A new Government proposals aims to cut the administrative burden on businesses which want to reduce carbon emissions.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) issued new regulations immediately before Christmas which will simplify the existing rules.

The Government said the new package of measures is designed to reduce duplication and overly complicated administrative requirements. The aim is to make it easier and cheaper for businesses to tackle carbon emissions.

Defra says it has three techniques for initiating environmental improvements. These are the EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS), climate change agreements (CCAs) and the proposed carbon reduction commitment (CRC). Its proposals aim to eliminate avoidable overlap, simplify the existing regulation and ensure that the regulatory burden on the economy is kept to a minimum.