Archived press release

Leading green groups urge pm to keep climate target

18 October 1999

Four of the UK's leading environmental groups have written to the Prime Minister and nine senior Government ministers urging them to stick to Labour's manifesto pledge to cut carbon dioxide levels by 20 per cent by 2010 [1]. The letter - which coincides with a Government report, published today[2], outlining the alarming global consequences of failing to take action - expresses concern over recent Government “downplaying” of its promised target. Senior ministers are understood to be meeting this Wednesday to discuss the Government's climate change strategy ahead of a major international conference on climate change (COP 5) later this month in Bonn. A domestic strategy for dealing with climate change is expected shortly.

In their letter, the Directors of the four organisations - Friends of the Earth (FOE), the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF-UK), Greenpeace and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) - complain that “unfortunately, in recent months, the Government seems to have been downplaying the twenty per cent target. For example, it was not emphasised in the Government's latest annual report in July. On the contrary, that report stated that a "climate change programme[should be prepared] to meet the UK's legally binding target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 12.5% below the 1990 levels over the period 2008 to 2012". The Government also backs away from the 20% target in the UK Climate Change Consultation Paper, published by the DETR in October last year. It appears that the current strategy is to achieve the Kyoto target, but that the 20%target is fast becoming just an aspirational aim. In our view, this is inadequate both as a response to climate change and because it fails to deliver on a clear manifesto promise.”

The letter continues: “Given the importance of the issue and the fact that inaction and reduced commitment at the national level could weaken the United Kingdom's position on the international level, it is vital that all ministers take a strong stance now and reaffirm the validity and achievability of that aim.

“Already, the UK's environment and people are feeling the effects of climate change. Moreover, it is clear that climate stabilisation cannot be achieved by the policies and measures currently envisaged by industrialised countries. Indeed, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has stated that to avert the worst impacts of climate change, globally cuts of 60% in CO2 emissions must be achieved by 2050.”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] Letter attached/available on request
[2] The report is by the Met Office Hadley Centre. It was commissioned by DETR.

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