Aiming too high?

For the UK is to meet its renewable energy targets there needs to be "drastic" changes, it was revealed this week.
The EU committee stated that for the government to meet the 2020 targets they need to introduce comprehensive measures.
The UK needs to have 15% of its energy coming from renewable sources, at the moment only 1.3% does.
The report reveals that their should be an economic incentive to encorage people to make changes in their homes.

'Incentives'

Lord Freeman, Chairman of the Lords EU Committee on the Internal Market, said: "Energy efficiency and energy saving must be the starting points for meeting the target and policies to encourage reductions in energy use."
He added: "If we fail to meet this goal, the UK will become increasingly reliant on nuclear and fossil fuel power."
41% of the UK's energy use is for heating and cooling. To reduce this figure the commitee advises an increase in existing micro-generation grants and a system of renewable heat.
The renewables target will mean an increase the cost of energy.
It has, however, been said that help will be given to the least well off.

Global ignorance?

The hot and controversial topic of the last few decades is the environment and what we should be, or not be, doing to cut down our emissions. I have to admit that even though I listen and read about the damaging effects our lives is having on the environment, daily on the news, I haven't changed much about my day to day life. I know that I, like many others, would never out of choice exchange my car for a bike or miss a summer holiday abroad to cut down on CO2 emissions because these are big changes to our everyday lives. But does this prove that we are an ignorant nation?

If so, then can we really afford to be one? When according to the Environment Agency the planet may not have warmed as fast as it has in the past 25 years. This 'hot topic' which is undoubtedly a very serious one hasn't been a regular part of our parents and grandparents lives. It takes a while for people to get into a routine of putting their recyclables into separate boxes for collection, to remember to turn their washing machine down to 30 degrees or to switch everything off by the mains and not leave it on standby.

The credit crunch will admittedly mean that people are more cautious about how much their electricity bills are but more needs to be done to help future generations. According to the BBC Weather Centre we are already seeing change and will continue to do so, but if predictions are correct then our climate will be a very different place in the next ten to twenty years as it is now.

Sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/climate/evidence/too_late.shtml
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/639312/?version=1&lang=_e