Climate and Energy Governance for the UK Low Carbon Transition


Book Description

The UK Climate Change Act was the first case of a country implementing blanket legally binding long-term emissions reduction targets in order to combat climate change. This book provides the first accessible and in-depth analysis of the UK’s complex Climate Change Act framework, presenting the discussion in a clear and interdisciplinary manner designed to open the workings of the challenging framework to a broad audience. It discusses the political ‘story’ surrounding the framework, and its treatment in scholarly environmental literature; analyses the technical content of the Act; explores the framework’s international significance, and its internal ‘subnational’ dimensions and impact, engaging the UK’s devolved jurisdictions of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. This first, much-needed interdisciplinary treatment of the framework is both introductory and analytical in nature and will be of interest to scholars, practitioners and general readers of environmental studies, policy and governance.




The UK low carbon transition plan


Book Description

This White Paper sets out the UK's transition plan to 2020 for becoming a low carbon country: cutting emissions, maintaining secure energy supply, maximising economic opportunities and protecting the most vulnerable. The plan will deliver emission cuts of 18 per cent on 2008 levels. Key steps include: all government departments to have carbon budgets; 40 per cent of energy from low carbon sources including 30 per cent of energy from renewables; funding of four demonstrations of capturing and storing emissions from coal power stations; new nuclear power stations. Home will be made greener by: £3.2 billion to help households become more energy efficient; rolling out smart meters to all homes by 2020; piloting "pay as you save" schemes; introducing clean energy cash-back schemes; a competition for 15 towns and villages to be pioneers in green innovation. Vulnerable sections of society will be helped by: mandated social price support; piloting a community-based approach to delivering green homes in low income areas, helping around 90,000 homes; increasing Warm Front grants. The greening of industry will be addressed through support for development and use of clean technologies, including £120 million in offshore wind and £60 million towards marine energy. Transport will be transformed: carbon dioxide emissions from new cars to be cut across the EU by 40 per cent on 2007 levels and increased support for electric cars; sourcing 10 per cent of UK transport energy from renewable sources. A framework for emissions from farming will be developed. Also published are "The UK renewable energy strategy" (Cm. 7686, ISBN 9780101768627) and "Low carbon transport" (Cm. 7682, ISBN 9780101768221).




Building a Low-carbon Economy


Book Description

Climate change resulting from CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions poses a huge threat to human welfare. To contain that threat, the world needs to cut emissions by about 50 per cent by 2050, and to start cutting emissions now. A global agreement to take action is vital. A fair global deal will require the UK to cut emissions by at least 80 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050. In this report, the Committee on Climate Change explains why the UK should aim for an 80 per cent reduction by 2050 and how that is attainable, and then recommends the first three budgets that will define the path to 2022. But the path is attainable at manageable cost, and following it is essential if the UK is to play its fair part in avoiding the far higher costs of harmful climate change. Part 1 of the report addresses the 2050 target. The 80 per cent target should apply to the sum of all sectors of the UK economy, including international aviation and shipping. The costs to the UK from this level of emissions reduction can be made affordable - estimated at between 1-2 per cent of GDP in 2050. In part 2, the Committee sets out the first three carbon budgets covering the period 2008-22, and examines the feasible reductions possible in various sectors: decarbonising the power sector; energy use in buildings and industry; reducing domestic transport emissions; reducing emissions of non-CO2 greenhouse gases; economy wide emissions reductions to meet budgets. The third part of the report examines wider economic and social impacts from budgets including competitiveness, fuel poverty, security of supply, and differences in circumstances between the regions of the UK.




