UK greenhouse gas emissions fall

By Gerard Wynn

LONDON (Reuters) - The government said on Thursday that emissions of climate-warming greenhouse gases edged down half a percent in 2006.

The government has said that Britain is a world leader in the fight against global warming and is introducing self-imposed legally binding targets to cut carbon emissions by 26-32 percent by 2025 and 60 percent by 2050 below 1990 levels.

Environmental groups have demanded that Britain toughen those 2025 and 2050 goals.

The Conservative Party said at current rates it would take 500 years for Britain to reach its 2050 emissions-cutting goal.

UK greenhouse gas emissions were more than 16 percent below 1990 levels in 2006, or 21 per cent below when calculated net of carbon trading whereby governments and companies count as their own cuts that they funded overseas.

But international aviation emissions rose in 2006, and total output of the commonest greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) was barely changed, shaving 0.1 percent off the 2005 total.

"As a country we must do much more across the board," said Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, adding that the UK was on track to meet and go "well beyond" its Kyoto commitments.

Under the international Kyoto Protocol, Britain has to cut by 2012 its greenhouse gases to 12.5 percent below 1990 levels. Benn said Britain was taking steps to cut emissions further.