Despite the fact that the United Kingdom is in its worst recession in 50 years, and the ruling Labour Party is politically vulnerable with elections less than a year away, the country’s government on Wednesday unveiled ambitious plans for increasing renewable energy production.
By 2020, the U.K. intends to produce 31% of its electricity from renewable energy sources, up from 6% today, while nuclear’s share will fall to 8% from current levels of between 15%.
While conceding that the country’s Low-Carbon Transition Plan will raise energy costs, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said, "Our plan will strengthen our energy security…it seizes industrial opportunity and it rises to the moral challenge of climate change."
The committment reaffirms the country’s leadership position in addressing climate change. Britain was the first country to set legally-binding emissions targets. It wants to cut its output of greenhouse gases 34% below 1990 levels by 2020.
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