Kennedy sets out green agenda
Tony Blair would only be able to claim that Britain’s presidency of the G8 had been a success for the environment if he persuaded the United States to change its stance on climate change, according to Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy.
Mr Kennedy said securing US engagement in the next round of climate change negotiations should be Mr Blair’s prime goal.
In a keynote speech on the environment, Mr Kennedy also set out proposals to use existing taxes to reward environmentally friendly behaviour as part of the Liberal Democrat’s strategy to make the environment a key General Election issue.
The Liberal Democrat leader wants to create a Britain “in which a green thread runs through government policy”, and his party is already busy working on a green manifesto that is set to feature prominently in their election campaign.
Speaking to the Green Liberal Democrats at the National Liberal Club, he said Britain should be looking beyond the Kyoto treaty “to the next stage of the battle to limit climate change.”
But first he called upon the Prime Minister to use the G8 presidency and his relationship with George Bush to focus on encouraging the US to be part of the international solution.
“It should be the prime goal of the British Prime Minister to secure public agreement from the White House that the science of climate change is real and the threat is real.
“He must achieve agreement that the US will engage, not just as an observer, but as a participator, in the next round of climate change negotiations, known as the Conference of Parties in autumn 2005,” said Mr Kennedy.
In moving beyond Kyoto, he said the focus should be on “contraction” – reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions – and “convergence” – sharing our equally emissisons across the planet on a head, not a wealth count.
Mr Kennedy said securing agreement among the G8 nations, including the US, was vital to engaging developing nations including China and India.
At home, Mr Kennedy warned that the cost of environmental damage in 2004 – at £67 billion – was nearly the same as the entire annual budget of the NHS. It was crucial, he said, that the environment was put at the heart of the Treasury.
He proposed a “wholesale shift” in environmental taxation to reward environmentally friendly behaviour without raising the overall tax burden. An Environmental Incentive Programme would be established to ensure the polluter paid the full environmental costs of polluting activities, but revenue would be used to offset tax cuts.
A new Aircraft Departure Duty is among the Liberal Democrat’s proposals. It would replace Airport Passenger Duty, paid by all aircraft regardless of the number of passengers would be used to provide incentives to maximise the use of each flight.
Turning the Landfill Tax into a broader waste disposal tax and rewarding farmers for environmentally sustainable work also feature in the plans.
