Happy Birthday, DECC!

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) held its first Anniversary Stakeholder Reception at the QEII Centre on Wednesday (21 October 2009).

It was clear to see how the emphasis has shifted in the last 10 months from Defra and BERR to this new department under Secretary of State Ed Miliband.

 

Now that stretching Green House Gas (GHG) reduction targets have been set in law with all-party support, keeping the stakeholders who will have to achieve these targets happy is going to be no easy task.

 

The bible that will guide these reductions is the Low Carbon Transition Plan, a relatively straightforward read. However, the hard work starts when you try to turn the laudable ideas expressed in the plan into delivery on the ground. Virtually everything we must do will have a significant cost.

 

As far as agricultural GHGs are concerned, we are working with the NFU, AIC and AHDB through the Climate Change Task Force to suggest to farmers cost effective ways to mitigate emissions. The practical ideas that are being suggested have been developed in conjunction with Rural Climate Change Forum under Defra’s sponsorship. Many of them make sense and can save money. 

 

However, when we look at adaption, for example flood protection or upgrading our farming systems to cope with a changing climate, we are looking at serious costs.

 

It will be important for the CLA to engage with DECC not just in those areas involving renewable energy, as we do now, but, crucially, also in finding affordable solutions to address our increasingly hostile climate.

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