable energy in the electricity production.

Stern report 2006
British government and economist Nicholas Stern published in 2006 the Stern report. The Review states that climate change is the greatest and widest-ranging market failure ever seen, presenting a unique challenge for economics. The Review provides prescriptions including environmental taxes to minimize the economic and social disruptions. The Stern Review's main conclusion is that the benefits of strong, early action on climate change far outweigh the costs of not acting. The Review points to the potential impacts of climate change on water resources, food production, health, and the environment. According to the Review, without action, the overall costs of climate change will be equivalent to losing at least 5% of global gross domestic product (GDP) each year, now and forever. Including a wider range of risks and impacts could increase this to 20% of GDP or more.

No-one can predict the consequences of climate change with complete certainty; but we now know enough to understand the risks. The review leads to a simple conclusion: the benefits of strong, early action considerably outweigh the costs.

EU energy plan 2008
In the end of 2008 the parliament of EU approved the climate and energy plan including : - 20 % emission cut of climate gases from 1990 to 2020 - 20 % increase in the share of renewable energy from 1990 to 2020 - 20 % increase of the energy efficiency 20 % from 1990 to 2020.

Emissions
Import related emission of the United Kingdom were 35 % in 1992 and 67 % in 2004. Consumer emissions have risen steadily over the period 1992-2004 and are in 2004 18% higher than in 1992, while the national total emissions reported to the UNFCCC in 1992-2004 have declined by 5%.