U.K. Energy Sustainability Public Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

U.K. Energy Sustainability Public Policy - Essay Example The intention of this study is Public Policy as a set of rules, or guides promulgated by governments to ensure that the branches of government all deal with issues in a similar, consistent manner, according to the laws and constitution of the particular country. Inevitably, public policy is not simply decided by an elected government: it is influenced and changed by pressure, or lobby groups, by organisations within the society or community, and by the public at large and its perceptions. While public policy can be confined to domestic policy and thought, the increasingly globalising world means that it is not only internal pressure which is brought to bear on government and their policy formulation, but also international trends and necessities. Thus, although this essay will focus on the Energy Policy of the UK Government, some consideration must necessarily be given to the influence that international trends in energy policy have on the UK. The Department of Energy and Climate Cha nge formulates public policy in this area and relies on two pieces of legislation: the Energy White Paper of 2007, and the Low carbon Transition Plan of July 2009. Four key policy goals were tabled in the 2007 paper: †¢ The UK should be on a path to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 60%, and significant cuts should be evident by 2020; †¢ The UK should ensure reliable energy supplies; †¢ Competitive markets in the UK and internationally should be promoted, so that sustainable economic growth is possible, and productivity can improve;   and Every home in the UK should be adequately and affordably heated. Additional considerations are highlighted in the policy, among them the production, distribution and use of electricity, fuel used for transport, and heating. The longer-term intention is to contribute to the worldwide fight against climate change, and to ensure secure, clean and affordable energy for the UK itself. By 2008, the policy included emphasis on the energy ma rket, offshore gas and oil, and investment in nuclear power. Direct control of energy in the UK economy now does not lie with the government, after the liberalisation and nationalisation policies of the 1980s and 1990s, and while UK energy is recognised as being highly reliable in delivery to the population (Bowlby, 2011, website) there are a significant number of UK citizens in fuel poverty. Yet,