Archived press release

Budget 2009 - Government to set legally-binding short-term climate targets

20 April 2009

Short-term legally-binding targets for tackling climate change will be unveiled by the Government as part of its Budget announcement this week (Wednesday 22 April).

The targets are being introduced as part of the Climate Change Act, which Friends of the Earth led the campaign for through The Big Ask.

Friends of the Earth is calling on Ministers to listen to advice from leading climate scientists at the Tyndall Research Centre, published by the environmental campaign group last month, urging the Government to ensure that:

· UK carbon emissions are cut by at least 42 per cent by 2020;

· this target should be met only through domestic reductions, and not by buying pollution offsets from abroad.

MPs from all parties, including the Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee and over 100 Labour MPs, have signed a Parliamentary petition backing the call for a 42 per cent target.

However, the Government's own climate advisors, the Committee on Climate Change, have advised the Government to set an 'interim' target of cutting emissions by 34 per cent by 2020. But the Tyndall Centre warns that this is based on ''dangerously misleading'' assumptions and is "too weak to prevent dangerous climate change".

Friends of the Earth's Head of UK Climate Ed Matthew said:

"Gordon Brown must keep his promise of a green Budget by ensuring that the UK cuts its emissions by at least 42 per cent by 2020 and that a comprehensive package of financial incentives is announced to rapidly move us to a low-carbon economy."

"Leading scientists have warned that the target recommended by the Government's climate advisors is too weak - Ministers must show political courage and push for a bigger cut."

"A 42 per cent target will mean that we play our part in avoiding catastrophic global warming, generate hundreds of thousands of jobs and establish the UK as a world leader ahead of crucial climate change talks in Copenhagen later this year."

Notes:

1. A comprehensive briefing on the carbon budgets is available at: www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/2020_climate_target.pdf

2. 'Official advice on climate targets too weak, say leading scientists' - Friends of the Earth press release 17 March 2009 www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/tyndall_research_17032009.html

3. The Climate Change Act: Why the Government is publishing short-term, legally- binding targets for tackling climate change.

Under the Climate Change Act, which was passed in November 2008 - and which Friends of the Earth led the campaign for through The Big Ask - the UK is legally committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent of 1990 levels by 2050.

As part of this new legislation the Government is also required to set a series of five-year climate change 'budgets' for 2008-2012, 2013-2017, and 2018-2022.

These are due to be announced as part of the Chancellor's fiscal Budget.

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) - an independent body set up under the Act to advise the Government on emissions targets - published its recommendations for the carbon budgets in December. www.theccc.org.uk/carbon-budgets

The CCC recommended an emissions reduction of 34 per cent in 2020 relative to 1990 levels - and said that this should be strengthened to a 42 per cent cut by 2020 if a global deal on climate change was reached.

But research carried out for Friends of the Earth last month by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, for Friends of the Earth, concluded that the greenhouse gas reduction target recommended by the Government's climate change advisory body is based on 'dangerously misleading' assumptions and is 'too weak' to prevent dangerous climate change.

4. EDM 868: Targets for 2020 in the Climate Change Act 2008

edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37945&SESSION=899

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust