Zero carbon life under discussion at forum

Green energy pioneer and Organic Energy founder, Andy Boroughs, has held talks with a Welsh Assembly Member at a forum to discuss how the UK can eliminate carbon emissions within two decades.

Mr Boroughs, who was instrumental in introducing biomass wood pellet boilers to the UK market, was invited to take part in the forum at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales.

He met with Assembly Member David Melding who was visiting the Machynlleth centre on a fact-finding mission to see the progress of CAT's Zero Carbon Life in 2030 project.

The vision of Zero Carbon Britain in 2030 is set out in a report from CAT, backed by organisations including four universities and the Met Office, and experts including Sir John Haughton, former co-chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The report claims that in just two decades the nation can eliminate greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 637m tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2007. Ninety per cent of this would be achieved by eliminating the most wasteful uses of energy, increasing renewable electricity and heating, and transforming land use and farming.

The remaining 10 per cent or 67m tonnes would be "offset" by capturing the equivalent emissions from the atmosphere by growing willow, ash, pine, oak and other trees.

Mr Boroughs' Welshpool-based company is a forerunner of low carbon heating technology and is the sole UK distributor of the ÖkoFEN wood pellet boiler range, regarded as the most advanced and efficient of their kind in the world. CAT's heating and hot water is provided by one of the ÖkoFEN boilers which was donated by the company in 2006.

He said: "I was delighted to take part in the forum with Mr Melding, who has long advocated the need to tackle climate change and the manufacturing industry's need to invest in reducing carbon emissions. Our talks were lively and focused on issues from low carbon transport systems to pylons in Wales.

"CAT's vision for Zero Carbon Life in the next two decades is a fantastic blueprint for a greener future, providing real solutions to combating climate change. The problem is not that the technology to be zero carbon by 2030 doesn't exist, it does. The barrier will be the will by both people and politicians to make the necessary changes and put measures in place so we can achieve it."

Mr Melding AM added: “The Centre for Alternative Technology continues to develop some of the most innovative solutions to the problems caused by carbon dependency. I was delighted to learn more about the Centre’s work during my visit and really felt that there are highly practical ways to increase energy efficiency and move decisively to greener energy sources.”

Forum members also toured the new WISE building at CAT which represents the very latest in sustainable construction methods and low energy consumption. The report details how energy can be reduced by mass insulation of homes and offices, using electric vehicles and fewer planes in the sky and cars on the the road. But it also says that to achieve zero carbon, energy must be generated from more renewable sources and mangos and bananas will be a luxury as food imports must be halved.

For further information see www.zerocarbonbritain.com and how Organic Energy can assist with low carbon heating solutions visit www.organicenergy.co.uk.