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Archived press release

Climate change must be priority for new blair government

6 May 2005

Tony Blair should create a new Government department to deliver annual cuts in UK carbon dioxide emissions, Friends of the Earth said today. The environmental pressure group warned the Prime Minister that he must also take bold political decisions to deliver on his manifesto pledge to tackle climate change by making significant cuts in carbon dioxide levels.

Labour has promised to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent from 1990 levels by 2010. But carbon dioxide levels have risen under Labour, and existing Government policies will leave the UK well short of its manifesto target. A review of the UK Climate Strategy is due to be published within the next few weeks.

Friends of the Earth is calling on the Government to make the fight against climate change a priority. Mr Blair's new Government must:

• create a Department of Environment, Transport and Energy, with a heavy-weight Secretary of State charged with reducing carbon dioxide emissions;
• commit to achieving year on year reductions in emissions and to monitor, review and report to Parliament on progress annually;
• face down the road and aviation lobby and introduce measures to cut emissions from road transport and aviation Emissions are currently rising and existing Government allow this trend to continue.
• phase-out the most polluting and inefficient coal-fired power stations
• commit to meeting reduction targets primarily through the use of renewable power and heat together with revitalised energy saving programmes. Nuclear power should be ruled out.

Friends of the Earth's executive director, Tony Juniper, said:

"Now the General Election is over Tony Blair must turn his attention to climate change, the biggest threat the planet faces. He must take urgent steps to ensure that UK carbon dioxide levels are cut every year to meet his promise of significant reductions in emissions. This will need a Secretary of State with the power to deliver cuts from the polluting power industry and transport, while at the same time ruling out expensive and polluting new nuclear power stations. The fight against global warming must be at the heart of government, not confined to the margins."

Last September Tony Blair made a key speech on the threat of climate change describing it as "the world's greatest environmental challenge" and "so far reaching in its impact and irreversible in its destructive power, that it alters radically human existence" [1]. Mr Blair promised that along with Africa, climate change will be "our top priority" at this year's G8 summit, which the UK will chair.

Note

1. 14 September 2004: Speech:
www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page6333.asp

For further information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

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