UK needs 'more electricity' to meet environmental targets

If the UK is to meet its target of reducing carbon emissions by 80 per cent within the next thirty years, it will have to generate more electricity, an expert has claimed.

According to Lord Turner, chairman of the government's committee on climate change, an 80 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 may see a greater emphasis on things such as electric vehicles and central heating.

Lord Turner's own report on climate change is due to be released on December 1st, reported The Times.

Speaking to the UK newspaper, he explained that meeting European Union standards provides the UK with a chance to decrease its reliance on coal-powered stations.

"Over the next 15 years, we need to replace these with three low-carbon technologies - nuclear, renewables and carbon-capture storage," he added.

Researchers from the University of California announced last week that their research demonstrated that forest fungi thriving in warmer soil release less carbon dioxide than their cold soil counterparts.