Archived press release

Royal Commission endorses key FOE principle

16 June 2000

ROYAL COMMISSION TO ENDORSE ENVIRONMENTAL EQUITY - A KEY FOE PRINCIPLE - IN ENERGY REPORT

The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is expected, today, to endorse the key FOE principle of 'environmental equity' in its report on the phasing out of fossil fuels [1].This principle, which FOE has argued should be a cornerstone of Government environmental, social and economic policies [2], says that everyone should enjoy an equal right to the earth's resources.

In this case, it implies that UK emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) should be cut by 80 per cent by 2050, both to protect future generations from dangerous climate change and to allow developing countries to meet the needs of their peoples sustainably.

The Commission's report is expected to present as significant a challenge to the Government's energy policy as its 1994 report on transport did to the then Government's transport policy.

In particular, its long-term analysis will expose the failure of the UK Government's recent draft Climate Programme to pave the way for long-term cuts in CO2 emissions or to achieve the Government's own short-term target of cutting CO2 by 20 per cent by 2010 [3].

Roger Higman, Senior Climate Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:

“FOE has been campaigning to get the principle of equal rights to the world's environmental resources accepted by Governments since 1992. We're delighted that such an august body as the Royal Commission appears to have taken up our ideas.

“This report should form the foundation of the Government's energy policy:setting the scene for big cuts in our use of fossil fuels and in their emissions which threaten the world's climate. These cuts would also dramatically reduce toxic air pollution and create jobs in the new renewable energy industry”.

ENDS

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] The Royal Commission will publish its 22nd Report, following its inquiry into “the implications of phasing out fossil fuels” on Friday, 16 June at 11am.

[2] FOE's 1998 report 'Tomorrow's World: Britain's share in a sustainable future' by Duncan McLaren, Simon Bullock and Nusrat Yousef explains how the principle of environmental equity must form a cornerstone of the Government's environmental,social and economic policies, along with the principles of environmental limits and fairness to future generations.

It shows that deep cuts in CO2 emissions are required from western countries if dangerous climate change is to be prevented in a way that enables developing countries to meet the needs of their peoples.

[3] FOE calculations show that the UK Government's draft Climate Change Programme will cut carbon dioxide emissions by 14.7-18.2 per cent, depending on the intensity of implementation of transport measures in particular. It does not explain how the gap of 1.8-5.3 per cent is to be achieved. Even the a 15.3 per cent cut in CO2emissions depends on the achievement of the Government's target to increase renewable generation to 10 per cent.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust