Policy Exchange

Following the recent publication of the Policy Exchange report, 2020 Hindsight, this event comes at a time when energy ministers from several Member States including the UK, as well as the European Commissioner for Climate Change, are pushing for a more ambitious 2020 carbon emissions reduction target. The European Commissioner has also suggested a new 2030 EU renewable energy target. The Committee on Climate Change’s renewable energy report, released in May, backs the government’s Renewable Energy Strategy and recommends a portfolio approach to electricity decarbonisation in the subsequent period.

At the same time, the huge costs of the existing 2020 renewable energy target are becoming increasingly visible, as highlighted in our report - 2020 Hindsight. There are also real questions about whether the focus on renewable energy is actually at odds with successfully achieving carbon emissions reductions.

The following issues will be considered:

• Should the UK government continue to lobby for an increased 2020 carbon emissions target?
• Can the EU continue to reconcile its twin objectives of decarbonisation and promotion of renewable energy, while keeping costs at levels energy bill payers are willing to tolerate?
• Does the EU 2020 Renewable Energy Target help or hinder the UK to decarbonise? Should there be a new 2030 renewable energy target? Or should the 2020 renewable energy target go as part of changes to the 20-20-20 package?
• Going into the June European Council summit, what should the EU’s energy and climate policy objectives be?

Speakers:
CHAIR: Simon Less - Head of Environment & Energy, Policy Exchange
Tim Yeo MP - Chair, Energy and Climate Change Select Committee
David Kennedy - Chief Executive, Committee on Climate Change
Boaz Moselle - Director, FTI Consulting