Britain moves to cut carbon emissions

Canberra Times
Thursday 15/3/2007 Page: 17

Britain's Government has proposed bold new environmental legislation that would set legally binding, longterm limits on carbon emissions - a move it hopes will prompt the United States, China and India to follow suit.

The draft climate change Bill would be the first legislation in an industrialised country to set such long-range goals, including a carbon budget set every five years that would cap CO2 levels and create an independent body to report on progress. It also set binding targets as far ahead as 2050 for reducing carbon emissions.

"This is a revolutionary step in confronting the threat of climate change," Prime Minister Tony Blair told reporters. "It sets an example to the rest of the world." Britain's political parties have jostled in recent weeks for the "green" vote, seeking to show their environmental credentials in hopes of securing a key battleground in the country's next national election.

Both Mr Blair's Labour Party and the opposition Conservatives have seized on the issue, devoting more media time to global warming than to British troops in Iraq. Stung by more bad news in Iraq, Mr Blair's camp has focused increasing attention on issues in which he can seize the initiative - such as the environment.

Mr Blair says he plans to step down by September, and success in brokering a global carbon pact could be seen as a significant closing achievement. He hopes Britain and Germany - which holds both the European Union and the Group of Eight presidencies - can lead work on a new global pact to curb emissions. The next step was getting the United States, China and India to make similar commitments, he said.

The Bill mast be approved by both houses of Parliament to become law. The Government hopes it will do so in the first half of next year. Under the plans, the Government would report annually to Parliament on work to meet the five-year carbon budget limits.

An independent advisory committee would check their progress and could compel government officials to appear before a judge to explain any failures. Judges would be able to issue public warnings to the Government, or force it to buy credits allowing greater emissions under international carbon trading schemes, Mr Blair's Downing Street office said. Governments would need to "count the carbon, just as they count the pennies", Treasury chief Gordon Brown, Mr Blair's likely successor, said.

EU leaders agreed last week that the bloc would produce 20 per cent of its power through renewable energy, as opposed to its current average of 6 per cent.