Climate Change Bill

Current research reveals that the effects of climate change in the UK are likely to be sharper and stronger than people originally thought, which is why the Government has introduced the Draft Climate Change Bill - which is the first of its kind for any country – to help tackle the problem by limiting the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere.

The Climate Change Bill puts into statute the UK's targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through domestic and international action. Originally, the Bill prescribed a 60% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 against a baseline of the amount of emissions there were in 1990. However, Gordon Brown has recently announced that the 2050 reduction targets are being referred to the Independent Committee on Climate Change to see if they should be strengthened further. As well as implementing the 2050 target, the Bill establishes a system of five-year carbon budgets, which will require the Government to set binding limits on carbon dioxide emissions during five year budget periods, beginning with the period 2008-12.  The first three budgets, covering 2008-12, 2013-17 and 2018-22 should be set by the end of 2008. The Bill proposes to create a new independent expert Committee on Climate Change to advise on the best way to achieve these targets. However, if, ultimately, the carbon budgets are not met, the Government will be liable to judicial review.

This week, the Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP – Secretary of State for the Environment–  made a full announcement on further amendments the Government planned to make to its draft Climate Change Bill, following a three-month public consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny by three parliamentary committees. These changes are designed to produce a strengthened, more effective and more transparent Bill. They include:

Strengthening the role and responsibilities of the Committee on Climate Change, including by requiring the Government to seek the Committee's advice before amending the 2020 or 2050 targets in the Bill;

Strengthening the Committee's independence from Government, by confirming that it will appoint its own chief executive and staff, and increasing its analytical resources;

Increasing transparency, by requiring the Committee to publish its analysis and advice to Government on setting five-yearly carbon budgets, which are designed to provide clarity on the UK's route towards its reduction targets;

Strengthening Parliament's ability to hold Government to account, by requiring the Government to explain its reasons to Parliament if it does not accept the Committee's advice on the level of the carbon budget, or if it does not meet a budget or target;

Providing better information and streamlining reporting, including requiring the Government to report annually to Parliament on emissions from international aviation and shipping, in line with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; and

Strengthening the country's preparedness for climate change by requiring the Government regularly to assess the risks of climate change to the UK, and to report to Parliament on its proposals and policies for sustainable adaptation to climate change.

In addition, the Bill will also be used to:

Introduce the Carbon Reduction Commitment - a new cap and trade scheme for large organisations not already covered by other schemes;

Help ensure that the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, which is expected to deliver significant carbon savings from the road transport sector by increasing the use of biofuels, delivers environmental benefits; and

Provide a power so that a number of local authorities who want to can pilot incentives for household waste minimisation and recycling.

Taken together it is estimated that these three policies could save the equivalent of up to 9.4 to 13.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year by 2020.

This Bill forms only part of the Government’s commitment to tackle climate change across a range of fields. The Waste Strategy, for instance, will also play an important part, and the Government is leading on the international arena –it was largely down to British initiative that climate change is featuring so heavily during the German Presidency of the EU and G8.

To read the draft Climate Change Bill in full, click HERE

Sadiq will be holding a policy forum in early 2008, for local people to discuss the Climate Change Bill and other environmental issues. He will then submit a report to Hilary Benn outlining the views of Tooting constituents.

If you are interested in attending the local policy forum on the environment please contact Sadiq on 020 7219 6967 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it