More than 80 Labour MPs have reportedly signed an amendment to the Climate Change Bill which would force the government to raise its targets for cuts in carbon emissions.

The bill commits ministers to a 60 per cent cut in CO2 emissions by 2050, while MPs want that changed to 80 per cent.

The background: Gordon Brown has asked Lord Turner’s climate change committee to examine the issue, reporting at the end of the year.

Yesterday I spoke to Tim Yeo, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, which has just put out a report warning that such targets are useless if the UK continues with various policies such as expanding airports.

Yeo takes a sceptical view of the 2050 target and would rather see the emphasis on a cut of up to 40 per cent by 2020. His point is that by 2050 most MPs will probably be dead. By 2020 many will be out of office….but at least it is within our lifetime.

Couldn’t agree more.  Unfortunately, the government’s commitment to addressing climate change - despite all the hot air - can be summarised by its approach to EU targets. It’s trying to change the rules so that it can include overseas projects, ones which haven’t started, and coal-fired power stations using carbon capture.

As Greenpeace points out, this would mean including a half-built Chinese coal-fired station (designed by a consortium including one British company) as “UK renewables”. Crazy.

UPDATE

Okay, more detail on the amendments. (There are two). One proposes including aviation and shipping in the targets. The other is lifting 60 per cent to 80 per cent. The Lib Dems are likely to back both while the Tories will support the first (at least). The only problem is that these were “committee amendments” and will have to be put forward again as new amendments at the report stage……after the recess.  Bear in mind that nearly 200 Labour MPs signed an EDM supporting the 80 per cent target.

July 8, 2008 12:23pm in Labour, UK politics | Comment