
Climate Change - 60% cut is not enough
I am delighted that after campaigning by the public, the Lib Dems and organisations such as Friends of the Earth – and recommendations from the Committee on Climate Change – the Government has at last accepted that an 80% cut in emissions is needed for the fight against climate change.
All greenhouse gases will be inclu...ded in the target, not just CO2, and Ministers have promised to take account of emissions from the aviation and shipping industry, though details are yet to be worked out.
You can read the Parliamentary announcement on 80% here: http://tinyurl.com/6p7e5a
And the Climate Change Bill debate here: http://tinyurl.com/6g4ez9
We continue to have concerns, as other departments are supporting coal-fired power stations and new airport runways, so we will keep up the pressure on the whole of Government to ensure that it takes climate change more seriously.
Thanks to all who supported the campaign.
Steve Webb MP
Lib Dem spokesman on Energy and Climate ChangeRead more
All greenhouse gases will be inclu...ded in the target, not just CO2, and Ministers have promised to take account of emissions from the aviation and shipping industry, though details are yet to be worked out.
You can read the Parliamentary announcement on 80% here: http://tinyurl.com/6p7e5a
And the Climate Change Bill debate here: http://tinyurl.com/6g4ez9
We continue to have concerns, as other departments are supporting coal-fired power stations and new airport runways, so we will keep up the pressure on the whole of Government to ensure that it takes climate change more seriously.
Thanks to all who supported the campaign.
Steve Webb MP
Lib Dem spokesman on Energy and Climate ChangeRead more

Climate Change - 60% cut is not enough
Check out this new site: http://www.canvassyourmp.com.
To coincide with the second reading of the Climate Change Bill in the House of Commons today, we are encouraging people to go and see their local MP to explain why it is important to have an 80% cut in the Bill.
The site gives details of how to make an appointment t...o see your own MP and how to report back on whether they are supporting 80% or not.
Please spread the word!Read more
To coincide with the second reading of the Climate Change Bill in the House of Commons today, we are encouraging people to go and see their local MP to explain why it is important to have an 80% cut in the Bill.
The site gives details of how to make an appointment t...o see your own MP and how to report back on whether they are supporting 80% or not.
Please spread the word!Read more

Climate Change - 60% cut is not enough
BUDGET UPDATE: the Chancellor had this to say yesterday:
"We are the first Government anywhere in the world to introduce legal targets compelling us to take action to cut carbon emissions. We have established a target to reduce emissions by at least 60 per cent. by 2050, but I believe that we should go further. That is ...why we have asked the Committee on Climate Change to advise us on whether, as part of an international commitment, we should raise our target not to 60 per cent. but to 80 per cent. And if we are serious about reaching demanding targets, every Government, every Department in Government, every single public sector body, every business, every one of us needs to play our part. To ensure that carbon reduction is a central part of our economic objectives, I can tell the House that the first carbon budgets to 2022 will be announced alongside the Budget next year."
Read more
"We are the first Government anywhere in the world to introduce legal targets compelling us to take action to cut carbon emissions. We have established a target to reduce emissions by at least 60 per cent. by 2050, but I believe that we should go further. That is ...why we have asked the Committee on Climate Change to advise us on whether, as part of an international commitment, we should raise our target not to 60 per cent. but to 80 per cent. And if we are serious about reaching demanding targets, every Government, every Department in Government, every single public sector body, every business, every one of us needs to play our part. To ensure that carbon reduction is a central part of our economic objectives, I can tell the House that the first carbon budgets to 2022 will be announced alongside the Budget next year."
Read more

Climate Change - 60% cut is not enough
UPDATE - The House of Lords last week debated a Lib Dem amendment to replace the 60% figure in the Climate Change Bill with 80%; the Conservatives abstained and Labour voted against so it didn't go through, but this does open a window - if the Conservatives are reserving their position in the Lords it is still open fo...r them to support the change in the Commons later in the year; if everyone can step up contact with Conservative MPs, there is a real chance we could make the difference. Steve W.Read more

Climate Change - 60% cut is not enough
Breaking news: the Government has promised to review the 60% target to see if it needs to be increased to 80%. It will announce a decision by 1st December. See more here:
http://bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php? id=22810
Let's keep up the pressure on this!

Climate Change - 60% cut is not enough
We've posted a draft letter to MPs in the discussion board in case it helps!
re Rhys's comment, if we can do better than 2050 then so much the better! The problem is that it isn't just about abolishing one product, it's about changing the whole way that the global economy operates. Although we need to make progress quickly, achieving cuts on this scale is a truly massive task.













