The Queen's Speech will be absolutely critical in determining the Government's agenda on climate change. We are now in the last chance saloon and our fear is that we will get a climate change bill heavy on spin but light on substance.
According to Friends of the Earth, the UK produces 2.3% of the world's CO2, from just 1% of the world's population. The UK must take its responsibilities seriously and harness the technology and resources at our disposal to stop climate change.
What we need is a Climate Change Bill with teeth, which has measurable annual targets. These must be met if we're going to tackle the climate change catastrophe facing our planet.
The sort of targets we will be looking to be included in the proposed legislation will include:
- Annual reductions in carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to 3% per annum
- Sectoral targets for industry
- Tougher energy efficiency targets
- Significant increase in renewable energy sources in electricity generation and in transport
