Yesterday was the annual event of the Queen’s speech. There were few surprises in it and as expected there was the announcement of a tougher green policy. So lets have a look at he content….
The bill aims to cut CO2 emissions by 60% from the 1990 level, by 2050. To reach this projected target CO2 emissions will have to be reduced at a rate higher than they currently are. Instead of having MPs set the targets they are going to set up a Committee. No surprise there as everything seems to have to have a committee these days! It’s to be called the Carbon Committee. The targets are going to be in line with the Kyoto agreement and will therefore be a five year rolling target. It’s worth pointing out that the bill will make the UK the first country in the world to have legislation in place regarding climate change.
So how has the bill been met by opposing political parties and environmental groups? David Cameron of the Conservative party feels that whilst this is a step in the right direction there is more that the Labour party could do. Tony Juniper of Friends of Earth feels that CO2 emissions should be reduced by 80%. The shipping industry and international aviation companies should also be included in the legislation. Only by doing this will the reduction of CO2 emissions be in line with the predictions made by the scientific community.
The team here at Ethical and Green are pleased that the legislation proposed will be the first of it’s kind in the world. However, whilst focussing on industry to reduce CO2 emissions will make the biggest impact the Government also needs to change public perception regarding an individuals responsibility to reduce their carbon footprint. So has Gordon Brown gone far enough? We look forward to hearing some responses over the coming days……
