Environment
UK's climate change bill splits business and environmental groups
The UK government’s
climate change bill
split business and environmental groups, with the former praising it as a
balanced step forward and the latter damning it as unambitious.
The bill sets a legally binding carbon dioxide reduction
target of 26-32% by 2020 and 60% by 2050. This is accompanied by a system of
legally binding five year “carbon budgets”, set at least 15 years ahead to
provide clarity on the UK’s progress towards its targets and to increase the
certainty of business investing in low carbon technologies.
Richard Lambert, director general of the
CBI employers’
body, said the bill is a big advance in combining the two things that business
needs to cut emissions: long-term clarity on policy direction and flexibility in
its delivery. Setting binding targets, he argued, demonstrates how seriously the
UK is taking the global response to climate change.
Chris Huhne,
Liberal Democrat shadow environment secretary,
called the bill’s creation of a framework for emissions cuts a step forward, but
said benchmarks are needed to assess progress on a year-by-year basis. As it
stands, he argued, the bill just sets “Not in My Term of Office” targets.
The Green Party was more forthright in its criticism,
calling the targets “mediocre” and “dangerous”. Instead the party called for a
90% cut in emissions by 2050, arguing that anything less makes it likely global
temperatures will increase by more than 2°C.
Friends of the Earth wants an 80% cut by 2050, and argued
the government’s current target fails to take into account the UK’s share of
emissions from international shipping and aviation.
Consultation on the draft bill ends 12 June.
Links
Climate
Change Bill
CBI
Liberal Democrats
Green Party
Friends of the Earth
April, 2007 |
