ENERGY and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said today that Britain is on course to over-achieve on its carbon reduction budgets, with an estimated 36 per cent cut on 1990 levels projected by 2020.

Speaking as the Government formally responded to the Committee on Climate Change’s first annual report on carbon budgets under the Climate Change Act, Mr Miliband said Britain stood to gain not only from a green jobs revolution, but from measures to help people cut the amount of energy they use.

He said government will not rely on the reduction in emissions brought about by the economic downturn to meet its climate targets, and to reinforce this, any over-achievement in the first carbon budget due to the recession will not be carried forward to allow for higher emissions in the future.

Citing the UK’s “ambitious plans for clean coal”, Mr Miliband said there would be no new coal

stations without carbon capture and storage.

He said Britain must redouble its efforts at home and internationally to ensure the UK emerges from the global downturn “building on the opportunities and benefits a low carbon future will bring.”

He said government was working to ensure that access to the electricity grid is not a barrier to low carbon generation, with measures including the introduction of new grid access arrangements, a new offshore electricity transmission regime and plans for a smart grid in the UK.

A ‘Household Energy Management Strategy’ will be published shortly, setting out new plans to help reduce emissions from households by 29 per cent from their 2008 levels by 2020.  

To reduce emissions from transport, there will be an incentive from 2011 to stimulate early markets in ultra-low cars, help for cities and regions to put the necessary recharging infrastructure in place and significant investment in public transport.

Stuart Oliver, Public Relations, UK COAL, Harworth Park.