The UK energy sector is always changing in consideration with environment, economy, concerns in public health as well as climatic changes both nationally and internationally. There has been the emergence of renewable source energy which has led to the shifting away from the large localized generating stations that feed the transmission network. In the policy, there was a recommendation to overhaul the network operation and incorporate new tools to handle the generation and grant the customers the role of managing the electricity load in the UK (Rutledge and Wright, 2011). There are many aims to reduce the emission of carbons into the atmosphere. This carbon emission reduction was bound by the climate change act and the Paris agreement.
Success ensures that the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere is minimized. This minimization is ensured by adopting clean energy sources and at the same time preventing the violation of the eight SPs. One must at all times avoid actions that satisfy one SP but violates another SP. These SPs include raising the concentrations of elements mined from the Earth’s crust, increasing the amount of substances created by the community, dilapidation by physical means where nobody is subject to circumstances that steadily destabilize their capacity to meet their necessities in competence, health, influence, meaning-making and impartiality. The government needs to ask itself the three prioritization questions. These questions include
At no time should one engage in an action that will satisfy only one or some SPs but violate other SPs. For example, if your behaviors will ensure that the biosphere is not physically degraded but not guarantee the health and safety of both staff and the community then it will not be worth the risk.
It is essential to invest in short-term measures that can help in saving capital which could be re-invested in future projects.
One should avoid any action that could lead to depletion of resources without reasonable return in the capital.
It is very important to implement the Climate Change Act and the Paris Agreement to successfully fight carbon emission from energy sources. This success will promote sustainability in the long run.
The Climate Change Act of 2008 is the foundation of the approach by the UK to confront and respond to the changes in the climate. The act demands that the emission of carbon and other greenhouse gases decreases and the risks associated with the climatic changes are adequately prepared for (Biesbroek et al., 2010, p. 444). The UK should reduce the release of the gases into the atmosphere by almost eighty percent in 2050 as compared to the levels in 1990. To achieve this 2050 target the UK government has to set carbon budgets that are legally binding. After this budget is set, the Climate Change Act obligates the government to set up the required policies to meet the set budget.
The Committee on Climate Change advises the government on the suitable target of the emission levels and provide the ways on how the goals can be met (Falkner, 2016, 1108). The committee also needs to publish all its recommendations and the reasons behind the published recommendations. The CCC also has to inform the government on the consequences of using the onshore petroleum, like shale gas to meet the budget. This legislation on climate change is capable of achieving the long-term objectives on climate changes if the policy on emission reduction is implemented correctly. The act also championed for the improvement of fuel energy, the elevation of microgeneration and the utilization of the heat produced from the renewable sources.
Taking the example of shale gas, the UK is understood to possess enormous resources for the shale gas with the aim of significantly improving their energy security. It is believed that if only ten percent of the shale gas could be recovered, it could be sufficient to cater for the UK’s gas demand for the next fifty years. To realize this target, the generation of electricity must be decarbonized entirely to achieve the 2050 goal of 80% reduction of carbon emission. This need for decarbonization of electricity is because the continuous use of shale gas as an energy source leads to the emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
To successfully implement the Climate Change Act, the government can apply the generic five-level framework (5LF) and the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) (Chintoan-Uta and Silva, 2016, p. 187).
This agreement aimed to counter the changes in the climate by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and reduce the risks due to global warming by reducing the global temperatures to temperatures below 2? (Rogelj et al., 2016, p. 633). The fact that the United Kingdom ratified this agreement showed that they were dedicated to aiding in the war against the adverse climatic changes. This shift in the direction of zero carbon economy would cause the creation of more job opportunities, more proficient energy infrastructures and cheaper costs of power (Savaresi, 2016 p. 18).
The first step is to detect the sustainability challenge pertinent to the energy, create the principle-based vision of the future to aid in the premeditated planning and making substantial progress in gaining access to the recent energy services. It is also necessary to determine the current form of energy supply in the UK. This actions can be undertaken by the UK if she stops relying on imported gas and start relying on their own produce. It is also essential to install nuclear reactors which is probably the cleanest source of energy (Toke, 2011, p. 530). In addition to this, the new coal stations will have to be fitted with a technology capable of capturing carbon. This kind of technology will prevent the emission of carbon gases to the atmosphere.
A range of tools exist that are used for the production and transmission of sustainable energy. The government levies on lands used for the extraction of coal to encourage coal mining. The government can launch mechanisms to inspire companies to be resource proficient (Strachan, 2011, p. 1040). The nation can also rely on foreign aids to promote sustainability. The administration can also pledge long-term electricity prices for the power generation companies to come up with lasting decisions on investments depending on the prerequisite scale.
The Government must adopt local or regional whole-system, large-scale schemes to institute examples of how the future system will operate (Strachan, 2011, p. 1040). These projects must move past the existing single technology exhibitions and include all facets of the energy system along with consumer characteristics and financial contrivances. The Government could also simplify and steady market mechanisms and inducements to give the industries the assurance to invest.
Shale gas production is a significant source of energy in the UK and other nations all over the world. Extraction of shale can produce an abundant amount of power that could supply a country for many years to come. These developments in Shale gas and oil have however raised some life and environmental concerns. If not done correctly, the extraction of shale can lead to the emission of methane to the atmosphere, affect the quality and the availability of water as well as cause seismicity (Strachan, 2011, p. 1040).
Conclusion
Sustainability demands the cooperation of both the society and the government. The struggle to reduce the number of carbon emissions is an ongoing battle which will eventually lead to the production of clean energy and fight risks related to global warming. Once one understands the three prioritization questions, it becomes easy to implement the energy policies. If the right approach is made and enough capital invested to the energy sector, then tremendous developments can be made towards sustainability and the production of clean energy.
References
Biesbroek, G.R., Swart, R.J., Carter, T.R., Cowan, C., Henrichs, T., Mela, H., Morecroft, M.D. and Rey, D., 2010. Europe adapts to climate change: comparing national adaptation strategies. Global environmental change, 20(3), pp.440-450.
Chintoan-Uta, M. and Silva, J.R., 2016. EU Coast Guard: a Governance Framework Based On the Principles of Sustainable Development. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 5(2), pp.181-196.
Falkner, R., 2016. The Paris Agreement and the new logic of international climate politics. International Affairs, 92(5), pp.1107-1125.
Rogelj, J., Den Elzen, M., Höhne, N., Fransen, T., Fekete, H., Winkler, H., Schaeffer, R., Sha, F., Riahi, K. and Meinshausen, M., 2016. Paris Agreement climate proposals need a boost to keep warming well below 2 C. Nature, 534(7609), pp.631-639.
Rutledge, I., and Wright, P., 2011. UK Energy Policy and the End of Market Fundamentalism. Oxford University Press.
Savaresi, A., 2016. The Paris Agreement: a new beginning?. Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law, 34(1), pp.16-26.
Strachan, N., 2011. UK energy policy ambition and UK energy modelling—fit for purpose? Energy policy, 39(3), pp.1037-1040.
Toke, D., 2011. The UK offshore wind power programme: A sea-change in UK energy policy? Energy Policy, 39(2), pp.526-534.
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