Targets, targets, targets

With the Climate Change Bill going through parliament, the debate is now about how much the UK needs to cut its CO₂ emissions by 2050 in order to head off unpredictable effects of climate change. Should we be aiming for 60, 80 or even 90%?

Although 2050 is a long way off – around eight general elections away – even a 60% reduction will be a tough target. It’s all too easy for politicians and policymakers to put off really difficult decisions like this by thinking ‘we’ll tackle that next year, after the election’. The same goes for the rest of us, who might think ‘why do something difficult now when we can leave it to our children to sort out?’

But as we all know, the longer we put off big changes, the harder they become. The more we delay, the bigger the cuts we will need to make – and the more difficult it will be to make them.

The Big Green Challenge encourages people to think seriously about how to reach a 60% reduction in CO₂ emissions. Our finalists will have a year to see how much progress they can make towards that target. With people working together in ambitious and creative ways who knows what’s possible?

If you’d like to know more about how communities can measure and reduce their carbon emissions, then take a look at our new FAQs on carbon savings.