Anaerobic digestion and biogas can deliver a 6 percent reduction in UK annual greenhouse gas emissions within the next decade, 30 percent of the UK’s legally binding carbon budget for 2030. The industry can also help reduce the carbon footprint of hard-to-decarbonise sectors such as heat, transport, waste management and agriculture.
Thursday's Cabinet reshuffle saw the appointments of Alok Sharma MP as new President of the United Nations Climate Change Summit, COP26 and George Eustice MP as Secretary of State for the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra). Mr Sharma is also named Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
“We congratulate Mr Sharma and Mr Eustice for their appointments at a critical time for environmental policy in the UK ahead of COP26” said Charlotte Morton, Chief Executive of the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA). “These ministerial changes in the middle of a climate emergency mean that we, ADBA, must redouble our efforts to convey to policymakers the potential of AD and biogas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the critical need to develop a green, circular economy that will boost business and employment in the country”.
Ahead of COP26, the UK must show strong leadership and commitment on environmental issues or risk serious embarrassment. In particular, it must clearly state its strategy to meet the Net Zero by 2050 target that it has set for the country.
“We strongly believe that there is no Net Zero without biogas, and we are determined to demonstrate the huge contribution that AD - a mature, ready to use technology - can make towards achieving the UK's goals” added Ms Morton. “Biogas is the only sector that can deliver a 6 percent reduction in UK greenhouse gas emissions across heat, transport, waste and agriculture by 2030 and could directly create more than 30,000 new jobs over that time. Time is of the essence, and we trust the new Ministers' experience and understanding of environmental and climate change issues will enable them to recognise the vital role of AD in achieving Net Zero and commit to supporting the deployment of AD and biogas across the UK economy without delay”.
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