Press release

Climate Change on the Agenda

1 Dec 2011

On the 28th of November, political figures from nations all over the world descended on Durban, South Africa, for the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2011. The conference will run until the 9th of December and the parties at the convention have been meeting annually since 1995 in Conferences of the Parties (COP) to assess progress in dealing with climate change. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was concluded at COP3 and established legally binding obligations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

The Conferences of the Parties falls under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) which sets an overall framework for intergovernmental cooperation to address climate change issues. Currently, there are 194 parties (nations) that are members of the UNFCC and by being a member these governments have committed to work together to combat greenhouse gas emissions through sharing information, to begin national initiatives for lowering greenhouse gas emissions and to work together to begin preparing for adapting to climate change.

As a member of the Conference of the Parties, the UK government has committed to lowering UK greenhouse gas emissions. Currently the UK is meeting all of the international and domestic targets that have been set for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and in 2010 had emissions that were approximately 25% less than the baseline figure. The baseline figure was calculated by extrapolating data and using this to predict future emissions if levels of greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise at that rate.

 

Simply put, in 2010 the UK's greenhouse gas emissions were approximately 25% less than they would have been if no changes had been made to emissions policy. The Kyoto protocol only required the UK to be 12.5% less.

The UK still has a long way to go if it is to meet its long term goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from 577.9 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent produced annually to 155.6 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent produced annually by 2050.

To meet this target the UK will need to turn to renewable energy. Renewable energy sources such as wind power, tidal power and solar power have no greenhouse gas emissions and would greatly reduce carbon dioxide output if the UK could switch the majority of its production of power to these methods.

Whilst the are many schemes to reduce carbon emissions, The Lifechannel Renewables programme is a new initiative to install solar panels at schools; making them sustainable and helping to reduce the carbon footprint of schools. With figures such as those above, it is important that as many schools, businesses and individuals as possible turn to renewable energy.

The Lifechannel Renewables is a great way for schools to help the UK make the 2050 milestone in greenhouse gas emissions; in addition to reaching their own sustainability goals outlined in the Ofsted Sustainability and Beyond Report and saving money by producing their own electricity.