How to Avoid a Climate Disaster


Book Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • In this urgent, authoritative book, Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical—and accessible—plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe. Bill Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change. With the help of experts in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, political science, and finance, he has focused on what must be done in order to stop the planet's slide to certain environmental disaster. In this book, he not only explains why we need to work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases, but also details what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal. He gives us a clear-eyed description of the challenges we face. Drawing on his understanding of innovation and what it takes to get new ideas into the market, he describes the areas in which technology is already helping to reduce emissions, where and how the current technology can be made to function more effectively, where breakthrough technologies are needed, and who is working on these essential innovations. Finally, he lays out a concrete, practical plan for achieving the goal of zero emissions—suggesting not only policies that governments should adopt, but what we as individuals can do to keep our government, our employers, and ourselves accountable in this crucial enterprise. As Bill Gates makes clear, achieving zero emissions will not be simple or easy to do, but if we follow the plan he sets out here, it is a goal firmly within our reach.




Drawdown


Book Description

• New York Times bestseller • The 100 most substantive solutions to reverse global warming, based on meticulous research by leading scientists and policymakers around the world “At this point in time, the Drawdown book is exactly what is needed; a credible, conservative solution-by-solution narrative that we can do it. Reading it is an effective inoculation against the widespread perception of doom that humanity cannot and will not solve the climate crisis. Reported by-effects include increased determination and a sense of grounded hope.” —Per Espen Stoknes, Author, What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming “There’s been no real way for ordinary people to get an understanding of what they can do and what impact it can have. There remains no single, comprehensive, reliable compendium of carbon-reduction solutions across sectors. At least until now. . . . The public is hungry for this kind of practical wisdom.” —David Roberts, Vox “This is the ideal environmental sciences textbook—only it is too interesting and inspiring to be called a textbook.” —Peter Kareiva, Director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA In the face of widespread fear and apathy, an international coalition of researchers, professionals, and scientists have come together to offer a set of realistic and bold solutions to climate change. One hundred techniques and practices are described here—some are well known; some you may have never heard of. They range from clean energy to educating girls in lower-income countries to land use practices that pull carbon out of the air. The solutions exist, are economically viable, and communities throughout the world are currently enacting them with skill and determination. If deployed collectively on a global scale over the next thirty years, they represent a credible path forward, not just to slow the earth’s warming but to reach drawdown, that point in time when greenhouse gases in the atmosphere peak and begin to decline. These measures promise cascading benefits to human health, security, prosperity, and well-being—giving us every reason to see this planetary crisis as an opportunity to create a just and livable world.




Low Carbon Mobility Transitions


Book Description

* A thorough exploration of low carbon mobility transitions from a range of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives;* A broad view of low carbon transition across travel, transport, tourism and mobilities studies;* A critical exploration of the global, regional and local prospects for low carbon mobility transitions; * Illustrating examples of low carbon transition, from leading scholars researching in a wide range of geographic contexts.Arranged in three interrelated sections; People and Place, Structures in Transition, and Innovations for Low Carbon Mobility, Low Carbon Mobility Transitions presents nineteen theoretically-informed, empirically grounded chapters and case studies that comprehensively address the prospects for global, regional, and local systemic transitions to low carbon mobility. Bringing together the work of leading researchers from 26 universities, research centres and consultancies, spanning six continents, it critically explores the wide-ranging regional contexts in which a low carbon transition has been, is being, or can be achieved. In doing so, it highlights the place-specific, geopolitical and cultural sensitivities of low carbon transitions at national, regional and local (urban) scales. The overlapping roles of technological innovation, behaviour change and policy frameworks are critically examined in this book, providing timely insights into the opportunities for decarbonising the current systems of transport, in order to achieve the radical emissions reductions required to prevent lasting impacts of climate change.Highlights of the book include:* Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary insights into low carbon mobility transitions;* Research-informed chapters and case studies including a range of geographic contexts across the global North and South;* New perspectives on the intersecting and overlapping roles of technological innovation, behaviour change and policy frameworks;* Expert assessments of systemic low carbon transition.About the EditorsDebbie Hopkins is a Research Fellow at the Transport Studies Unit, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford (UK), and a Junior Research Fellow in Geography at Mansfield College, Oxford. James Higham is a Professor in the Department of Tourism, University of Otago (New Zealand), Visiting Professor, University of Stavanger (Norway) and co-editor of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism.




