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British Ambassador: We have already shown that you can reduce your carbon emissions at the same time as growing your economy

04 February 2021 16:43 (UTC +04:00)

"The British government has taken bold climate actions and promoted these activities. One of these is the announcement by the British government that the UK will reduce gas emissions by at least 68% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. We’ve also committed ourselves to net zero emissions by 2050. We’ve actually made significant progress already, cutting emissions by 43% while our economy has grown by 75%. So, we have already shown that you can reduce your carbon emissions at the same time as growing your economy. How we have done it, how we are going to do it?! Late last year we published a Ten Point Plan, which sets out how we’ll achieve our targets. Some of this is through changes to our energy sources," Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Azerbaijan James Sharp said in an interview with APA.

According to Mr. Ambassador nuclear and hydrogen will have a role, though renewables are very much at the forefront: "The UK is already the world’s largest producer of offshore wind energy. And last year for the first time we produced more electricity from renewable sources than from fossil fuels. That is the first time – a very historic shift in our energy mix.

Other areas in our plan include buildings, and transport – aviation, shipping, and vehicles. So the UK has announced that as of 2030 it will not be possible to buy a new petrol or diesel car, only electric vehicles, and hybrids. This is a revolutionary change.

We want to show leadership, partly because we’re chairing the next major UN Climate Change Summit, COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021. But everyone needs to contribute – it’s a global problem requiring global solutions. It’s great that the US is now on board. And we want Azerbaijan to strengthen its commitments – our view is that hydrocarbons producers have a special responsibility. It’s good to see that the government is looking to increase the share of renewables in the energy mix here, and I know BP is keen to be involved. We’re supporting the government through a number of projects such as helping them with monitoring emission levels, and also improving buildings’ energy efficiency in conflict-affected areas such as Ganja and Barda –building back green, if you like."