In the House of Commons on Thursday, I welcomed the government’s announcement of a Clean Growth Strategy. The strategy aims to achieve the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 57% by 2032 and comes after over a year of active engagement across Government, with NGOs, and with the private sector.
As part of the strategy, up to £557 million will be made available for the next clean electricity auctions for less established renewable energy sources. The last auction of this kind secured enough renewable capacity to power 3.6 million homes and the UK is now decarbonising quicker than any other G20 nation. Since 1990 the UK’s emissions are down by more than a third while the economy has grown by two-thirds. More widely, the strategy will include ambitious proposals on housing, business, transport and the environment, as well as the power sector. It will also show how actions taken to tackle emissions have helped to reduce energy bills for households.
I am proud that our Government is making efforts to accelerate a decarbonisation process that has already outstripped every other nation in the G20. We can hold our heads high as a country that is setting the standard amongst developed nations in green policy and environmental awareness. Our impressive target of 80% decarbonisation by 2050 is now one step closer and I look forward to playing my part in supporting effective government environmental policy as this Parliament continues.