Oil and Gas Law


Book Description

This highly successful book brings together academic and practising lawyers to consider the key regulatory and contractual dimensions of the mature hydrocarbon province. Now in its second edition, the text has been fully updated. New chapters look at Energy Security, Law and Technology in the Oil Field and Acquisitions and Disposals.




Cities and Low Carbon Transitions


Book Description

Current societies face unprecedented risks and challenges connected to climate change. Addressing them will require fundamental transformations in the infrastructures that sustain everyday life, such as energy, water, waste and mobility. A transition to a ‘low carbon’ future implies a large scale reorganisation in the way societies produce and use energy. Cities are critical in this transition because they concentrate social and economic activities that produce climate change related emissions. At the same time, cities are increasingly recognised as sources of opportunities for climate change mitigation. Whether, how and why low carbon transitions in urban systems take place in response to climate change will therefore be decisive for the success of global mitigation efforts. As a result, climate change increasingly features as a critical issue in the management of urban infrastructure and in urbanisation policies. Cities and Low Carbon Transitions presents a ground-breaking analysis of the role of cities in low carbon socio-technical transitions. Insights from the fields of urban studies and technological transitions are combined to examine how, why and with what implications cities bring about low carbon transitions. The book outlines the key concepts underpinning theories of socio-technical transition and assesses its potential strengths and limits for understanding the social and technological responses to climate change that are emerging in cities. It draws on a diverse range of examples including world cities, ordinary cities and transition towns, from North America, Europe, South Africa and China, to provide evidence that expectations, aspirations and plans to undertake purposive socio-technical transitions are emerging in different urban contexts. This collection adds to existing literature on cities and energy transitions and introduces critical questions about power and social interests, lock-in and development trajectories, social equity and economic development, and socio-technical change in cities. The book addresses academics, policy makers, practitioners and researchers interested in the development of systemic responses in cities to curb climate change.




False Alarm


Book Description

An “essential” (Times UK) and “meticulously researched” (Forbes) book by “the skeptical environmentalist” argues that panic over climate change is causing more harm than good Hurricanes batter our coasts. Wildfires rage across the American West. Glaciers collapse in the Artic. Politicians, activists, and the media espouse a common message: climate change is destroying the planet, and we must take drastic action immediately to stop it. Children panic about their future, and adults wonder if it is even ethical to bring new life into the world. Enough, argues bestselling author Bjorn Lomborg. Climate change is real, but it's not the apocalyptic threat that we've been told it is. Projections of Earth's imminent demise are based on bad science and even worse economics. In panic, world leaders have committed to wildly expensive but largely ineffective policies that hamper growth and crowd out more pressing investments in human capital, from immunization to education. False Alarm will convince you that everything you think about climate change is wrong -- and points the way toward making the world a vastly better, if slightly warmer, place for us all.




A New Path


Book Description

In September 2020, China announced that it would peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060. How and whether it can achieve the target is a matter of great concern to the international community. This is the first book to provide a comprehensive analysis of the underlying theory of "Low-Carbon Plus", in which "low carbon" is the core and "plus" represents the critical areas that will go through low-carbon transformation (including industry, agriculture, buildings, transportation, energy and consumption), and puts forward the most practical path for China to achieve carbon neutrality. Starting from the basic theory of the Low-Carbon Plus strategy, the book introduces the low-carbon development situation domestically and abroad, summarizes the essential experiences and inspirations, and outlines a roadmap for China to implement the strategy. While focusing on emission reduction in primary and secondary industries, this book strongly recommends the development of low-carbon finance and low-carbon consumption, which can facilitate the ultimate realization of the Low-Carbon Plus strategy. As a fruitful result of the research by China’s national think tank, Low-Carbon Plus is an emerging development model that complements economic development and forces technological innovation, institutional innovation, and mind shift, and it is expected to have a significant and far-reaching impact on global economic growth.