A climate change bill which could see regular targets put in place to cut UK carbon dioxide emissions is currently being considered by the Government, and could see an independent system to gauge progress in reducing greenhouse gases. The bill is likely to be included in next month's Queen's Speech, and follows a campaign by Friends of the Earth (FoE), which was supported by the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Last month, Environment Secretary David Miliband said, "People should be scared by global warming." This follows reports from NASA scientists that the world is warmer than it has been for the last 12,000 years, with the average temperature having increased by about 0.2 Celsius in each of the last three decades. If action is not taken, then carbon dioxide emissions in 2050 will be 137% higher than in 2003.
The principle of the bill was supported by Shadow Environment Secretary Peter Ainsworth who said, "We need rolling annual carbon reduction targets to be agreed in Parliament; an independent body to assess the science and make recommendations as that science evolves; and an annual report to make sure ministers and civil servants are accountable." However, FoE's proposal that ministers would be fined for missing environmental targets will not be included.
As reported in October's Monthly Bulletin, California has already adopted legally binding targets for greenhouse gases after Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a law committing the state to reducing emissions by 25% by 2020.
