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Britain to cut emissions by 80 pct by 2050

LONDON - British energy and climate minister Ed Miliband said on Thursday he backed proposals for Britain to cut all greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050 from the current target of 60 percent.

Miliband said the government would make the new target binding by amending its Climate Change Bill which is going through Parliament.

The government's chief adviser on climate change recommended the more ambitious cuts in greenhouse gases on Oct. 7. The Committee on Climate Change said Britain needed to reduce its emissions further than under previous proposals as part of a strategy to halve global emissions by 2050.

Miliband also said he would amend a law going through parliament to introduce 'feed in' tariffs for renewable energy in small-scale electricity generation. The minister did not specify whether this would involve offering solar panels for free.

Feed in tariffs compensate those who generate electricity from renewable sources, paying them for feeding extra power to the National Grid.

Miliband said he also plans to make another announcement soon on encouraging renewable heat.

"I also believe that complementing the renewables obligation for large-scale projects, guaranteed prices for small-scale electricity generation (and) feed-in tariffs, have the potential to play an important role, as they do in other countries," he told legislators.

In addition, Miliband said he will discuss new legislation to end unfair pricing unless energy companies show they are prepared to stop over-charging on pre-payment meters for many customers.

The minister will meet with energy companies in one month to hear what they have to say about possible abuses and what action they will take.