Earlier this year the States declared a climate-change emergency and set a target date of 2030 for Jersey to achieve carbon neutrality by removing as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as the Island creates.
With the worldwide clamour to address climate change growing, Environment Minister John Young said he believed that the Island was more capable than most places of reaching its environmental targets because of its wealth, independent government and the limited range of issues it needed to address to reduce carbon emissions. He stressed that Jersey should consider developing its own renewable energy sources as Brexit threatens to disrupt the Island’s power supply from France.
With the government’s initial report on tackling the climate emergency released yesterday, the minister said that the Island’s largest sources of carbon emissions were vehicles and commercial/domestic heating, which account for 75% of Jersey’s carbon-dioxide output.
He said that ‘ambitious’ policies, involving ‘carrot and stick’ measures, would be needed to address this and the Environment Department would be prioritising the matter next year.
He also warned that making all vehicles in Jersey electric would probably double the Island’s energy needs.
Deputy Young said that Jersey should consider ploughing funds into renewable energy projects, in particular wind turbines.
It is believed extracting energy from 5% of Jersey’s offshore waters could generate 3.5 times Jersey’s annual electricity demand.
The minister added that another big target for Jersey would be to fund carbon sink projects, such as reforestation initiatives and tree-planting here and in other parts of the world to offset, in particular, the carbon emissions from air and boat travel, which are vital parts of Island life.
He explained that this would largely take the form of investing in carbon sequestration projects elsewhere and tie in with the work of the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission.
The government is also considering the prospect of using citizens’ assemblies or similar mechanisms to make the big decisions that will be need to be made to achieve carbon neutrality, such as whether to undertake massive renewable-energy projects.
According to the minister, £18 million will be allocated to tackle the climate-change emergency over the next four years, including £5 million in reserves that has been earmarked in the newly published Government Plan.
But he thinks a lot more money will be needed.
‘It’s a modest amount and I think £100 million is what will be required and someone is going to have to pay for it,’ he said.
‘I will be supporting carrot-and-stick approaches to financial policies which enable us to get the best uses and outcomes from the modest fund.’
Next year £1.5 million has been earmarked for sustainable transport initiatives to reduce reliance on cars and to encourage use of public transport, walking and cycling.
Measures could include increased car parking charges, improved bus services, reduced bus fares, incentives to move to electric vehicles, such as better infrastructure, and new fiscal measures, such as taxes and subsidies.
The Environment Department is also planning to encourage renewable-energy usage and reduce energy consumption by encouraging usage of solar panels, heat pumps, geothermal technology, more efficient boilers and insulation.
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