Nick has been with Navetas since October 2008 and is the company's Strategic Communications Director. Nick has worked for a number of years in the Public Affairs and Communications Industry, providing advice to names such British Airways, John Lewis Group, Prudential and Sainsbury's on a range of issues.

Blog > The Government’s new Carbon Plan targets green power, heat and travel

The Government’s new Carbon Plan targets green power, heat and travel

Thursday 17th March 2011

I’m sure you’ve all cast your eyes over the Government’s recently published UK Carbon Plan. In case you haven’t, the document sets out Britain’s strategy on climate change, proposing strict actions, tougher domestic targets and binding deadlines for delivery.

 

Through the Plan, the Government aims to reduce carbon levels by 80% on 1990 figures by 2050, by focusing their attention on three key areas:

 

· The way energy is generated – a dramatic shift away from fossil fuels and towards low carbon alternatives such as renewable energy, new nuclear power and fossil fuel power stations fitted with carbon capture and storage

· The way homes and businesses are heated – a step change in home insulations and moving away from gas boilers to low carbon alternatives, such as heat pumps

· The way people travel – ensuring that more people use public transport, to reduce emissions from petrol and diesel engines and moving towards alternative technologies such as electric vehicles

 

It’s heartening to know that initiatives to curb carbon emissions over the next 39 years are being progressed.  If this Carbon Plan is accepted by businesses, industry and the greater public, then the Government’s stringent targets will certainly help to produce a secure, sustainable low carbon economy in the long-run.

But while it is easy to forecast the positive effects such proactive guidelines will have on the future, the Government is missing a trick by not educating consumers and businesses on the actions they can take in the short-term.

 

Long-term plans for a greener future can only be strengthened by educating consumers and businesses about the benefits of lowering their energy consumption. From my perspective there should be a mass move away from greener living being viewed as just a trend and a move towards changing behaviours permanently.

 

Greener living should become a way of life. But to achieve this, Government must encourage and incentivise utilities to make a concerted effort to educate consumers and businesses on how they are consuming energy and how they can reduce their consumption.

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