The UK Climate Change Act, which was enacted on Wednesday 26th November, ushered in the worlds first legally binding targets for a country to reduce its carbon emissions.The Climate Change Bill, which legally commits the UK to meeting its 80% carbon reduction targets by 2050, the Planning Bill and the Energy Bill were all granted Royal Assent in Parliament on Wednesday evening. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said: `The UK is the first country in the world to introduce a legally-binding framework to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Setting the 80% target was the easy part. Now the work really begins.` The Climate Change Bill was introduced to Parliament just over a year ago by Hilary Benn MP, now Secretary of State for the Environment. It commits the UK to a mid-term target of a carbon dioxide reduction of at least 26% from 1990 levels by 2020 and an overall reduction of 80% by 2050.Friends of the Earths executive director Andy Atkins said: `The Climate Change Bill is a world class piece of legislation that should make the UK an international leader in tackling climate change.`Ministers must now rapidly develop a low-carbon economy`, he added. `Investing in green energy and cutting energy waste will also create exciting new business opportunity, many thousands of jobs and help lead Britain out of recession.`Matthew Sullivan, CEO of Carbon Advice Group Plc, said that `This Act represents a line in the sand for the worlds climate change policy. It is real, it affects everyone and will be the cornerstone of changes that will need to be made to achieve the UKs emission reduction targets. Soon, we hope, the words energy efficiency, emissions reduction and carbon offsetting will be on everyones lips`

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