The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008, to bring together:
* energy policy (previously with BERR, which is now BIS - the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills), and
* climate change mitigation policy (previously with Defra - the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

Climate change is not only a massive threat to the global environment, it is also perhaps the greatest economic challenge facing us in the twenty-first century. It demands an urgent and radical response across the developed and developing world.

At the same time, the UK needs to secure clean, safe, affordable energy to heat and power our homes and businesses. Creating a low carbon and resource efficient world means making major structural changes to the way we work and live, including how we source, manage and use our energy.

DECC exists to take the lead in tackling these challenges, and reflects the fact that climate change and energy policies are inextricably linked – two thirds of our emissions come from the energy we use. Decisions in one field cannot be made without considering the impacts in the other.

The Climate Change Act 2008 set legally binding emission reduction targets for 2020 (reduction of 34 percent in greenhouse gas emissions) and for 2050 (reduction of at least 80 percent in greenhouse gas emissions), and introduced five-yearly carbon budgets to help ensure those targets are met.

DECC, working with other Departments, is helping the UK to make the transition to a low carbon economy, while ensuring that the UK benefits from the business and employment opportunities this brings.