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An explanation of The Clean Growth Strategy

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An explanation of The Clean Growth Strategy

Within this article, Nicola Bannister of Flogas discusses the government’s recent launch of The Clean Growth Strategy initiative and how it could affect domestic and commercial users. Flogas is one of the UK’s leading LNG, LPG and mains gas suppliers offering competitive commercial gas prices.

In a bid to create a future with lower carbon emissions, the government recently launched an initiative entitled: The Clean Growth Strategy. This extensive document was put together by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), but if you don’t have time to read each of the 163 pages, get asummary of the main points, and what they mean for UK homes and businesses, right here…

How can it help?

Essentially, this strategy was designed to create a cleaner environment by lowering emissions and increasing economic growth. The two guiding objectives underpinning the strategy are:

  • To capitalise on the social and economic benefits for the UK from this transition.
  • To honour our domestic commitments at the lowest possible net cost to UK taxpayers, consumers and businesses.

But how can the UK government ensure the above occurs? The government has pledged to roll out lower-carbon processes, systems and technologies nationwide — which it will do in the most cost-effective way possible.

What is the UK’s climate change commitment?

What incited the creation of The Clean Growth Strategy? In 2008, the UK introduced the Climate Change Act and became the first nation in the world to self-impose a legally binding carbon reduction target. What did it outline? To reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050 (compared to 1990 levels).

Are we near to reaching the target?

Positively, the UK’s target is looking comfortably achievable. BEIS figures published in March 2017 showed that carbon emissions have dropped 42% since 1990, although the government acknowledges that there is still more work to be done — hence The Clean Growth Strategy.

Key proposals of the document

So, what are the main points of this new strategy? There are six key areas, which together are responsible for 100% of the UK’s carbon emissions:

  • Bettering business and industry efficiency (25% of UK emissions)
  • Speeding up the shift to low-carbon transport (24% of UK emissions)
  • Supplying clean, smart, flexible power (21% of UK emissions)
  • Enhancing the benefits and value of our natural resources (15% of UK emissions)
  • Improving our homes (13% of UK emissions)
  • Leading the public sector (2% of UK emissions)

The full list of 50 pledges is in the executive summary.

How will this document affect homes and businesses?

How will this strategy work in the real world? The point of this document is to encourage homes, businesses and industries to reduce their carbon footprint — but how? A focus will be reassessing the fuels we use for jobs like heating, cooking, and powering industrial and manufacturing processes — as well as embracing cleaner, greener alternatives.

Within this, we will also be supported in our drive to use renewable technologies — such as heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar panels. What’s more, we will also be persuaded to opt for cleaner conventional fuels over more polluting ones. For example, for off-grid homes and businesses, the strategy sets out specific plans to phase out high-carbon forms of fossil fuels, like oil. As the lowest-carbon conventional off-grid fuel, oil to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) conversions will play a key part in replacing oil in rural parts of the country.

For buildings that are connected to the mains network, natural gas will be popular due to its affordability and accessibility. Not just that of course, it’s also the lowest-carbon fossil fuel available! It’s also predicted that the ‘green gas’ phenomenon, which is natural gas injected with a proportion of environmentally friendly biogas, will grow in popularity as the Clean Growth Strategy picks up pace.

Main reactions following the launch of The Clean Growth Strategy

Generally, The Clean Growth Strategy has attracted a lot of support.

Lee Gannon, managing director of Flogas, said: “Through the publication of The Clean Growth Strategy, the government has made clear its intention to reduce carbon emissions from off-grid UK homes and businesses. Natural gas is affordable, versatile, widely available and — most importantly — emits significantly less carbon than the likes of coal and oil. As such, it will continue to play a central role as the UK works towards cleaning up its energy landscape. We look forward to working alongside policymakers and wider industry stakeholders to make the Clean Growth Strategy the success that it deserves to be.”

Trade body, Oil & Gas UK, is also behind the strategy. Mike Tholen, its upstream policy director, commented: “Oil & Gas UK welcomes the government’s commitment to technology in the strategy, especially with regard to carbon abatement measures, such as carbon capture, usage and storage. Oil & Gas UK looks forward to working with the government to see how these technologies can further reduce emissions across the economy.”

Although we have to wait to see how successful The Clean Growth Strategy will be, it appears that the initiative has got off to a great start.

I am the founder of Startup Today. I am the main writer and have put in many hours of work into creating this blog. If you want to find out more about me then lets get in contact.

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