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EU climate and energy ministers meeting at an informal gathering hosted by the Spanish presidency in Seville this weekend will discuss the state of play and new strategies on EU energy and climate policies. Energy Ministers will discuss an energy action plan for 2010-2014, defining the next steps the EU will take to modernise its energy supply. They will also debate measures to finance the development of new energy technologies. "By setting a clear focus on energy savings and supporting the development of a 100% renewable energy supply, EU ministers can kick-start Europe's economy, create millions of green jobs and deliver solutions to tackle climate change. European taxpayers are still footing the expensive bill for oil imports and dirty technologies like coal and nuclear. Ministers can bring this to an end by committing to a cleaner and self-sufficient energy future," said Frauke Thies, Greenpeace EU energy policy adviser.

On Monday 18 January 2010, the Government is launching the second phase of its Carbon Offsetting Facility (GCOF II) which will offset emissions resulting from Government air travel and potentially other emissions created by public sector organisations. It will cover emissions generated in the period April 2009 to March 2012. There is the possibility of extending it to March 2013. The Government recognises a hierarchy of actions to combat the effects of climate change. The public, businesses and the public sector are all urged to take action on their carbon footprint by calculating emissions, avoiding emissions, reducing emissions and then, lastly, to consider offsetting. Offsetting mitigates the impact of emissions that cannot currently be avoided or reduced by leading to emissions reductions elsewhere in the world. GCOF II will facilitate the purchase by Government Departments and other public sector organisations of Gold Standard or equivalent Certified Emissions Reduction (CER) credits under the United Nations' Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). All purchases will be quality assured under the Government's Quality Assurance Scheme (QAS) on carbon offsetting, operated by AEA Group plc.

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The recession will not deflect the Government's efforts to cut carbon emissions and move to a low carbon economy, Energy and Climate Change Minister Ed Miliband said today. Speaking as the Government formally responded to the Committee on Climate Change's first annual report on carbon budgets under the Climate Change Act, Mr Miliband said Britain stood to gain not only from a green jobs revolution, but from measures to help people cut the amount of energy they use. The UK is on course to over-achieve on its carbon budgets - the emissions equivalent of fiscal budgets - with an estimated 36% cut on 1990 levels projected by 2020. Government will not rely on the reduction in emissions brought about by the economic downturn to meet its climate targets. To reinforce this, any over-achievement in the first carbon budget due to the recession will not be carried forward to allow for higher emissions in the future.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said: "The recession will not deflect the Government's efforts to cut emissions and move to a low carbon economy. We will not let up on the fight against climate change, instead we must redouble our efforts at home and internationally so the UK emerges from the global downturn building on the opportunities and benefits a low carbon future will bring."

Source: Directgov

The international climate conference in Copenhagen ran from 7 to 18 December 2009, with the final talks running into Saturday 19 December. The conference did not as yet lead to the creation of a hoped-for legally binding agreement, but an accord signed by the majority of countries.

The Accord: what was agreed

The Copenhagen Accord stresses the need for strong domestic action on climate change across the world. Many countries are already taking domestic action, as is the UK through its Low Carbon Transition Plan.

The Accord includes:

* international backing for an overall limit of two degrees on global warming
* agreement that all countries need to take action on climate change
* financial help for the countries most at risk from climate change: $30 billion or £19 billion over the next three years, rising to US$100 billion (£61 billion) a year by 202

Source: Directgov

10:10 is the citizen-led campaign to cut the UK's carbon emissions by ten per cent in 2010. Sign up to do your bit - if you keep this particular new year's resolution, you'll also find that you save money. This coming year, 10:10 is asking individuals, schools, hospitals and workplaces to cut the UK's carbon emissions by ten per cent. More than 51,000 individuals and several thousand businesses and organisations have already signed up. These include:

* city councils: Liverpool, Manchester, London and others
* more than 1200 schools and colleges
* businesses: among them Logica, O2, TMobile, Time Out Group, Walker Books
* Royal Mail, the Cabinet Office, boroughs and district councils

Cut your carbon footprint in 2010.