With his usual air of defeat and resignation that famous down-in-the-mouth cartoon character, Charlie Brown, once said– “no problem is too big to run away from.”

Well, when it comes to climate change, that’s a piece of advice we would take out our peril.

From Pole to Pole, climate change is real, it’s happening and it’s everyone’s business.

We cannot ignore it, we cannot deny its existence and we cannot cross our fingers in the hope that it will solve itself.

Instead, we have to act fast and act right.

Confronting the climate change challenge is an agenda topping priority for my department and this Government.

That’s why we led the world by adopting a legally binding target to cut all greenhouse gases by at least 80% by 2050 (against a 1990 baseline).

It’s also why we recently launched our ambitious, but deliverable, strategy for cutting the carbon emissions from transport: “Low carbon transport: a greener future.”

One of the key principles underpinning our strategy is choice – we want to make low carbon modes of travel a viable, reliable and attractive choice for people.

But for choice to be meaningful, it must also be informed. And that’s why this scheme is so important.

The motivation behind the Used Car Fuel Efficiency Label is a straightforward one - it is designed to increase overall consumer, trade and media awareness and understanding about the environmental performance of used cars….specifically their CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.
This Used Car Label builds on the success of the New Car Label. And while I have this opportunity I’d like to pay tribute to Low CVP – and indeed key stakeholders like the RMIF (Retail Motor Industry Federation) and the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders) - for all their hard work in helping to make the New Car Label an essential piece of product information for consumers and the motor industry alike.

The Used Car Label is about giving even more people the information they need to make the right purchase for themselves and the smart purchase for the environment.
 
But let me be clear – this scheme is not about big government telling consumers what to buy.

It’s not about dictating to industry about what to sell. And it’s certainly not about red tape, bureaucracy or nanny state regulation.

It’s about government working hand-in-glove with industry partners and stakeholder experts like Low CVP the VCA (Vehicle Type Approval Auth), the RMIF and the SMMT.

And it’s about government investing in a scheme that is evidence-based, user-friendly and entirely voluntary.

In short, this scheme is about proactive government, partnership government – government that empowers and supports.

At the start of this speech I said that climate change is everyone’s business. And that means we all have a responsibility to face up to this global challenge – government, industry and individuals.

Well, for me, this scheme is an example of that shared responsibility in practice - and, while I have this opportunity, I’d like to pay tribute to everyone involved in making the used car label a reality.

Can a voluntary scheme like this succeed? In all honesty I believe that it can.

And I hold that belief because this is a scheme that works for dealers as well as consumers. Indeed, the evidence from the New Car label scheme shows the real potential of this “informed choice approach”.

For dealers this scheme is good for the businesses you run, the customers you depend on and the environment we all share.

Over a thousand dealers have already signed up to show the label – which is a great start. But we want as many involved as possible. So please - get on board, get signed up and, together, we can make a real difference.

Thank you.

(This speech represented existing departmental policy but the words may not have been the same as those used by the Minister.)