Gas must be ‘completely’ decarbonised by 2050, says UK think-tank

(EurActiv, 15 Feb 2019) Britain must get rid of fossil-based natural gas in the coming three decades if the country is to meet its long-term climate change objectives, according to a report published on Friday (15 February) by a think-tank close to the ruling Conservative party.

The report, ‘Pressure in the pipeline: decarbonising the UK’s gas’, says demand for natural gas in the heat sector must diminish, and calls for government incentives to boost the supply of low-carbon gases.

Natural gas combustion is responsible for around 35% of the UK’s total global warming emissions, says the report by Bright Blue, a think-tank close to the Tory party of Prime Minister Theresa May.

And of half of those emissions are associated with gas use in the heating sector, it points out, meaning deeper decarbonisation is necessary if Britain is to meet its current climate goals and aim for net-zero emissions by 2050 as envisaged at EU level.

“UK gas must be completely decarbonised during the coming three decades if this country is to meet its current and likely future legal emissions reduction target,” said Wilf Lytton, senior researcher at Bright Blue and co-author of the report, published on Friday (15 February).

This means “natural gas will need to be almost entirely eliminated from the networks by 2050, if not earlier,” Lytton told EURACTIV, saying this is necessary for meeting the 1.5-degree target mentioned in the Paris Agreement.

Lytton stopped short of calling for an outright ban on fossil-based natural gas, saying a preferred route is to create a market for low-carbon gases instead.

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EurActiv, 15 Feb 2019: Gas must be ‘completely’ decarbonised by 2050, says UK think-tank