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Northern Ireland shirks responsibility on climate change

Friends of the Earth accused Northern Ireland Ministers of lacking the political will to tackle climate change, following today’s publication of the Government’s review [1] of its climate change programme. The environmental campaign group described the review as “pathetic” and called for a new law to make the Government legally responsible for reducing UK carbon dioxide emissions, a move backed by the majority of MPs.

The Government has repeatedly promised to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent of 1990 levels by 2010, including in all three of the general election manifestos that have put New Labour in Government. But emissions have risen by three per cent since Tony Blair came to power in 1997. The latest figures show that they are currently only around 5 per cent below 1990 levels and in Northern Ireland they are only 3.5 per cent down on 1990. The revised strategy was supposed to get the UK back on track – but it is clear that it has failed to do this.

Friends of the Earth’s Northern Ireland Director, John Woods said:

“Tough action is needed to tackle climate change and yet the Government has failed to set a target for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in Northern Ireland. The chapter on Northern Ireland in the new strategy is nothing more than an account of what Government is already doing and contains not a single new commitment or target to cut emissions. This is in contrast to Scotland where the Executive has committed itself to making an ‘equitable contribution’ to the UK targets.

“This pathetic strategy will not deliver the Government’s promise to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent by 2010, and will further undermine the Prime Minister’s reputation on this issue. It leaves Northern Ireland shirking its responsibility to do its bit to combat climate change.

“Most MPs now back Friends of the Earth’s call for a new law requiring the Government to make annual cuts in carbon dioxide. It’s time that Ministers accepted how their present programme is failing and embrace the need for a stronger and more structured approach. The solutions exist, but the Government clearly lacks the political will to use them.”

Friends of the Earth's climate campaign, The Big Ask, is calling on the Government to introduce a climate law that would set a legally binding target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 3 per cent every year, monitored through an annual carbon budget. For more information see www.thebigask.com.

The programme published today has a number of significant failings:

• It will not deliver the Government target of a 20 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010;
• It lacks an overall framework for tackling climate change, relying instead on a piecemeal approach which past experience strongly suggests is doomed to fail;
• It does not set disaggregated targets for the devolved administrations (although Scotland has chosen to set its own targets.
• It does not ensure that there will be significant carbon dioxide reductions from industry. The Government says that under the next phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme industry will have to cut its carbon dioxide emissions in 2010 by between three and eight million tonnes, based on projected levels. Because industrial carbon dioxide emissions are projected to rise, a reduction of just three million tonnes will actually see industrial emissions higher than they are today.
• It doesn’t commit to a reduction in traffic and does not do enough to ensure that more efficient vehicles are used. Road transport accounts for 25 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions.
• There is no review of the Government’s disastrous aviation strategy, which heavily subsidises cheap flights and is allowing a massive expansion in capacity through the building of new runways and airport terminals. Aviation is the fastest growing source of carbon dioxide emissions in the UK.
• It does not go far enough in realising the massive potential for energy saving, renewable power and combined heat & power schemes, leaving Britain largely dependent on the inefficient use of fossil fuels for electricity and heating.

Notes

[1] (back) Climate Change – The UK Programme 2006 www.defra.gov.uk .