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We believe carbon police and energy rehab will be part of everyday life in 2050, according to a new report. Dubbed 'Emission Impossible', the report sets out the Energy Saving Trust's vision for how the UK can achieve an 80 per cent cut in carbon emissions by the middle of the century. I've just thumbed through all 17 pages to bring you the highlights.
Nearly two-thirds of people surveyed for the report said they expect the government to enforce tough laws to change our green habits. Just under half, 46 per cent, hope that energy-wasting will be socially unacceptable by 2050. Four in ten feel we'll need a carbon police force and energy rehab classes for 'energy addicts', said the 2,159 respondents.
The EST says we need to save 188m tonnes of CO2 every year to hit our 2050 carbon cuts. That's steep. To put it into context, if we changed all our old wasteful bulbs to energy-savers by 2020, we'd save 2.5 million tonnes a year. And if everyone with a car adopted eco-driving habits, that'd shave off another 9 million.
So what else do we need to change? The way we travel, the products we buy, the condition of our homes and our energy sources. No sweat, says the report. It suggests a mixture of tech, cash incentives and culture change. It proposes a roll-out of smart meters, which are essentially advanced versions of the Wattson and its ilk. Energy-efficient appliances, such as these eco steam washing machines, need to be made more attractive.
It goes on to suggest the car industry needs to be legally forced to make low-carbon cars, like the sub-100g/km-of-CO2 VW BlueMotion Polo. Like previous 'green 2050' reports from the Lib Dems and the Centre of Alternative Technology, it thinks electric cars (pictured above) will be key and will work in tandem with renewables.
Our homes need a major overhaul too, says the EST, noting that expensive insulation choices such as solid walls need to be more affordable (good news for my brick-walled house).
The full report makes for surprisingly interesting reading. I recommend checking it out if you've got a spare half an hour.
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