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Moving the UK to a low carbon economy requires:
- Rapid shift of energy supply to low carbon sources
- Electrification of transport
- Reduced demand for energy, transport, water and waste management facilities
While all these challenges are technically achievable, the scale of the challenge requires the full commitment and action from government, industry and the engineering profession.
Government as policy maker should:
- Task Infrastructure UK with promoting a systems approach to managing carbon across infrastructure networks and co-ordinating low carbon policy across relevant government departments
- Task Infrastructure UK with monitoring progress of implementation of relevant aspects of the low carbon transition plan and triggering remedial action where necessary
- Facilitate the creation of a common methodology for accounting for the lifecycle carbon footprint of infrastructure
- Signal that it will guarantee a minimum (floor) price of carbon in the medium to long-term
- Press for reform in the EU ETS for realistic pricing of carbon for all emissions
- Fully implement the Planning Act 2008 to speed up the process for delivering low carbon infrastructure
- Ensure Local Development Frameworks and Supplementary Planning Guidance enable the creation of low carbon infrastructure at the local level
- Create a National Infrastructure Investment Bank (NIIB) to ensure that sufficient capital is available at affordable rates
- Expand the role of regulators so the reduction of carbon is a fundamental driver in determining both infrastructure investment and consumer price
Infrastructure owners/clients (including government as client) should:
Prioritise energy efficiency and demand management measures
In the short-term (five to 10 years) focus on rolling out known technologies at scale
Establish carbon abatement as a key determinant in procurement procedures and options appraisal for new infrastructure projects
The engineering profession should:
- Develop methodologies and skills for managing carbon across infrastructure systems
- Develop methodologies and skills to ensure carbon is a key design constraint
- Lead debate on detailed priority actions and technologies for decarbonising infrastructure networks
- Lead debate on trade offs and constraints on choice that may be required to maximise emission reductions
"If you have an 80% decarbonisation target, clearly you are not going to hit that target unless you significantly decarbonise heat, transport and electricity. We think you should be progressing action in three sectors in parallel rather than waiting to decarbonise one as a whole."
EDF energy
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