CCC net-zero report, industry response
Responding to the publication of the new Committee on Climate Change (CCC) report, calling for the UK to set a net-zero target for 2050, Charlotte Morton, chief executive of the Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association, said, “The UK's anaerobic digestion industry fully supports the Committee on Climate Change's call for net zero emissions by 2050, which is a vital target to ensure we avoid the worst effects of climate change.”
She continued, "By converting organic wastes and crops into renewable heat and power, clean transport fuel, and soil-restoring natural fertiliser, anaerobic digestion has already reduced the UK's greenhouse gas emissions by 1% and has the potential to reduce them by as much as 5% if the industry meets its full potential. Crucially, anaerobic digestion reduces emissions from hard-to-decarbonise sectors such as heat, transport and agriculture, as well as from the power sector and from waste.”
Addressing economic and regulatory mechanisms, “As a technology-ready solution that can tackle climate change right across the economy, it's vital that government recognises and rewards the many benefits of anaerobic digestion, so it can make the maximum contribution to decarbonisation at speed and scale. We therefore also support the CCC call for a new regulatory and support framework for low-carbon heating – where biomethane from anaerobic digestion can make an important contribution – to address the current million-pound funding gap.”
