WWF-UK: Climate change goes to the heart of the political agenda
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Climate change goes to the heart of the political agenda
Friday 21 April 2006
Climate change has been put firmly at the top of the political agenda this week with both David Cameron and Gordon Brown making key speeches on the environment.
WWF, who facilitated David Cameron's fact-finding trip to the Arctic, is encouraged by a number of important commitments on climate change outlined in Mr Cameron's speech in Oslo. We also welcome Mr Brown's call for a global carbon market at a speech in America on Thursday night.
Robert Napier, Chief Executive of WWF-UK, said: "We are very heartened that the urgency of climate change has hit home with two of the most senior politicians in the UK this week.
"It is vital that Mr Cameron and Mr Brown have highlighted the crucial importance of emissions trading and an international target-based approach to cutting carbon emissions."
Mr Cameron's commitments to the future of Kyoto, year-on-year carbon emissions reductions in the UK and more ambitious cuts in the power sector's emissions are all good news, according to WWF.
Importantly Mr Cameron has expressed support for a tighter limit on emissions from UK industry within the next phase of the European Emissions Trading Scheme.
Gordon Brown has voiced his support for extending and strengthening the European trading scheme as a stepping stone towards a global carbon market. WWF welcomes Mr Brown's recognition that climate change is a major threat to poverty reduction in developing countries, and that addressing it is an economic imperative. WWF also welcomes his strong support for multilateral global action to reduce emissions.
Keith Allott, Head of Climate Change at WWF-UK, said: "It is very encouraging that both David Cameron and Gordon Brown have grasped the importance of emissions trading as the critical tool for reducing emissions.
"Emissions trading may sound complicated but at heart it is simply a mechanism to set absolute limits on pollution from industry. The critical question is how tightly that limit is set.
"We hope that Mr Brown's new enthusiasm for emissions trading will encourage him to spur the government to set tougher limits on pollution from the UK's power stations. By doing this, he could ensure that the Government actually delivers on its longstanding target to cut CO2 emissions by 20 per cent between 1990 and 2010.
"We now look forward to further commitments from politicians of all parties to prioritise the urgency of climate change."
Robert Napier, Chief Executive of WWF-UK, said: "We are very heartened that the urgency of climate change has hit home with two of the most senior politicians in the UK this week.
"It is vital that Mr Cameron and Mr Brown have highlighted the crucial importance of emissions trading and an international target-based approach to cutting carbon emissions."
Mr Cameron's commitments to the future of Kyoto, year-on-year carbon emissions reductions in the UK and more ambitious cuts in the power sector's emissions are all good news, according to WWF.
Importantly Mr Cameron has expressed support for a tighter limit on emissions from UK industry within the next phase of the European Emissions Trading Scheme.
Gordon Brown has voiced his support for extending and strengthening the European trading scheme as a stepping stone towards a global carbon market. WWF welcomes Mr Brown's recognition that climate change is a major threat to poverty reduction in developing countries, and that addressing it is an economic imperative. WWF also welcomes his strong support for multilateral global action to reduce emissions.
Keith Allott, Head of Climate Change at WWF-UK, said: "It is very encouraging that both David Cameron and Gordon Brown have grasped the importance of emissions trading as the critical tool for reducing emissions.
"Emissions trading may sound complicated but at heart it is simply a mechanism to set absolute limits on pollution from industry. The critical question is how tightly that limit is set.
"We hope that Mr Brown's new enthusiasm for emissions trading will encourage him to spur the government to set tougher limits on pollution from the UK's power stations. By doing this, he could ensure that the Government actually delivers on its longstanding target to cut CO2 emissions by 20 per cent between 1990 and 2010.
"We now look forward to further commitments from politicians of all parties to prioritise the urgency of climate change."
David Cameron in Norway
"We now look forward to further commitments from politicians of all parties to prioritise the urgency of climate change."
Keith Allott, Head of Climate Change at WWF-UK
David Cameron and Sam Smith, Head of WWF's international Arctic programme