December 2014 Lib Dem Nick Clegg helped lead the UK government persuading the EU to agree 40% carbon reduction by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. An amazing achievement.

40% many think amazingly hard to achieve. We actually need an 80 or 90% reduction to avoid irreversible climate change. Either way 40% felt amazing.

This week it was announced that tests replacing regular spark plugs with laser ignition in a normal combustion engine had been successful. Not only does it work but in the first ever tests of the idea they had a 27% boost in combustion efficiency. That is a huge leap. Not only that they found fewer pollutants such as NOx which causes smog from incomplete combustion. This could benefit cars, lorries, ships, generators. In the US transportation engines account for 28% of all CO2 emissions.

The scientists involved are saying that a laser can be much more finely tuned to cause ignition at the best possible moment. That it could occur multiple times in one RPM of an engine. That unlike spark plugs which cause ignition at one end of the chamber it can be focused for the middle or edges or both. So 27% is probably just the start of boosting combustion efficiency.

40% could actually turn into a rather pedestrian target – he says hopefully.