UK should cut 57 pct emissions by 2030 to achieve low-carbon economy: climate watchdog

To achieve the carbon emission reduction goal in 2050, Britain should commit to an emissions reduction of 57 percent by the period between 2028 and 2032, Britain's Committee on Climate Change said on Thursday.

The scientific evidence confirms that without action to limit warming to the globally agreed level of two degrees Celsius, climate change will pose serious risks to Britain and around the world. The UK has set out its long-term emission reduction target for 2050.

Britain's emissions have reduced by 36 percent on 1990 levels and if current policies are effective will be down by 43 to 46 percent in 2020, according to the Committee on Climate Change, an independent and statutory body that provides advice to the UK government.

To keep within the emissions limits set by the fourth and fifth carbon budgets, and to stay on track to 2050, a number of new policies and clear long-term signals to investors are urgently required, according to the committee.

The committee recommended a series of low-carbon measures to be adopted in fields like household heating, electricity generation and energy-efficient buildings.

"As a nation, we have begun the transition towards a low-carbon economy. By legislating the fifth carbon budget at the recommended level, the government will take the next important step," said Lord Deben, chairman of the Committee on Climate Change. Endit