Britain aims to cut emissions 34%

Sydney Morning Herald

Friday 24/4/2009 Page:8

Britain bas announced it will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly seven times the amount Australia has committed to. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, has promised the Government will cut emissions by 34% by 2020 and said it would go even further if other countries agreed to take action during international negotiations this year.

Australia has promised to reduce its emissions by between 5 and 15% by 2020. The Government has said it would consider a target of 25% if other developed countries endorsed similar cuts at the Copenhagen talks. The exact figure for 2020 will not be announced until next year. The Government has been under fire from environmentalists and scientists for not setting a much higher target. They argue emissions must be reduced by at least 25% - but ideally 40% - in order to prevent dangerous levels of climate change.

The Greens senator Christine Milne yesterday praised the British Government's decision. "Is it encouraging to see a government stand up and commit to ambitious cuts in emissions and reach for the jobs and investment that the effort will create," she said. Australia needed a much tougher target if it was to demonstrate leadership at the Copenhagen talks, Senator Milne said. "Locking in scientifically unacceptable targets is a signal to the rest of the world that Australia heads to Copenhagen with the same blocking mentality it took to Kyoto and every global climate conference since," she said.

The British Government also said it would aim to reduce its own emissions rather than rely on international offset schemes. The US Congress is considering a bill to cut its emissions by 20 percent by 2020. But the fate of the bill is uncertain. If It is successful it is likely tile US would be relying on international schemes such as deforestation to reduce its emissions, rather than reducing them domestically.