Energy Saving Trust & DeCReASE South East Region Carbon Reduction Gap & Carbon Scenario Analysis

Carbon Descent has been commissioned by the DeCReASE partnership to determine the impact of the Low Carbon Transition Plan together with regional and local carbon reduction policies and programmes on the carbon emissions of the South East region.

The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan outlines a number of national measures that central government intends to implement in order to reduce emissions overall in the UK and meet the targets set out in the first three “carbon budgets”. DeCReASE wanted to determine what the realistic impact of these national policies is on emissions in the South East region. 

In addition to national policies, the existing South East regional planning policies will also have an impact on the carbon emissions of the region’s domestic, commercial & industrial and transport sectors. Planned growth in the number of dwellings in the region coupled with more stringent building regulations will have a significant effect on the emissions of the domestic sector. Planned improvements in fuel efficiency of vehicles must be considered against the likely growth in the number of journeys to determine the projected emissions from the transport sector. In the commercial & industrial sector, growth must be considered against improvements in Building Regulations for the non domestic sector to determine the impact on carbon emissions. Another aim of this project therefore is to understand the impact that existing regional policies will have on the region’s carbon emissions.

By carrying out the above analysis we have been able to determine the gap between the reduction in carbon emissions that is likely to be achieved through existing regional, national and other policies and the emissions targets for the South East region. The study investigates the realistic results that can be expected from the above policies and identifies the additional measures that the region will need to take in order to be sure of meeting their targets.

The final report call be viewed online in full, here.