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Pathways to a decarbonised United Kingdom

Society must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change, not just delay or adapt to climate change.
Industrialised nations must reduce their carbon emissions to meet international targets to decrease atmospheric
concentrations of carbon dioxide. Decarbonisation of the United Kingdom could follow many pathways, such as moving
toward low-carbon electricity production or changing transport technologies. These pathways will require many
improvements in technology and modifications in behaviour, and will involve political, organisational and economic
changes. It is necessary to evaluate which of the many carbon reduction options provide successful pathways to a
decarbonised UK.

Dr Kanako Tanaka, from Tyndall Centre North at UMIST, and colleagues are examining how to assess the best mix of
mitigation responses in the UK to suggest pathways that reduce carbon emissions over a scale of several years to several
decades. The researchers will construct scenarios of future transport, electricity supply and other energy-related activities to
build up a UK-wide picture of carbon dioxide emissions from buildings, communities and cities. They will also assess the
transition from present activities and energy systems to different end-points 100 years from now. They will then use
engineering and economic based simulations to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of potential carbon
reduction methods, and will use life cycle analysis and multi-criteria evaluations to assess the social acceptability of
different options.

The combination of quantitative and qualitative information will provide advice for policy-makers on the potential of
mitigation options that combine carbon reduction projects on a city and national scale. The integrated nature of the results
will provide insights that transcend disciplines and will provide information from a combination of technical, economic and
social perspectives. The project will also supply the Tyndall Centre's Integrated Assessment Model with information about
decarbonisation of the energy system.

The Tyndall Centre's flagship project on decarbonising the UK is assessing the best mix of carbon reduction pathways to
follow over the next 100 years.
Credit: © Bill Dunster Architects

More information

Contact the lead investigator of the Theme 2 Flagship Project (Transition to a decarbonised UK - construction and
integrated assessment):
Dr Kanako Tanaka
Tyndall Centre (North), UMIST, PO Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD, UK
Phone: +44 (0) 161 200 3727; Fax: +44 (0) 161 200 3723
Email: k.tanaka@manchester.ac.uk

Other researchers involved in this project are:

Dr Simon Shackley, Dr Kevin Anderson and Professor Nick Jenkins, Tyndall Centre North, UMIST

Project duration:
October 2001 to September 2005

Useful web sites:

The Tyndall Centre: www.tyndall.ac.uk
Theme 2 Flagship Project: www.tyndall.ac.uk/research/theme2/theme2_flagship.shtml
UK Government Energy Savings Trust: www.est.co.uk
Powershift programme: www.est-powershift.org.uk
Energy efficiency measures for the home: www.saveenergy.co.uk
The Carbon Trust: www.thecarbontrust.co.uk/thecarbontrust

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