Joan
Walley MP has been
praised by Friends of the Earth for backing calls to beef up
the Climate Change Bill, currently being debated in
Parliament.
Ms Walley
has joined over 240 MPs who
have signed a parliamentary petition (Early Day Motion 736)
calling for the Bill to include carbon dioxide emissions from
international aviation and set a tougher 80 per cent target
for cutting carbon dioxide by 2050.
The Climate Change Bill, due
to become law by summer, will set binding targets for cutting
carbon dioxide. But there is growing pressure on the
Government to strengthen the proposals. Campaigners,
scientists, an influential UN report and now MPs are warning
that the Bill must be tougher if it is to successfully tackle
climate change. Top of the list of improvements needed are
toughening up the overall target to an 80 per cent cut in
carbon emissions by 2050; and making sure emissions from
international flights are included in the Bill.
As currently drafted, the
Bill requires a 60 per cent cut in carbon emissions by 2050, a
figure it is widely accepted is based on out of date science.
The Bill also excludes international aviation emissions
- a fast growing source of climate
changing gases - which could
seriously undermine the new climate law.
Tony Juniper, Friends of the
Earth director:
"We
are delighted that Joan Walley MP is supporting calls for a
tougher Climate Change Bill.
The Bill needs
targets that are in line with the latest science, and it must
count all of our carbon emissions, not just some bits.
Aviation has to be treated like every other industry and its
emissions must be in the new legislation from the start.
It is ludicrous for one industry to be ignored and held apart.
Having a climate law that doesn’t include our share of
international aviation emissions is like having a drink
driving law that ignores the effects of whisky."
