Kennedy presses Blair on the environment

Wednesday, 16 June 2004 12:00 AM

The Liberal Democrat leader has called on the Government to work with Europe to lead attempts to tackle climate change.

Charles Kennedy said that with little expectation that America will sign up to the Kyoto agreement, the UK should join together with "France, with Sweden, with Holland, with Denmark in pressing the principle of contraction and convergence as the fairest way forward for controlling greenhouse gas emissions".

"Contraction and convergence" is a reduction model for reducing greenhouse gases favoured by a number of environmentalists.

"Contraction" refers to the aim of a drop in the total volume of greenhouse gases. Advocates of this measure, including the European Parliament, argue that it is far more transparent than the complicated formulas in Kyoto, which allow nations to offset output with devices such as carbon sink projects.

"Convergence" takes account of the fact that nations currently emit different levels of carbon dioxide, and proposes that all countries should be required to converge to a set level of emissions per head of population rather than historical industrial factors.

Responding at Prime Minister's Question Time, Tony Blair said that: "We already are working very strongly with the European Union in order to make the case for the reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions - indeed this Government has been leading the way."

Mr Blair did not comment directly on the "contraction and convergence" proposal, instead arguing: "I believe, the investment in science and technology and energy efficiency which give us the best chance in the long term of combining economic growth and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions."

The USA has consistently refused to ratify the Kyoto protocol, claiming that the framework is unsuitable. With less than five per cent of the world's population, the USA is responsible for 25 per cent of greenhouse gases.

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