Archived press release

Friends of the Earth welcomes business demands for climate action

6 June 2006

Calls by business for tougher Government targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions were welcomed by Friends of the Earth today (6 June 2006). The companies, including Standard Chartered Bank and Vodafone, are meeting Tony Blair amid concerns that other European companies are cornering the market in green technologies because their governments are giving more incentives to the sector to grow.

Friends of the Earth Director, Tony Juniper said:

"We welcome this call by business for tougher Government targets to cut carbon emissions. This is exactly what is needed if we are to tackle climate change and ensure that the British economy reaps the rewards of going green. That is why Friends of the Earths climate campaign, The Big Ask, is calling for the introduction of a climate law that will commit the Government to making annual cuts in the UK's carbon dioxide emissions. Companies can also lead by example and take steps to cut emissions from their own operations".

Friends of the Earth also called on the Government to show it is serious about climate change by opting for tough caps on emissions from industry when it makes a decision on the second phase on the European Emissions Trading Scheme this week.

The companies form part of the Corporate Leader Group on Climate Change which was developed under the auspices of the Prince of Wales Business and the Environment Programme.

Note

Friends of the Earth's climate campaign, The Big Ask, is calling for the Government to introduce a new climate change law which will commit it to making three percent cuts in the UK's carbon dioxide emissions year on year. The campaign is supported by over half of MPs. For more information go to www.thebigask.com

The Government published a consultation on the National Allocation Plan for the second phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme as part of the Climate Change Review in March 2006. This sets the total limit on the amount of carbon dioxide that industry can emit in each of the five years from 2008 to 2012. The Government has said it will "achieve carbon savings of between 3 and 8 MtC" but this is measured from a baseline of the emissions predicted if no action were taken to save energy. Astonishingly the lower end of the range of saving proposed by Government would actually lead to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions from industry.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust