On 15 June, the UK Government published an action plan to convert the United Kingdom into a permanent low carbon and sustainable economy. The UK’s Low Carbon Transition Plan – an economy-wide strategy – will help convert the UK to low carbon living, and take advantage of the economic benefits. 

The plan, announced by UK Energy and Climate Secretary Ed Miliband, details how the UK will meet its domestic climate targets – set out in law in the Climate Change Act – to cut emissions by at least 34 per cent by 2020 on 1990 levels. A 21% reduction has already been delivered – equivalent to cutting emissions entirely from four cities the size of London.

Transforming Britain into a cleaner, greener and more prosperous place to live is at the heart of the economic plans ensuring the UK is ready to take advantage of the opportunities ahead. The announced measures mean that by 2020:

• More than 1.2 million people will be in green jobs
• 7 million homes will have home energy makeovers, and over 1.5 million households will be supported to produce their own clean energy
• 40% of electricity will be from low carbon sources, from renewables, nuclear and clean coal
• The UK will be importing half the amount of gas that they otherwise would
• The average new car will emit 40% less carbon than now.

“A low carbon future is now within the reach of every country across the world as we approach the crunch talks in Copenhagen in less than 150 days,” said UK Energy and Climate Secretary Ed Miliband at the launching of the Transition Plan.


Further details on the low carbon transition plan can be found in the Government’s recent Road to Copenhagen document.

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