Post by warriorwitch on Aug 3, 2007 18:35:59 GMT
MPs say climate law should go further
By Peter Griffiths Reuters - Friday, August 3 11:42 amLONDON (Reuters) - Britain's plans to fight climate change through laws that set binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions do not go far enough, an influential group of MPs said on Friday.
In a report, they said failure to include the fast-growing aviation sector undermined the credibility of the proposed laws -- the first of their kind in the world.
"We consider this to be a serious weakness," said the report by a parliamentary committee set up to scrutinise the draft climate change laws.
The Department for Transport estimates that carbon dioxide emissions from UK aviation will more than double between 2000 and 2050, the report said.
Britain says it excludes aviation and shipping because there is no internationally agreed basis for allocating emissions from planes and ships travelling around the world. The government says taking "unilateral responsibility" would be irrational.
The draft bill, which should become law in 2008, aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions by at least 60 percent from their 1990 level by 2050 -- nearly 10 times what has been achieved so far.
But the MPs warned that even tougher targets may be needed in the future and urged the government to leave the door open for new goals.
"Climate science suggests that this figure may not be adequate to prevent global temperatures rising above dangerous levels," they said.
Scientists predict that rising temperatures, mainly due to burning fossil fuels for power and transport, will put millions of lives at risk from floods, famines and storms.
The committee said it was surprised the proposed law would allow Britain to meet its targets solely by buying carbon credits overseas, especially from developing countries, and called for a cap on buying overseas credits.
"The Bill as currently drafted would still theoretically allow all the savings to be made externally to the UK, notably in developing countries, and thereby postponing the decarbonisation of the UK economy," the report noted.
About 70 percent of Britain's emission savings between 2008 and 2012 will come from international credits, it said.
David Puttnam, the committee's chairman, said the government's draft law was ambitious, but could only succeed if it was credible and enjoyed public support.
"We have suggested a number of ways in which the government can make sure that people ... have faith in the decisions that are being made," he told BBC radio. "It is going to require all of us to get our act together."
The draft bill follows an agreement by European Union leaders in March to cut carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020.
The full report is at: www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200607/jtselect/jtclimate/17 0/170i.pdf
By Peter Griffiths Reuters - Friday, August 3 11:42 amLONDON (Reuters) - Britain's plans to fight climate change through laws that set binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions do not go far enough, an influential group of MPs said on Friday.
In a report, they said failure to include the fast-growing aviation sector undermined the credibility of the proposed laws -- the first of their kind in the world.
"We consider this to be a serious weakness," said the report by a parliamentary committee set up to scrutinise the draft climate change laws.
The Department for Transport estimates that carbon dioxide emissions from UK aviation will more than double between 2000 and 2050, the report said.
Britain says it excludes aviation and shipping because there is no internationally agreed basis for allocating emissions from planes and ships travelling around the world. The government says taking "unilateral responsibility" would be irrational.
The draft bill, which should become law in 2008, aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions by at least 60 percent from their 1990 level by 2050 -- nearly 10 times what has been achieved so far.
But the MPs warned that even tougher targets may be needed in the future and urged the government to leave the door open for new goals.
"Climate science suggests that this figure may not be adequate to prevent global temperatures rising above dangerous levels," they said.
Scientists predict that rising temperatures, mainly due to burning fossil fuels for power and transport, will put millions of lives at risk from floods, famines and storms.
The committee said it was surprised the proposed law would allow Britain to meet its targets solely by buying carbon credits overseas, especially from developing countries, and called for a cap on buying overseas credits.
"The Bill as currently drafted would still theoretically allow all the savings to be made externally to the UK, notably in developing countries, and thereby postponing the decarbonisation of the UK economy," the report noted.
About 70 percent of Britain's emission savings between 2008 and 2012 will come from international credits, it said.
David Puttnam, the committee's chairman, said the government's draft law was ambitious, but could only succeed if it was credible and enjoyed public support.
"We have suggested a number of ways in which the government can make sure that people ... have faith in the decisions that are being made," he told BBC radio. "It is going to require all of us to get our act together."
The draft bill follows an agreement by European Union leaders in March to cut carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020.
The full report is at: www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200607/jtselect/jtclimate/17 0/170i.pdf
