Once the Climate Change Act of 2008 was signed, the British carbon initiative was off to the races. This program is likely to get a lot of attention worldwide as it is very forward thinking and sure to make a significant impact in the near future. In this case, the British have set the precedent.
The Climate Change Act prompted the UK government to outline its aims for the future. British carbon initiatives plan “to improve carbon management and help the transition towards a low carbon economy in the UK and to demonstrate strong UK leadership internationally, signaling that we are committed to taking our share of responsibility for reducing global emissions in the context of developing negotiations on a post-2012 global agreement at Copenhagen next year.”
Even though there is a post-Kyoto protocol agreement in the works, expected to come in sometime during 2012, British carbon reduction plans have nonetheless been pushed forward aggressively. Experts and environmentalists have shown that the overall threat to the climate is getting worse and it is necessary to take aggressive action as soon as possible.
Part of the Climate Change Act calls for a carbon budgeting system to be established, with each project set to run over a five-year period. The government plans to map out its course up to the your 2050, by which time it will have expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80%. The first three carbon budgets run between 2008 and 2022.
It is interesting to note that the British carbon legislators stated that they will have regard to the need for UK domestic action on climate change, meaning that any subsequent international measures would be gauged alongside and in deference.
Hardly had the ink become dry on the Climate Change Act 2008, than the Carbon Reduction Commitment was signed. This put in place the first legislative emissions trading scheme, requiring mandatory participation and introducing economic incentives for organizations to reduce the size of a carbon footprint.
Market forces are now being put to bear in the fight against carbon emissions and climate change. The UK’s largest contributors to the problem, measured by their individual consumption of electricity, will participate as 5,000 organizations must register for the UK’s “cap and trade” scheme.
British carbon reduction plans are not alone as legislators in the United States are looking with keen interest at this development. Similar legislation is on the cards to implement a cap and trade system within the US, but it seems that this action will not be as sweeping as a considerable process of delay and debate is already apparent.
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