Government agrees climate change targets for chemical/paper industries
18 Feb 2000
The government has agreed energy efficiency targets from the chemicals and paper industries which could lead to 80 per cent exemptions from the proposed climate change levy.
The Chemical Industries Association has pledged to cut specific energy consumption levels by 20 per cent over the period 1990-2005, while the Paper Federation is to reduce total energy consumption by 40 per cent between 1990 and 2010.
The reward for this is the 80 per cent discount on the tax; companies who employ combined heat and power schemes will receive a further discount.
The targets will help the government reach the goal of 20 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions between 1990 and 2010, agreed at the Kyoto climate change conference in 1997. Paper Federation president James Dalglish comments: `Our proposal is a major commitment by the paper industry as a whole, to play its part in helping government meet its commitment to the Kyoto Protocol and its own domestic target. It will not be easy, and significant investment will be required to enable us to reach the target.'
