U.K. Carbon Calculator Shows 80% Emissions Reduction Is Achievable By 2050

The U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change announced a “carbon calculator” that shows the country’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent in the six decades through 2050 is achievable.

The calculator is an online tool that allows power consumers to gauge how to achieve the necessary cuts by adjusting 34 measures of energy demand and supply, ranging from the temperature of people’s homes to nuclear power generation.

Each of the categories, 17 for demand and 17 for supply, has four scenarios. They range from one, where no attempt is made to fight climate change, to four, which the department describes as a “extreme upper effort.” The calculator shows that an 80 percent cut could be achieved by a mixture of twos (effort viewed as achievable) and threes (unlikely to happen without significant changes.)

"These are possible pathways," U.K. Climate and Energy Secretary Chris Huhne told lawmakers today in Parliament. "We are not claiming to be able to see the future with certainty. But we cannot continue on the current pathway: high-carbon, highly dependent on imports, highly volatile prices."

The department plans further consultations on the inputs with members of the public and experts in energy and economics before updating it in October.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net.

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