What the Conservatives want from a Climate Change Bill

The shadow environment secretary Greg Barker backs an ambitious climate change bill. But, he warns its aims must be based on up-to-date science, not what is politically convenient.

The most striking achievement to date of David Cameron's leadership of the Conservative Party has been to propel environmental issues to the top of the political agenda at Westminster. The fact that the government bowed to calls for a major Climate Change Bill is a tangible result of the Conservatives new Green politics and a clear sign that Cameron has already begun to have a major impact on British politics.

However, while we welcome the Bill and want to play a constructive role, helping the government get it on to the statute books, as currently drafted, it doesn't go far enough.
It needs to be more ambitious and impose a far more rigorous obligation on future governments of any colour to cut our carbon emissions.

The draft Climate Change Bill was published on March 12 2007 and is currently subject to pre-legislative scrutiny in a committee of both Houses.

I believe that our approach to the draft Bill must be based on the best available science. On the issue of targets for reducing carbon emissions, it is clear that the science is shifting, with many scientists now looking into a higher target of around 80 per cent cuts from 1990 levels.

However, although there is political consensus around the 60 per cent target, we believe that the Climate Change bill must specify cuts of at least 60 per cent, possibly even higher.

The Bill must also include the option for a genuinely independent body to increase this target if the science dictates. An independent body would be in a good position to make informed decisions, away from partisan politics, based on the best available science. We are concerned that the government is proposing a committee entirely appointed by ministers; and that this will merely monitor rather than set emission reductions. We believe that policy must be dictated by the science – not political convenience.

At the moment, the focus of climate change is on reducing carbon dioxide emissions above other green house gases. This is because CO2 is judged to be the biggest contributor to climate change. Again, this is an issue on which an independent body, rather than politicians, would be best placed to decide.

With regard to statutory targets in the Bill, the Conservatives think that rolling annual targets are the best way forward. These need to be set within the context of framework targets of five or six years, with these targets set several years ahead, in order to give business the long term certainty about the emission reductions it will need to make long term investment decisions.

The Labour government has had several long term targets, not least a three manifesto commitment to cut emissions by 20 per cent by 2010. Last year, they finally admitted there was no chance of meeting this target, and simply dropped it. The Conservatives believe that any framework targets should include rolling annual rate of change targets so that the government of the day has genuine annual accountability.

The Conservatives are totally committed to tackling climate change and we will continue to press the government to include rolling annual targets and the establishment of an independent body to set carbon reduction targets and monitor the UK's progress in reducing carbon emissions. We hope that the other major parties are able to commit to these too. We have a shared responsibility to rise to the challenge of halting climate change and by working together we can be far more effective and deliver the long term solutions we need.