Government commits to 80 per cent carbon emission cut

The government is to introduce legally binding targets in the forthcoming climate change bill that will require the UK to cut its carbon emissions by 80 per cent on 1990 levels by 2050.

The original version of the bill would have committed the UK to delivering a 60 per cent cut, but climate scientists have become increasingly concerned that such a reduction in emissions would not be sufficient to avoid dangerous levels of climate change.

The government's independent climate change committee last week accepted these concerns and recommended the government should adopt the higher target.

Addressing the House of Commons today for the first time in his new role as energy and climate change secretary, Ed Miliband said the government accepted all the committee's recommendations, including both the 80 per cent target and guidance that emissions from international aviation and shipping should be included in the targets.

He also reiterated the government's commitment to pushing through the EU climate change package, adding that it wanted a deal strengthened the emissions trading scheme and retained targets to cut emissions by 20 per cent by 2020, rising to 30 per cent if a global deal is reached.

In a surprise move, Miliband announced that the government would amend the Energy Bill to allow the introduction of feed-in tariffs for small-scale renewable energy generation.

"The Renewables Obligation has tripled supply in the last five years and we are making further changes in its structure, in planning policy and in access to the grid," he said.

"But having heard the debate on this issue... I also believe that complementing the Renewables Obligation for large-scale projects – guaranteed prices for small-scale electricity generation, feed-in tariffs – have the potential to play an important role, as they do in other countries."

He also signalled that there would be further announcements on how the government plans to increase adoption of renewable heat technologies.

In a stark warning to energy providers, he said the government would look at introducing new rules to tackle the practice of charging higher prices to customers on pre-pay meters if they failed to address the issue.